No kidding, and I am of the ilk that I'm amazed that it all works as well as it does.

Hunger is sadly, not just a "third-world" problem. There are millions in this country that go hungry all the time. Not all of them because it is their fault wither. Uneven distribution of food is a constant, as is waste and loss. But calling hunger a third world problem ignores the realities right here in the USA.

But Amy, no one would direct that sneer at you, because you have a very good attitude. Of course desiring improvement is a good thing; what is annoying is that there are so many people who act like their life is unbearable because they have to wait 5 minutes for a hamburger. Sometimes people need to be reminded how wonderful they have it: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mfmmNif5WCw

"Rising Expectations" require a free market to supply those expectations.

Sneering at those who want their expectations to be met, is a shaming technique designed to shut us up, so we stop opposing creeping socialism.

Aw, KarenW stole my thunder! As she points out, "First World Problems" may be less a sneer than a reminder to keep things in perspective -- the absence of a vegan pumpkin latte or slow service at McDonald's aren't signs of a hard life or a bleak future. Indeed, specialty coffees and faster fast food are problems we can take seriously here since we don't have to spend so much of our lives trying to find food or avoiding being something else's food.

Yeah, it's a reminder to ourselves. I'm only two generations removed from spending my life working in a cotton mill. I was just reading something about how after the end of WWI, there was a general feeling in the West that human and social progress from that point was inevitable and unstoppable. Now, we're finding out different -- that it is in fact possible to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, and there are people who are sharpening their axes. If we don't work to defend Western civilization, within our lifetimes most of this could disappear and we could be back to sustenance agriculture.

But Starbucks DOES offer vegan pumpkin lattes...

I never thought of the First World Problems meme as sneering at the demand for further progress. I thought it was more along the lines of "My girlfriend's front teeth are crooked #firstworldproblems" or "I need to replace my cufflinks #firstworldproblems."

As the Christmas holiday's fade has anyone contemplated the famous line "Visions of sugar plums danced in their heads," and why it was included in the poem?

Because until the 1860's or so sugared candy, fruits and similar items were still expensive and rare treats in a good chunk of the world. Now the government is mandating putting calorie counts on the candy machines that are all over the place.

Europe is catching up with the U.S. quickly (or was until the EU). But striving to move forward into a more equal starting point for everyone is a goal. Stopping people from achieving success because they can is still just wrong.

Unofficial motto of the 21st Century:

"Instant Gratification Takes Too Long!!!"

If you purchased expedited shipping, then it is not unreasonable to expect expedited shipping. That was the promise: extra money for a challenging service.

If a restaurant chain promotes its ultra-fast counter service, and that's why you went there, then waiting 10 minutes for your burger is annoying because you didn't plan for it.

Someone somewhere in Sierra Leone might gladly wait a month for the same food. So what? So you don't have a problem until you hit that point?

I love living in this world.

We live in the Age of Miracles.

I have adorable, hilarious kids who were conceived in a lab. I do almost all of my shopping via Amazon.com. I rely on Facebook to keep up with my friends. You had better BELIEVE I love living in this world.

However…I typically use the phrase "First World problems" for things that wouldn't be possible without First World technology. Thanks to the GPS system in my car, I have gotten fairly hopeless about finding my way around town unassisted -- that's a First World problem. We have to decide what to do with some frozen embryos -- that's a First World problem. We have to worry about our pets having access to too much food -- that's a First World problem. Best way to sum my definition up is that it's a problem caused by abundance/progress, not a supposed sense of entitlement.

But hey, I'm weird. (By First or Third World standards.)

My favorite first world problem? Addiction.

My dog smells like corn chips and I can't stop sniffing him.

I enjoy "first world problems":

Got rug burns wrestling Christie Brinkley.
Porsche won't pull redline in top gear.
They keep building faster & bigger phones than the one I have.
Elevator in my house is too slow.
Voice recognition can't solve for "affect/effect" or "they're/their/there".

Is it sneering or is it saying "In the grand scale of things, we could probably calm down over this relatively unimportant, easily-resolved problem"?