Exactly. I believe that people in third-world countries can be a lot more motivated when it comes to learning and harnessing new technologies, simply because they might have a lot more at stake.

Unlike in the past, nowadays it is relatively easy to gain access to technical knowledge. If someone has access to the web and knows enough English they are basically at the same distance from information (=1) as someone in a developed world. All it takes is a lot of time and persistence.

So there might be third-world countries but there are no third world people.

Well, you know, seeing how a first world superpower handles computers and technology, I can kind of see where they're coming from ;)

Still, incredibly stupid nonetheless.

This is the comment in these stories that has irked me the most.

It is just political posturing, not an oversight