Greece: Strife, Austerity, End Of A Dream. What Next?

[Ben from Dover]

Hang on, the protestors called in reinforcements. Tens of thousands of protestors have turned up.

Most of the people I can see seem to be media / Tv crews

[The Masked Tulip]

The most interesting thing about Mason's article was his reference to the "Cappucino Generation".

It's alright for those of us who are 40+ and remember power cuts, miners' strikes, winters of discontent, dole queues etc. but there is a whole generation of people in their 20's who think that life is an endless cycle of new gadgets paid on cheap credit while they spend an obligatory 3 or 4 years at "Uni". What is utterly artificial to us is their reality.

Essentially you have an entire generation of educated, technically literate people who are going to slowly reach the realisation that their entire lives have thus far been a con. It's a really unprecedented situation, because at least in the old days you knew how the workers organisations would react in a time of crisis - this time the fall-out will be totally unpredictable.

Friends of mine who are uni lecturers tell me stories of how dopey, how unmotivated but how entitled their students feel and think.

Friends of mine with kids tell me similar stories of how they have to almost spoon-feed life to their teenage kids - walking a few hundreds yards is apparently out now and Mum & Dad act like taxis on the most trivial of journeys.

Yep, the kids are in for a shock.

[Brave New World]

I'm more cheered up by who they are chucking bricks at than why. Wish they'd do something more civilised but it's something at least to get in the way of the plutocrats and banksters power grab.

The sooner this shit is over with, the sooner we can get on with something sane.

They have the right target, albeit for the wrong reasons.

I suppose I am exhibiting a degree of small minded nimbyism in that if others have to pay why the hell can’t the greeks. The bailout would never work when you have the Germans working harder and longer funding it. For this reason without central control of a Greater EU budget the EU is doomed to fail and it starts here.

From an immediate perspective, thanks to too much HPC sentiment, I just now fear the feckless rebelling and not learning and facing up to the consequences of being financially stupid and taking on debts one cannot afford, in the process relying on the prudent to pay their debts down……………cos I, we have been caught on the wrong side of the fence!

On the other hand I admire the passion that they UK can only dream of to do this, how would we feel if the over paid, over pensioned QUANGO workers, NHS Management, smoking cessation officers rebelled at not being able to pay back their 7x mortgage and credit card debt from 3 holidays a year and a home entertainment system???????

[interestrateripoff]

Trying to storm parliament. I feel sorry for the coppers, perhaps thay should just let them at the politicians after all??

You would have thought some in the Police would be that way inclined.

I'm surprised they have trashed the banks.

[Ben from Dover]

Friends of mine who are uni lecturers tell me stories of how dopey, how unmotivated but how entitled their students feel and think.

Friends of mine with kids tell me similar stories of how they have to almost spoon-feed life to their teenage kids - walking a few hundreds yards is apparently out now and Mum & Dad act like taxis on the most trivial of journeys.

Yep, the kids are in for a shock.

And on behalf of all the 20 somethings I'd like to say thank you to you guys for getting us in this position. We will be the first generation in a long time to be substantially poorer than our parents. Thanks for that.

[interestrateripoff]

Friends of mine who are uni lecturers tell me stories of how dopey, how unmotivated but how entitled their students feel and think.

Friends of mine with kids tell me similar stories of how they have to almost spoon-feed life to their teenage kids - walking a few hundreds yards is apparently out now and Mum & Dad act like taxis on the most trivial of journeys.

Yep, the kids are in for a shock.

That's the parents fault for not telling them god gave them legs for a reason.

Although I agree that our saggy trouser wearing teenage generation are going to be in for a horrific shock, especially when mum & dad stop paying for the mobile phones etc... and only one TV allowed on in the house.

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

Friends of mine who are uni lecturers tell me stories of how dopey, how unmotivated but how entitled their students feel and think.

Friends of mine with kids tell me similar stories of how they have to almost spoon-feed life to their teenage kids - walking a few hundreds yards is apparently out now and Mum & Dad act like taxis on the most trivial of journeys.

Yep, the kids are in for a shock.

I blame the parents.

[CokeSnortingTory]

And on behalf of all the 20 somethings I'd like to say thank you to you guys for getting us in this position. We will be the first generation in a long time to be substantially poorer than our parents. Thanks for that.

Your time would be better spent refraining from whining, and learning how to grow vegetables instead.

[Brave New World]

And on behalf of all the 20 somethings I'd like to say thank you to you guys for getting us in this position. We will be the first generation in a long time to be substantially poorer than our parents. Thanks for that.

