"Orientaliisng" Greece.

[bokuden]

I am currently reading Edward W. Said's classic book: "Orientalism".

It's a complex, albeit beautifully written, work that cannot be done justice to in a short post, but, essentially, he argues that "the mysterious Orient" was a creation of powerful, industrial/military States as they embarked their colonial adventures. "Orientalism" served as a rationale for managing those people and lands who were subjugated by colonisation. It is also an ongoing mentality that colours the "European" and "Western" world view.

Quotes:
(from the vintage books edition 1979)
From Cromer, a leading architect of British imperialist policy:

"The European is a close reasoner... His trained intelligence works like a piece of mechanism...
Although the ancient Arabs aqquired in a somewhat higher degree the science of dialectics, their descendants are singularly deficient in the logical faculty. They are often incapable of drawing the most obvious conclusions from any simple premises of which they may admit the truth" (p 38)

Orientals are afterwards shown to be "gullible" "devoid of energy and initiative", much given to "fulsome flattery", intrigue, cunning and unkindness to animals.

Can anyone see a parallel here with how "The Greeks" are being presented?

The media and northern European leaders are portraying them as lazy, avaricious tax dodgers, who are wholly responsible for their own fate. Now, the rational, prudent and sensible Northern European "tax payer" has to ride in and help them sort out their mess. Greece, and any other country whose people resist outside interference in their economic and social affairs) will be "orientilised" in this manner, as they become economic colonies of the nothern European powers.

[viper999]

Sorry to go off topic but i have come across a video that will be huge and i need somebody to post it its a 20 min video on youtube if u or someone u know could have their house taken this is A MUST SEE video in Laoise where this guy gets the Sheriff to leave as you he cant under the irish constitution enter your house. Its called, constitution halts Sheriff ireland and has 32000 hits but havent seen it posted here think its goin viral as its on website in America and the UK, sorry didnt know how else to get it posted thanks folks

[former wesleyan]

Said has been debunked.

How Edward Said took intellectuals for a ride - Books - Salon.com

[tipp revolution]

Sorry to go off topic but i have come across a video that will be huge and i need somebody to post it its a 20 min video on youtube if u or someone u know could have their house taken this is A MUST SEE video in Laoise where this guy gets the Sheriff to leave as you he cant under the irish constitution enter your house. Its called, constitution halts Sheriff ireland and has 32000 hits but havent seen it posted here think its goin viral as its on website in America and the UK, sorry didnt know how else to get it posted thanks folks

Constitution Halts Sheriff - YouTube or look same video up on www.freedomfromalldebt.com

[NLPete]

[/QUOTE]The media and northern European leaders are portraying them as lazy, avaricious tax dodgers, who are wholly responsible for their own fate. Now, the rational, prudent and sensible Northern European "tax payer" has to ride in and help them sort out their mess. Greece, and any other country whose people resist outside interference in their economic and social affairs) will be "orientilised" in this manner, as they become economic colonies of the nothern European powers.[/QUOTE]




Split the weak injured or old from the herd and devour, then move on to the next one. That’s how its done by predatory animals.

The Greeks pay their taxes at point of purchase as we do, or are they supposed to do their days work at the office, factory or wherever and then nip over to the local Gov tax office and make sure that those paid to do that job are actually doing it. And are they also supposed to do due diligence on behalf of those in Brussels as well.

Should they have been aware that goldman and co were massaging the books to make it appear all was in order.

Is that what your average Irish,English,French or German does after work!

This whole thing was a stich up from the start…and it started at the Fed.

How else could it have happened. Are we really supposed to believe that 6-7 figure wages and bonuses were paid to people for getting it wrong!

Stand back and think about it, join the dots….I’d buy 911 before I’d buy that one. And I aint investing in bs.

Politicos should hang their heads in shame.

[NLPete]

Sorry to go off topic but i have come across a video that will be huge and i need somebody to post it its a 20 min video on youtube if u or someone u know could have their house taken this is A MUST SEE video in Laoise where this guy gets the Sheriff to leave as you he cant under the irish constitution enter your house. Its called, constitution halts Sheriff ireland and has 32000 hits but havent seen it posted here think its goin viral as its on website in America and the UK, sorry didnt know how else to get it posted thanks folks

Good Man Viper999.

Fair play to ya,

Were being fleeced by our own.!!

[Sync]

*smashing head off wall *

THEY ARE TAX DODGERS. Their levels of evasion is ridiculous. They lied to get into the Euro. They lied after getting into the Euro. They, as a nation, ARE responsible for where they are.

Now that doesn't mean all individual Greeks are bad people. I'm sure there's a lot of them who don't think that retiring at 60 is a great idea and believe that maybe, just maybe, you should pay your taxes. But as a nation, they've voted for the people they voted for, they accepted an horrendous level of evasion since the state's independence, they've set Public sector wages to be what they are.

People need to stop looking for reasons not to assign responsibility where it's clearly required. You can't legislate international economics around individuals. As a nation, root and branch reform is required. They can either carry out that reform or pull out of the euro, default and let the chips fall where they may.

[John Biffo]

*smashing head off wall *

THEY ARE TAX DODGERS. Their levels of evasion is ridiculous. They lied to get into the Euro. They lied after getting into the Euro. They, as a nation, ARE responsible for where they are.

Now that doesn't mean all individual Greeks are bad people. I'm sure there's a lot of them who don't think that retiring at 60 is a great idea and believe that maybe, just maybe, you should pay your taxes. But as a nation, they've voted for the people they voted for, they accepted an horrendous level of evasion since the state's independence, they've set Public sector wages to be what they are.

People need to stop looking for reasons not to assign responsibility where it's clearly required. You can't legislate international economics around individuals. As a nation, root and branch reform is required. They can either carry out that reform or pull out of the euro, default and let the chips fall where they may.

At last someone with a bit of sense and not some lefty squat dweller.

Not everyone in Greece was responsible for what happened, but a very sizeable percentage of the population were tacitly complicit in the scenario of tax evasion, black economy,cash in hand transactions etc, on top of packing the PS with freeloaders and retiring to Mykonos at 60.

What do these peoplewant the rest of Europe to subsidise them?

Let's see a bit of realism around here.

[SideysGhost]

Completely off-topic but there are quite a few parallels between Irish culture and many East Asian cultures.

The obsession with face.
Following from that, the prevalence of empty plamás and horror of plain speaking
The conformist social herd mentality.
Following from that, the prevalence and importance of communal social myths, no matter how logically ridiculous
Opaque layers of symbolic speech, where every sentence has to be parsed for multiple layers of hidden meaning
A history of authoritarian governance.
Following on from that, only a very thin veneer of democracy.
Obsession with Family
Obsession with Property
Pentatonic scales in traditional music

Hmmmmm.

[Sync]

We're not as good at table tennis.