As
Greeks look inward, they see a country that produces nothing of value
and is inferior to the rest of the world - despite evidence to the
contrary. The country has been mentally colonized, with outside
powers convincing the Greeks that they can do no better.
by
Michael Nevradakis
Part
7 - “We don’t produce anything”
Contributing
further still to the misery and defeatism in Greece is a
commonly-held perception that the country “doesn’t produce
anything.” And this ostensibly being the case, it means that Greece
is in a helpless position, reliant upon foreigners and particularly
the EU. It is not unusual to hear Greeks talk about how “we are the
beggars of Europe” and how “we cannot survive” without the EU.
The reality,
however, is far more complex. It is certainly true that Greece’s
productive base has diminished since the early 1980s (Greece entered
the EU in 1981). There are several reasons for this. Some of these
reasons have to do with the EU and its regulations, such as its
common agricultural policies, which dictates to member-states what to
grow, what not to grow, what seeds and crop varieties are permitted
or prohibited, where to export and at what prices, and where not to
export. Greece’s agricultural base has, as a result, been battered
since 1981.
During this
same period, increased foreign influence and the arrival of “easy
money” from “Europe” led more and more people to desire what
they perceived to be a more “European” lifestyle and career.
Working the land was old-fashioned and backwards; a desk job or
studying to become a lawyer or doctor was the thing to do. Never mind
that even if there was no economic crisis, Greece could not possibly
absorb so many doctors and lawyers – and even more so when very few
doctors, if any, are willing to go to smaller islands and rural
regions which are truly in need of their services.
These areas,
unfortunately, did not offer the “European lifestyle,” complete
with hipster pubs and sushi bars, that the new generation, encouraged
by their parents, craved. Even in cases where young adults are in a
position where they can take over a successful family-owned business,
they often opt to pursue a profession seen to deliver more status and
prestige – even if it means leaving Greece in the process.
Since the
early 1980s, Greece’s borders were also opened up to imports from
other EU member-states, particularly Europe’s export powerhouse,
Germany. Greece’s previously successful industry, producing
everything from buses and tractors to refrigerators and stoves, was
wrecked. Many industries were bought out, shuttered, or operations
were outsourced. Under the dictates of Greece’s so-called “bailout”
agreements, many remaining industries, including the Hellenic Vehicle
Industry (which, for example, produces buses, trolleys, and military
vehicles) and the Hellenic arms and defense industries are slated for
privatization or closure.
Meanwhile, a
visit to any supermarket and careful observation of the purchasing
habits of ordinary Greeks reveals a marked preference for foreign
products, even when similar (and often higher quality) domestic
products are available. Oftentimes, Greek products simply go
unnoticed. At other times, they are considered old-fashioned, while
many shoppers complain that they are expensive – which, actually,
is frequently not the case.
This author,
in keeping with a “shop local” philosophy which was also
practiced in the United States, purchases almost exclusively
domestically-produced products without breaking the bank. According
to many, this is simply not possible, for “we don’t produce
anything,” and as one purportedly “anti-EU” activist once told
me, “we need to buy [European] cheese for our kids’ sandwiches.”
Such
“European cheeses” are found at the breakfast buffets of most
Greek hotels, very few of which engage in any effort to promote
domestic dishes and products to foreign visitors who, perhaps, might
be interested in trying something different from what they are used
to – or at least having something authentically Greek available as
an option. Instead, one will invariably find butter from Denmark,
marmalade from Bulgaria, milk from Germany, cheese from Holland and
honey from Turkey. Locally-produced fresh fruits and vegetables,
fresh-baked breads and pies, local juices and beverages, Greek yogurt
and cheeses, and a host of other high-quality and widely-available
domestic products, are not so widely available precisely at those
locations where they should be exposed to the country’s visitors:
hotels.
As one hotel
owner in the island of Karpathos is said to have uttered, regarding
the lack of local goods offered: “why should I make [local
producers] big shots by offering their products?” Divide and
conquer in action.
This fear of
leaving Europe extends beyond just the material world. Academics at
all educational levels are infamous for their love and support
towards the EU. Many of them are beneficiaries of various European
funding and grant programs or of scholarship and mobility programs
such as Erasmus+, and are terrified of losing such privileges. What
these educators fail to realize is that Erasmus+ is not limited to EU
member-states, and that international and academic cooperation is not
something that cannot exist independently of the EU.
In keeping
with “European” norms, it should be no surprise, then, that
changes to the educational curriculum have consistently reduced the
emphasis on the Greek language, Greek history and ancient Greece,
while since the 1980s, students are taught that they are “European
first, then Greek.”
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