But our apathetic stupidity means we deserve to be.

Yes nurtured by older generations but stupidity should not be an excuse for the utter ignorance of our generation.

The only people I know who are retarded enough to vote Labour are all 20 somethings.

Like celebrity addled, consumerist trinket adorned lambs to the slaughter. Hopefully we will be an example to future generations

[BalancedBear]

I'm quite young and I can just remember the last recession. However many people a bit younger than me up to their late 20s cannot remember a recession. They have all been sold and bought the idea of no more boom and bust, not just in the UK, but probably throughout the western world. It is the fault of governments and the older generations to encourage more debt to be taken on by the youger generations, thereby leaving them in the clasp of bankers who will then run their lives. Taking on debt was seen as the painless way to live beyond your means. Everyone going to university to get a "good" degree, to then get a "good" job, so as then to get on the "housing ladder". Every step of the way, the young have been led to take on debt to pass onto the older generations in our societies. Had the debt culture never arrived, the older generations would have had to face the tough choices themselves, and not left an debt timebomb behind.

Edited May 5, 2010 by BalancedBear

[Injin]

Funny how the debate keeps swinging back to parents and children, isn't it?

[dances with sheeple]

Hang on, the protestors called in reinforcements. Tens of thousands of protestors have turned up.

Oh oh....

[Ben from Dover]

Your time would be better spent refraining from whining, and learning how to grow vegetables instead.

actually there is a massive patch of disused land just outside my front door. Used to be a communal garden for all the houses / flats arround it but was bought by a developer who didn't get planning permission and now just over-grown. couple of weeks back and wife and I spent a whole day planting potato's in the middle of it, mostly fgor fun but also as a just in case senario.

Looks like I'm going to Singapore now so I won't get to harvest them but oh well - might keep some chav alive for a few weeks once shtf

[TGP]

Friends of mine who are uni lecturers tell me stories of how dopey, how unmotivated but how entitled their students feel and think.

Friends of mine with kids tell me similar stories of how they have to almost spoon-feed life to their teenage kids - walking a few hundreds yards is apparently out now and Mum & Dad act like taxis on the most trivial of journeys.

Yep, the kids are in for a shock.

I read a interesting and funny article on this just the other day.... As far as I can see the reasoning's damn near perfect ....

How 'The Karate Kid' Ruined The Modern World

Kids just grew up being taught life was easy and they "deserved" a good life. The writer (in a good comedic fashion) manages to equally spread the blame between hollywood, parents and the children.

He calls the problem causing this "Effort Shock" and it reads bang on to me.

Yours,

TGP

[dhpcza]

The most interesting thing about Mason's article was his reference to the "Cappucino Generation".

It's alright for those of us who are 40+ and remember power cuts, miners' strikes, winters of discontent, dole queues etc. but there is a whole generation of people in their 20's who think that life is an endless cycle of new gadgets paid on cheap credit while they spend an obligatory 3 or 4 years at "Uni". What is utterly artificial to us is their reality.

Essentially you have an entire generation of educated, technically literate people who are going to slowly reach the realisation that their entire lives have thus far been a con. It's a really unprecedented situation, because at least in the old days you knew how the workers organisations would react in a time of crisis - this time the fall-out will be totally unpredictable.

Not all of us. Some of us were little kids in the last recession and remember our parents losing their homes, and remember growing up in a council house as a result (it was a decent house to be honest and wasn't on a rough estate). My mum laughs now, about a time when I was asked what I wanted for Christmas and I said a "new bag for school", as I knew they were skint! (I don't remember saying that, but I do remember knowing there was no money, even as a little kid). Then again, I never felt poor as a kid, but my mum and dad would go without themselves to give stuff to me and my brother.

On the whole though, I agree with you. Most people of my age have done plenty of travelling, lads holidays, plasma tellys, ipods, iphones, blackberrys and all that sh*te. And that's people from all walks of life, from working class lads to more middle-class students. Most people I know never went to uni though, they just work and spend all their money on the aforementioned. Right now, I'm in the dole queue and it sucks.

[R K]

Funny how the debate keeps swinging back to parents and children, isn't it?

.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Red Kharma

[moneyscam]

You can't have a nation of people being paid properly, retiring young, and avoiding tax.

That's just for bankers.

Let one country have it, and soon enough they'll all have it.

Then where's the power in being in control of the money supply?

And if you don't have power, you're just an old man in an expensive suit.

