Third world rules

The third world plays by different rules than the second or first world. Let's see how...

BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Based on the percentage of citizens who file their taxes, unemployment in the third world is over 50%. Taxes work differently in the third world. Government workers (police and community leaders) go around the local businesses to extort bribes and when the money is unavailable, they will force the business to close. This essentially eliminates medium-sized businesses. Big businesses are generally government-owned or have under-the-table arrangements with government workers. If you don't work for such a company, a common alternative is to go underground.

The underground economy is where most locals earn the money to eat. They drive motorcycle taxis, they cook and open one-man restaurants, they work online if the internet exists. In the third world, everyone is an entrepreneur. They have to be if they want to feed their families. What does this look like?

CHILD LABOR
Laws may prevent child labor, but they do not prevent children from working in the family business. Small children grow up in the family store or restaurant. You'll see them hopping around, making crazy noises and playing with action figures. When they are old enough to stock the shelves, they do so. When they have the hand-eye-coordination to safely carry plates, they serve restaurant customers.

When you see it up close, "child labor" looks quite different from what the first world thinks it is. It becomes more human. Work and play aren't separated from each other. Family time and watching the shop can happen at the same time. The first world's black & white view of work and leisure and family time vs time to earn money blends in the third world.

PETS
Pets in the third world are necessarily different from those in the first world. Where there is fear of break-ins and theft, dogs are used as burglary alarms. They are chained outside and are trained to bark whenever anyone comes by. They are not walked and spend all day everyday on a two-foot chain. This don't have the opportunity to explore or release their excess energy and can quickly become aggressive.

Other dogs roam the streets freely and do not belong to any particular family. Just like the chained dogs who eat the family's leftover table scraps, street dogs often eat from the trash. They are not spayed due to the high cost and they multiply in number.

Similarly, street cats are common in the third world. They co-exist with the homeless dogs and compete for the same food that generally comes from the garbage. Many die soon after birth, but others grow up only to pick up infections and skin problems which escalate due to non-treatment which can also lead to death.

The health troubles that street cats have are also seen in cats with owners since they usually live in their owner's house and are given free access to roam outside. Even good owners' cats will often die due to health problems that are not properly diagnosed by vets due to lack of quality vet education.

Cat owners choose not to bring their cat to the vet due to exorbitant bills and treatments having no effect. A few cat-lovers in the village will attempt to take care of innumerable cats, but they realize that the battle is not one that can be won. They continue to feed stray cats, but providing healthcare for the cats is rarely financially feasible. The street cats die early and many more take their place as un-spayed mothers continue to have babies and increase the population of strays.