"The Greek crisis is, I believe, above all a crisis of character," says 25-year-old Stephania Xydia. "Recently we woke up and we cannot recognize ourselves in the mirror anymore. This country needs above all a new vision, an identity for the 21st century."
For many young Greeks who face a record 50 percent unemployment rate, immigration seems to be the only practical option. Unlike previous generations, the children of the upper socio-economic classes are the ones who choose to immigrate now -- going abroad is expensive. And after British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a potential halt to Greek immigration, questions were raised about the narrowing options for unemployed youth.
At the same time, Greek families have traditionally provided a stable safety-net for their children -- they even continue to support them financially during adult life. In fact, living in your parents' house until your mid-thirties is fairly common in Greece -- it is part of the culture. But suddenly, because of the crisis, families have become unable to provide in the same way. Societal values are changing as different attitudes are evolving.
Xydia grew up in Luxembourg, where her parents worked, but recently made the choice to return "home," to Athens, her birthplace.
"Is everyone just going to leave?" she asks sarcastically. "They don't care about showing something positive," she says. Xydia believes that creating something of your own is now the only option.
Xydia also firmly believes that in light of a corrupt political and media system "change can only come from civil society, through collective action." The mainstream media tend to blame the country's problems on the global capitalist system, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank for imposing overly harsh austerity measures and creating a vicious cycle of depression. In addition, they promote highly polarized and, sometimes, extremist political agendas.
Nobody denies that there are numerous things to complain about right now. But many individuals, like Xydia, have inspiring stories of civil engagement. They see the crisis as an opportunity to take some creative risks.
In 2010, Xydia began working on a collaborative project called "Greek Theatre" (also known as Elliniko Theatro) to create cultural and educational projects that would "affect how Greeks perceive themselves and how international audiences perceive Greece." One of Greek Theatre's most renowned productions has been Socrates Now -- a theatrical, interactive reenactment of Socrates's apology at the trial for his life. The production's slogan was "Think. Question. Change."
"It was like Socrates came back to life and proved that social change needs to take place. The audience discussion after the show illuminated that same message even more," says Antonis Cotzias, a 19-year-old member of the audience.
The play premiered this summer in Athens after a successful international tour, but failed to attract local media attention. However, Xydia's personal efforts to spread the word about the production managed to sell out the show.
Xydia also works with place marketing and branding in Greece, building bridges between local government, private businesses and civil society to boost local development. Xydia talks about motivating citizens to take over projects that they once expected their local governments to do for them. One of her current endeavors involves planning an event for which locals will donate old light fixtures to construct a massive light installation in one of Athens's busiest areas.
In many ways, change comes from the outside in. Actively taking part in redefining what Greece looks like can also affect how people think. The dissonance between having ideas and actualizing them also partially comes from the lack of sustainable networks in Greek society.
Xydia's colleague Mary Karatza says, "If you think about society as a brain, what we are doing is creating the proper synapses between people. It's those connections that will foster new and original thoughts."
Xydia has a vision of starting a peaceful revolution. As more and more of the youth become disillusioned in party politics, they will be forced to find answers in alternative voices that will commit to structural reforms.
For Xydia, a "revolution" is more than a concept, but a reality that will eventually materialize in one way or another.
"I am involved in brainstorming to launch a national campaign for a New Constitution in the coming year and trust such an initiative may set the ground for a redefinition of Democracy in Athens," she says, adding, "We ought to keep the title of "Cradle of Democracy" on merit after all, shouldn't we?"
This story was originally featured on The Pulitzer Center.
These PIIGS citizens do not want to have to work in some dirty factory (like the Asians) to create wealth so that a part of this new wealth could be confiscated by taxation to pay for these government activities.
The US will also face similar consequences when working individuals in the industrial nations will no longer purchase any of the new freshly printed paper US Treasury Bonds at the periodic US Treasury auctions to continue our US deficit spending government operations, or purchase these freshly printed US Treasury Bonds at for the equivalent of a fraction of a penny on the dollar?
It is a problem if the US Treasury has bought and is holding any European Nation Issued Sovereign bonds that will soon become worthless!