I hope the Greek people burn the ******ing lot.

just got off the phone to family over there, the situation is getting dire fast, on the islands shops are not getting re-supplied - they told me many are looking to leave Greece as soon as possible, they fear a revolution is in the making - might be fun for some of you to watch on here but there is real hurt being felt by ordinary people - this is only the beginning

[Gone baby gone]

And on behalf of all the 20 somethings I'd like to say thank you to you guys for getting us in this position. We will be the first generation in a long time to be substantially poorer than our parents. Thanks for that.

I don't think the 20 somethings are entirely blameless either. How many were the ones taking out those 120% Northern Rock deals? How many 20 somethings were driving around in flash cars and taking 2 holidays a year on the never never?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the over 30s, or over 40s are blameless, but the current generation of 18-30 yr olds seems to have too much in the way of conspicuous wealth to be entirely innocent.

[dances with sheeple]

The most interesting thing about Mason's article was his reference to the "Cappucino Generation".

It's alright for those of us who are 40+ and remember power cuts, miners' strikes, winters of discontent, dole queues etc. but there is a whole generation of people in their 20's who think that life is an endless cycle of new gadgets paid on cheap credit while they spend an obligatory 3 or 4 years at "Uni". What is utterly artificial to us is their reality.

Essentially you have an entire generation of educated, technically literate people who are going to slowly reach the realisation that their entire lives have thus far been a con. It's a really unprecedented situation, because at least in the old days you knew how the workers organisations would react in a time of crisis - this time the fall-out will be totally unpredictable.

I think, because I have been reading Eckhart Tolle, that this is close to the last flight of ego before a new consciousness arises. When I hear kids on the bus bleating loudly about their phones/bands they are in/text message they just got etc the sense of LOOK AT ME is scary, and the insecurity behind that behaviour is even more scary. If I could see a film of myself at fifteen I would probably be acting like a dickhead, but the ability to contact the world and broadcast yourself to the world this generation have is a full steam ahead ego trip. Only problem is of course that corporate brainwashing and other egos just reflect back at you. After this lot comes down I think ego and doing down others may take a back seat for a while?

[rented]

Your time would be better spent refraining from whining, and learning how to grow vegetables instead.

Pity that the waiting list for an allotment is 3-6+ years and that living in a rented bedsit/room in a house (delete as appropriate every 6 months) it's unlikely to have any land/outside space to grow veg on. Those with the land and the space are, largely, not people of the younger generation.

Edit: Heh. On re-reading I sound horribly entitled, time to have a word with myself about that.

Edited May 5, 2010 by rented

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

Funny how the debate keeps swinging back to parents and children, isn't it?

A result of how the debt backed monetary system works over time and change in population demographics.

[DeepLurker]

I find it strange the enthusiasm on here for the greek riots.

Yes the few have taken the piss (with non tax payments etc) but the masses have also had it pretty damn good ie the protestors who by and large could retire at 53, get paid for 13/14 months for 12 months work with the govt continually taking the short term/popularist decisions.

To me it pays similarities to the UK – would a lot on here all be for the lie to lets, self certs rioting at the ending of their ponzi money days?! The Greeks have lied about the state of their economy and lived off others money without the ability to pay it back – I don’t know how it could be viewed that they are paying too much and should rally against it. Where is the incentive to buy bonds when the country is a basket case led by indulgent givers of unreality, all greadily fed upon by the hear no evil see no evil public. Sounds remarkably like the UK.

Look at the protestors; sentiment driven by the loss of early retirement and the loss of Ray-ban culture or the fact people cannot feed or clothe themselves?

+1

[CokeSnortingTory]

Pity that the waiting list for an allotment is 3-6+ years and that living in a rented bedsit/room in a house (delete as appropriate every 6 months) it's unlikely to have any land/outside space to grow veg on. Those with the land and the space are, largely, not people of the younger generation.

Get some potting trays. No excuses.

[scepticus]

Essentially you have an entire generation of educated, technically literate people who are going to slowly reach the realisation that their entire lives have thus far been a con. It's a really unprecedented situation, because at least in the old days you knew how the workers organisations would react in a time of crisis - this time the fall-out will be totally unpredictable.

only until the labour shortages due to demographic aging start to bite. Then technically literate hard working people will be in high demand. The question is can these people get from here (technically literate and lazy), to there (retained technical skills and learned work skills), over the next two decades?

If not we're all stuffed.

[OnlyMe]

only until the labour shortages due to demographic aging start to bite. Then technically literate hard working people will be in high demand. The question is can these people get from here (technically literate and lazy), to there (retained technical skills and learned work skills), over the next two decades?

If not we're all stuffed.

By that time there may only be bum wiping and card swiping jobs left.