Greece shocks markets with referendum on austerity

[citizen k]

...tired racist morality tropes about hardworking Protestants and lazy Mediterraneans.

How is it racist when they're the same race?

[Tamas]

The "omg finally Greek people will rise against the EVILS of capitalism!" comments would be extremely funny if they were not so dangerous.

it was the Greek people who basked in the shower of loaned money their leaders bathed them in. Now it is time to pay that money back, and suddenly it is below their dignity to do so?
Fuck them.

[Martinus]

...tired racist morality tropes about hardworking Protestants and lazy Mediterraneans.

How is it racist when they're the same race?

"Racist" is another of these words. 

[Razgovory]

Got to agree with the black bread brigade here.  Greece isn't the victim of some colonial conspiracy here.  Unless you consider the Euro a form of colonization.

[Admiral Yi]

It just made me wonder what can the Greeks do?

They can lower their wages and make their products and services competitive again.

[grumbler]

It just made me wonder what can the Greeks do?

They can lower their wages and make their products and services competitive again.

But that doesn't solve the problem of the existing debt, it just reduces future debt.

I think we have to recognize that there is a point at which avoiding a Greek default and boot from the Euro zone is more expensive than just dealing with it.  In that sense, a Greek referendum makes some sense; not as much sense as an election, though.  P'do's referendum is just a circus held to avoid an election he would lose.

It needs to be made very clear to the Greeks that a no vote on the bailout is a no vote on Greece in the EU.

[Admiral Yi]

Good for the Greeks.  When "austerity" = squeezing the working class even further, it's worthless.  This is not 1942 Britain austerity, it is "austerity" precipitated by elite finance and reinforced by tired racist morality tropes about hardworking Protestants and lazy Mediterraneans.  Greece has always been a colonized nation, from the Ottomans to their degrading Danish monarchy to a brutal civil war 10 years after the Spanish to a US/NATO-backed dictatorship within recent memory that must have all but destroyed any faith of the citizenry in the virtues of the same neoliberalism that produced this very crisis.

If elite finance were to somehow rid itself of its tired racist morality tropes and neocolonialist attitudes, and then presumably lend as much money as Greece wanted to borrow at 3 or 4% interest, would everything turn out swell?

[Razgovory]

What were the rates they were borrowing at before?

[HVC]

Hey Mihali can i borrow some money? i promise t pay it back. and if i don't it's not like it'll ruin your finances or anything

[Barrister]

...tired racist morality tropes about hardworking Protestants and lazy Mediterraneans.

How is it racist when they're the same race?

You shut your mouth. Mediteranean types are not white, ergo a different race.

[HVC]

...tired racist morality tropes about hardworking Protestants and lazy Mediterraneans.

How is it racist when they're the same race?

You shut your mouth. Mediteranean types are not white, ergo a different race.

I've been insulted by a damn ukranian. One living in alberta, just to make it worse

[Valmy]

Good for the Greeks.  When "austerity" = squeezing the working class even further, it's worthless.  This is not 1942 Britain austerity, it is "austerity" precipitated by elite finance and reinforced by tired racist morality tropes about hardworking Protestants and lazy Mediterraneans.  Greece has always been a colonized nation, from the Ottomans to their degrading Danish monarchy to a brutal civil war 10 years after the Spanish to a US/NATO-backed dictatorship within recent memory that must have all but destroyed any faith of the citizenry in the virtues of the same neoliberalism that produced this very crisis.

I don't see how any of that is going to magically make the money to pay back their lenders appear out of nowhere.

Unless you think having a history of victimization means you should not have to pay back loans.  Did neoliberalism render the Greek nation unable to do basic math when they were borrowing all that money?  Remind me never to loan money to anybody who has ever been colonized I guess it makes you think you get stuff for nothing.

[PDH]

...tired racist morality tropes about hardworking Protestants and lazy Mediterraneans.

How is it racist when they're the same race?

How is it racist when someone attacks blacks?  Racism is not biological...

[Valmy]

You shut your mouth. Mediteranean types are not white, ergo a different race.

Eh close enough.

[Oexmelin]

I am not sure the model of household economics is especially relevant to the situation of States borrowing and international finance.