Yesterday's vote of the Cypriot parliament to the EuroGroup-suggested (!!) plan for cutting a significant percentage of money deposits of citizens and companies in Cypriot banks was met with a resounding NO. There was not a single "yes" among the votes. For once hellenism stood and opposed the vulture-like appetites of the European credit system, instead of succumbing like Greek politicians have done so far, with George A. Papandreou leading this catastrophic dance.
But nothing is simple. In Cyprus right now there is a strenuous battle going on: between Berlin and Moscow. There is great Russian and British interest in Cyprus and its banking system, because many companies and individuals from those two countries have bank deposits in its banks. There is also the geopolitical importance of the island, the gas reserves, the proximity to Turkey controlled pipes etc.
It is also the apex of the strange, economically-wielded World Word War III which looks like it will demolish the dream of the Unified Europe, because there is no will (and no resistance) to oppose the disruptive voices. And Germany (its administrations) is again responsible for the ominous Balkanization of Europe with all the repercussions this might entail. It remains to be seen if Cyprus will be the explosive cocktail to set Europe on fire.
E, this probably isn't the place to post this, but I was wondering about your thoughts about Giorgos Katidis, (as an outsider, I thought his being banned for life was a little outrageous).
ReplyDeleteCarol, wow, I see you're very much into things! Kudos!!
ReplyDeleteGood question. Let's see if I can address it in a logical manner.
On the one hand, banning someone who has proven to be an international calibre player from all national teams in the tournament for life seems excessive. It probably would be in most situations.
On the other hand, we're dealing with a very crucial case study. There was another athlete, Voula Papachristou, who was ousted from the London Olympics for tweeting a racist joke before the games last summer (even though athletes were routinely warned not to use social media with comments that might offend). There was also a well-known and outspoken Golden Dawn party member (and now MP) who publicly slapped another MP on air, live! And has generally a thuggish behavior.
The common thread of all those people is that they are connected to a nostalgizing Nazi attitude (as personified currently by the GD party locally), probably fueled by a need to vindicate their ethnicity's dignity (dragged through mud, as attested and chronicled here on these pages) and the understandable youthful need to wreck havoc & act recklessly.
In two out of three cases this is also backed up by a total lack of historical knowledge and appreciation and what is more enraging, by a total denial to OWN anything of what they did after the fact. Katidis and Papachristou both said "I'm only a child", " I don't have any relation to political stuff", "don't implicate me in politics, I'm an athlete" etc in order to escape the wrath they unlocked. This is a chicken-shit attitude which proves that without punishment there can be no fear of repercussions and therefore no restraint for the next time. They simply don't have strength in their "beliefs", therefore this "bravado" is a dangerous and provocative show-off.
Kasidiaris is another case altogether, because he does own what he does (even if it is something reprehensible), but he also tried to avoid punishment and managed to disappear just enough for punitive charges to drop!
The bottom line is: without harsh punishment in these very public cases, more and more youths will imagine that it is "cool" to be a neo-Nazi or a fascist. (In fact this is how the ideology is sold, with -sacrilege of sacrileges- this "coolness" being tied to the defiance for which ancient Greeks are famous for.) It needs to be stopped now. Greece has suffered IMMENSELY during Nazi occupation (search Nazi massacres in Wiki) to have people think it's OK to bring back those times/beliefs. It's a matter of respect and a matter of a sane and democratic state, especially right now.
In view of the above, banning him for life is exemplary to anyone else who might think that doing something like that in front of school-age children is "cool".
I'm sorry he had to have this implemented on him, but he should have stopped and thought about it twice before doing it. He's 20 years old, there are no excuses, he's not a child.
Thanks so much E for your extremely thoughtful post, and I learned a lot from it. (I did know some of what you spoke about, but not all, and truly appreciate your time to explain to me)
DeleteWhatever is worth doing, it's worth doing right :-)
DeleteYou're most welcome! Glad I could provide a glimpse. Any other question, feel free to ask anytime and I will answer to the best of my ability.