There has been quite a lot of comment on this blog sympathetic to Greece. Here is an example, posted by my friend, John Protevi. In this post, John refers us to a piece by Panagiotis Sotiris in the Guardian. Here is a Sotirisism from this piece: "European Union is rapidly becoming the most reactionary and undemocratic institution in the European continent since Nazism." More reactionary than the Soviet Union and its satellites. Than the Greek junta. This is the level of educated Greek commentary on this issue.
Let me say, right off the top, that I am appalled by what has happened to many ordinary Greeks. If my pension were suddenly cut in half, I would feel horribly helpless and, of course, very angry. I am scared that something bad of this sort will happen here in Canada. But I am nonetheless depressed by the level of the discussion in Greece. It isn't clear to me that Greece has a properly functioning state. It isn't clear to me that the law rules there. There is not a word about this in Mr Sotiris's column.
Actually Greek discourse on this matter is now quite despicable. Germany is regularly referred to as the "Fourth Reich". Angela Merkel is portrayed in cartoons wearing a Nazi uniform and with a Hitler moustache. And here's a cartoon by Stathis Stavropoulos of Horst Reichenbach, head of the EU task force in Greece:
This morning CBC Radio broadcast an interview with Greek "journalist and blogger", Vasso Gildizi. (I would be interested to hear more about her; I haven't been able to find anything in English.) Ms. Gildizi refused to be critical of these caricatures of Germans and Germany, which she finds therapeutic, enjoyable, and understandable. Personally, I find them utterly disgusting, and indicative of the immaturity of Greek political discourse and the Greek political system.
I would be very interested to hear reactions to my disgust. Are readers going to say: "It's not good, but . . . "? I hope not.
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