I will probably have more effect on the proper use of the term “third world” if I talk to a wall, but here goes... Third world doesn’t mean poor. The term was coined to name those countries that, during the cold war. identified with neither the “free” world nor the communist. They were non-alligned or in a third world.
You are correct. Now the term of art is developing nations or emerging markets. Coincidentially, the vast majority of the Third or non-aligned world is poor and non-white.
RE: The term was coined to name those countries that, during the cold war. identified with neither the “free” world nor the communist.
Now c’mon, you’re not seriously asking us to believe that a neutral country like Switzerland was and is considered third world by that definition are you?
That may have been how it started....but, that is not how it is understood everywhere now....