Greece Is Slipping Into The Abyss -- The Telegraph
As the economic crisis worsens, the very fabric of society in Athens is being ripped apart as the Greeks lose their good humour and generosity.
Greek grannies are as ubiquitous and iconic as Greek cats. Dressed immaculately in widow’s black, and with their grey hair neatly styled, they are proud figures. They are treated with respect by even the most rebellious youths, and acknowledged by all as the head of the fiercely maternal family groups that bind Greek society together.
The old lady I saw on the street in Athens this week was typical, except in one shocking respect. She was begging. Beggars are normal here these days, but almost all are immigrants or drug users. This was different. The image of this proud woman sitting on a plastic crate outside the supermarket with her hands out has stayed in my mind. If a symbol is needed to illustrate the unravelling of Greek society, then this is it.
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My Comment: This story reminds me of Russia at the height of its financial collapse in 1992. Elderly citizens .... some of them war heroes .... selling their few belongings on the street. Mothers with their young children begging just a block away from the Kremlin. Scores of homeless people sleeping in Moscow's major train station. Russia as I know it changed completely after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the financial chaos that sweeped after it .... and it has not come back.
Sighhh .... this is the future for Greece in the next year or two .... and probably for a few other countries in southern Europe as well.
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