First World problems: a growing threat to global security

United Nations Security Council meet to discuss the issue

By Keating Smith, Chief Procrastinating Correspondent

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met last week in New York to discuss the growing threat of First World problems in the northern regions of the world. With the United States, France, and Great Britain making up three of the five permanent members of the UNSC, the countries expressed to the assembly that First World problems are a growing threat, not only to the security of their respective nations, but to those in other developed countries. Several other wealthy countries in Europe including Norway, Switzerland, and Finland, as well as Canada and Australia were also on the UNSC’s list of countries to take attentiveness to the new and growing global problem.

“The assassination of Osama bin Laden has greatly reduced the issue of global terrorism,” said Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, in a statement to the international media. “And while the sinister consequences of Arab spring have generated a civil war in Syria and created continuous political instability in Egypt, we cannot ignore the problems of the First World like we have been.”

The words come from Rice and several of her colleagues after a growing number of hashtags typically coined as “#firstworldproblems” have been reported plaguing the social media world in recent months. These First World problems range from someone burning their tongue after drinking hot coffee purchased from a corporate restaurant to having an intermittent Wi-Fi connection in a very large suburban house.

Paralleling the growing amount of First World problem hashtags in the world of social media are several videos recently posted on YouTube, particularly Africa for Norway, which is a video depicting Africans unanimously coming together to help people in Norway by donating their heaters to the extremely cold Scandinavian country. “I’m basically heading up a team that’s getting Africans together in this time of need for Norway [by] helping them out,” says Breezy V, an African rapper and spokesperson for the video. “A lot of people aren’t aware of what is going on there right now. It’s just as bad as poverty if you ask me.

“People don’t ignore starving people, so why should we ignore cold people? Frost bite kills people too,” Breezy proclaims at the beginning of the video. With Norway having some of the largest offshore oil deposits in the world and one of Europe’s highest GDP’s, Norwegians historically struggle to keep warm during the winter months. Breezy concludes his speech by saying “We need to make a difference in Norway by collecting our radiators and shipping them off [to] spread some light, spread some warmth, and spread some smiles.”

The UNSC is set to meet before the holiday season in a general assembly to discuss the potential threats First World problems could pose in the western world in the new year. Fresh off his newly reelected term, U.S. president Barack Obama is speculated to seat the assembly’s chair.

-With files from Daily Dingdong politics.