The borrowed money (actually sale receipts from PIIGS Nation’s freshly printed paper Treasury bond sales denominated in Euros) is going to the citizens who will re-elect the same politicians who are handing out the borrowed money!
There is no where for the US citizens to emmigrate when the US government destroys the US economy with deficit spending.
I disagree. Many European countries are experiencing extremely low birth rates:
'Birthrates across many Western European countries are now at their lowest for years. And the lowest of them all, according to the latest figures from Eurostat, is Germany.
Germany's birth rate - which is the number of births per 1,000 inhabitants - is now 7.88. That's down 16% in the last ten years and the lowest in the country's history.'
-- http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/may/19/european-birth-rates-data-germany
The Germans are currently looking for bright, educated young people to make up the difference. While it's true that immigration from PIIGS is up, I don't think that well-qualified U.S. Americans who apply for work and residence visas would be necessarily turned down in Germany.
I know: I moved here at the age of 52 and never had any trouble getting work and residence visas. I'm sure that when the time comes, many, many U.S. Citizens will be darkening the doors at Ausländerämter all over Germany and Europe.
Actually, Socrates neither invented democracy nor was he a very big fan of it. Notice how deftly he anticipated the kind of 'soak the rich' rhetoric in a democracy, of which this forum fairly reeks:
'The people are a third class, consisting of
those who work with their own hands; they
are not politicians, and have not much to live
upon [read 'the 99%']. This, when assembled,
is the largest and most powerful class in a
democracy.
'True, he said; but then the multitude is
seldom willing to congregate unless they
get a little honey [even in Zuccotti Park].
And do they not share? I said. Do not their
leaders deprive the rich of their estates
and distribute them among the people; at
the same time taking care to reserve the
larger part for themselves? [sound familiar?]'
-- Plato, 'The Republic', Book VIII,
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1497/1497-h/1497-h.htm
Greece is and has to fail for it to learn some hard lessons. There is no other way they're going to get better until they learn. Only then will they start to understand about living within their means.
Any Greek American or Greek Canadian who has been traveling back and fourth for decades can tell you what the problem really is.
The problem lies within a culture with poor attitudes regarding hard work, entitlements, and paying taxes.
Unfortunately, a culture of "blame-others" will prevent much-needed sincere reflexion.
And is it not true that they created this in hopes of taking more profit no matter what the risk? Which is the essence on capitalism.
And isn't it a 'red herring' at best and 'racist' at its worst to stereotype a whole culture into being lazy then blaming them for something that they did not start because of that stereotype?
The Greek problem is particular to Greece and the promises made to a mostly public-employed populace by politicians during the boom. I believe my analysis is correct. Ask several Greek expats to confirm.
Do not differentiate too much between high tax evasion of high taxes with low evasion of low taxes. In the end, they are similar. Countries with very high taxes have high tax evasion.
The real Greek problem is corruption at the very top. Ministers have taken many billions, especially in approving the purchase of military weaponry from France and Germany through bribes. That's the problem.
Who is going to revolt when taxi drivers speak of the 4th Reich, and the country is paralyzed under endless strikes by the left - by the public unions which are the main burners of the public's money?
The right rarely revolts ... the right works ... the right pays taxes which are then used by politicians TO GROW THEIR BASE by hiring friends, and relatives and giving contracts to their party base in order to perpetuate the phony client voting system --- JUST LIKE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE USA.
What we NEED is a right-wing revolution ... to STOP paying taxes completely to governments gone crazy... to governments who grow themselves only to parade big, fat or just plain populist politicians on tv making promises and blaming the former governments.
A right-wing revolution that says ENOUGH with taxes on how many chairs you have in your restaurant and how many beds in your hotel/motel and on how many square feet (meters) your house has, and on how many acres (hectares) you own ... it's OUR MONEY and we're sick of the government !!
frankly, his wife called me - crying - "he's drinking a lot more; he had to close down 3 of his dealerships; he had to fire most of the employees..."
I talked to him, "I never imagined after 30 years of work this is where I would be..."
And, I suppose you could consider him "lucky" given what others are going through...