It is true, after dictatorship of 1967-1973, both police and army lost power because politicians wanted this, in fear that these forces might take charge again in the future. So now, they are simply manipulated by each goverment and have no power. I would really like to have stronger police, in such way to avoid all these riots. If police were stronger, 50 people would not be able to protest every week and damage shops and cars.

You have beautiful cities, which are already showing the typical signs of urban decay that most cities the world over go through. Yet your rural areas & smaller towns are in a sad state. They’re in far worse state than their equivalents in South Africa, which is saying something. Not to mention, just like in SA you have far more homeless people than there are in Greece.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I could give you a whole laundry list of problems Australia faces that you conveniently never mentioned. Perhaps these problems don’t effect you personally but they do effect other Australians & immigrants living in your country.

Don’t stick your hand in the sand. People are owning up and pointing out the problems facing Greece, which is an important first step towards finding solutions. It would be smart for people living abroad to take a long hard at their own countries and ask some serious questions. Before you wake up one day and ask what went wrong.

This is not a defense for the way things are in Greece I am just trying to put things in perspective.”

you obviously didn’t learn much from living in some of those other countries then.

how are the problems in Greece ‘miniscule’ compared to Australia? the job market is nowhere near as flexible. the streets are not as clean. the hospitals are in even worse condition. the public sector is plagued by corruption and lazyness.

if countries like Australia have a problem is that they are too organised for their own good sometimes. But to say that Greece is no more ‘backward’ than a country like Australia is just stupid.

Greece is at least 10-15 years behind most of the countries in the OECD on a number of significant issues.

“There is a blackness to souls of these people who move through the night like phantoms, fighting to change the rules of this country or simply fighting to destroy what those who cheated and stole hold so dearly until they know how it feels.”

nicely said.

The recent riots have exposed the true face of Greece. Chaos has broken through. There is a political vacuum. Both major parties have failed. ND by inertia and corruption, PASOK by systematically destroying the state and brainwashing a generation with the romance of Panepistimio. The minor parties offer nothing but narrow dogma at best and dangerous sedition at worst. The media is a circus of lies, hysteria and theatrical wrangling. Politicians are businessmens’ whores, taking a fakilaki and shafting the nation.

How does the working man live on 1000 euros in a state where you must pay for an adequate level health and education? After nearly 20 years of socialist government, Greece is the least socialist country in Europe.

People have every right to be angry. But, what do I see? I see a nation where everyone does what he gustarei. Stand outside a supermarket and see how much care the average Greek has for his fellow citizen; see how he double parks to avoid walking ten paces. Take a look at the roadside at the piles of rubbish to see how the Greek loves his country.

The people get the government they deserve and until the average Greek takes a good hard look at himself and say, “yes we deserve better but it has to start with me the individual, or nothing will change.”

This is not a defense for the way things are in Greece I am just trying to put things in perspective. The biggest favor Greeks can do for themselves is get out of whinger’s club and look at the opportunities available to them (as Vasilis did). If they say that there are no opportunities, then it just seems to me that they favor complaining & procrastination over doing what is best for themselves.

It is a very sad time indeed when I must scour the internet to get both sides of the argument, instead of being able to rely on the ‘neutral, truth-seeking’ news.

But concerning the rioters, the ones who might be doing this to protest a lame government… Of course, I’m not in their situation. In so many ways I’m not in their situation. I’m not from this country, only an observer. I’ve got better opportunities in this country than they do. I do have to work more than one job to have money. I’m in their situation in that respect. But I’m able to make a good salary. I would say I’ve had a fairly OK time in Greece so far, although I think that could change at any moment. And no, I won’t go smashing things if that happens. My opportunities are still too good. I do have something to lose. But in the event that my jobs dry up or my company closes and I had to leave, well… I could find myself having to leave because it’s not working out anymore, if the economy tanks so bad, etc., and why would I suffer so much to live in a country that I’m not from and to fight for a country, for a better life here, when I’ve only been here a short time? The thing is…I CAN leave. Just sell my stuff, get a plane ticket, go somewhere else with more stability, go back to the states (gag, never). But what are the rioters and protesters who are Greek and can’t leave or don’t want to leave but want to stay and fight for their country, for a better life here, to take away from the hands of the rich, powerful do-nothings what they deserve better–what are they going to do? They are just sick of it. They have so much anger and rage, and I don’t think exercising or just picking up and moving is gonna work. The parents of these young rioters–why don’t they keep their kids at home? Because they understand and they feel the same way. There is a blackness to souls of these people who move through the night like phantoms, fighting to change the rules of this country or simply fighting to destroy what those who cheated and stole hold so dearly until they know how it feels. Yes I know there are many of them who are just jumping on a bandwagon and are like sheeps themselves. One man’s freedom rioter could be the next afendiko. And some of them don’t know what they’re fighting against. But for those who have a point, I don’t think that they think there’s a better solution. The peaceful way would fall flat for them. No one has died, actually. The riots have not been that violent, when you think about it. The only one who has died is the one who’s death triggered the riots in the first place. Amazing that the death of one kid would spark such fury.

We are adults and foreigners from countries where if you even dared throw a molotov cocktail at a bank you’d be in jail for a year, if not longer. And you’d have to pay for the damages. But the situation in the states, in Britain, Australia, wherever–it’s the same everywhere. The rich are getting richer, politicians aren’t fixing anything but just taking the money, and that can’t go on forever. I’ve thought about what peaceful protests would be like here. I can see them not changing a thing. How many people protested the Iraq war in San Francisco? Like, half a million, if not more. And the war still happened. Even these riots in Greece, it’s doubtful that they’re gonna change anything. The storefronts on Amalias sparkle with new glass already. The shop owners–undoubtedly there will be those adversely affected, and that’s not fair. It’s not their fault that the economy is bad and that job prospects are bleak. But the majority of the stores hit were chain stores and banks. Bank branches on Filelinon shined this morning as I drove to work. Eurobank looks brand new. Better, actually. Cleaner.

I thought for a while that things would get better, but I realized that that was just my situation that was getting better. I’m pretty sure things are gonna get worse, so I imagine the shop owners should invest in solid rollers to protect their glass, and hopefully when the riots start again, because I’m sure they will, they’ll be protected. And if they can’t afford the rollers or get them installed in time, perhaps they should fly the black bin liners on their door handles, because the government won’t protect them, that’s for sure.

I’m just looking for a reason and a solution, as an observer from a foreign country, who came here to teach English and learn Greek and who doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. I’m learning that backwards is forwards here. It’s an interesting case in Greece, if not tragic, if not cyclical, if not irreparable, if not all as it should be. But it’s truly interesting to think about, when applied to the ways of this country…

What really would make a difference?