Comments on: Notes From a Small Island http://www.newuniversity.org/2010/05/opinion/notes-from-a-small-island/ Thu, 24 May 2012 03:30:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: John http://www.newuniversity.org/2010/05/opinion/notes-from-a-small-island/comment-page-1/#comment-3227 John Tue, 18 May 2010 16:15:32 +0000 http://www.newuniversity.org/?p=13404#comment-3227 Greece also has the compounded legacy of years of fascist government and violent military dictatorship, followed by a "socialist" regime that didn't look too much different. Add to that years of student action that makes the CA student movement look like a Girl Scout meeting. When 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was murdered by police in Exarchia, the country exploded into riots. That was in December 2008, and the recent debt crisis has only added fuel to the fire. It's not just about social services, or salaries, or the retirement age of 54. Of course it is, but it also isn't. Greeks are tired of government in general, they're tired of rich old men dictating the terms of their lives and futures. To them, the death of a young boy is no different than the IMF austerity measures (it's not just debt--look at what has happened to Argentina especially). Glenn Beck recommends reading a recently-published history of Greece and the December riots, called We Are an Image From the Future (don't worry, it's published by anarchists, so you could call it non-partisan and safe for liberals to read). What is most interesting about Greece is that California's actually in a worse predicament than Greece. We've been able to put a rug over the problem for a while but our mess is starting to show; and when it does, it'll be disastrous. Wall Street Journal (or some other big paper, I forget which) ran a story arguing that California's debt crisis is one of the worst in the world (worse than Greece). The only thing preventing riots here are the militarized police and the lack of history and experience with rioting, occupations, and large-scale mobilizations. Greece also has the compounded legacy of years of fascist government and violent military dictatorship, followed by a “socialist” regime that didn’t look too much different. Add to that years of student action that makes the CA student movement look like a Girl Scout meeting. When 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was murdered by police in Exarchia, the country exploded into riots. That was in December 2008, and the recent debt crisis has only added fuel to the fire. It’s not just about social services, or salaries, or the retirement age of 54. Of course it is, but it also isn’t. Greeks are tired of government in general, they’re tired of rich old men dictating the terms of their lives and futures. To them, the death of a young boy is no different than the IMF austerity measures (it’s not just debt–look at what has happened to Argentina especially).

Glenn Beck recommends reading a recently-published history of Greece and the December riots, called We Are an Image From the Future (don’t worry, it’s published by anarchists, so you could call it non-partisan and safe for liberals to read).

What is most interesting about Greece is that California’s actually in a worse predicament than Greece. We’ve been able to put a rug over the problem for a while but our mess is starting to show; and when it does, it’ll be disastrous. Wall Street Journal (or some other big paper, I forget which) ran a story arguing that California’s debt crisis is one of the worst in the world (worse than Greece). The only thing preventing riots here are the militarized police and the lack of history and experience with rioting, occupations, and large-scale mobilizations.

]]> By: Gloriana http://www.newuniversity.org/2010/05/opinion/notes-from-a-small-island/comment-page-1/#comment-3216 Gloriana Tue, 18 May 2010 07:34:46 +0000 http://www.newuniversity.org/?p=13404#comment-3216 Whats wrong with Greece? Our economy is doing much worse than Greece, isnt it time people wake up and smell the burning stench of gasoline? Whats wrong with Greece? Our economy is doing much worse than Greece, isnt it time people wake up and smell the burning stench of gasoline?

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