I don’t watch or listen to talking heads very often, especially those that are supposed to be “newscasters”. It’s a depressing display of hackery, made all the more frustrating since these people are presumably paid many, many times what the median family in the U.S. makes, so that they can do a poor job of finding the real truth. Nowhere is this more clear than when it comes to two of the major issues of the day, where perplexed journalists scratch their heads and mutter “Why are those crazy Greeks/Occupy Wall Street people so upset? It’s a mystery we’ll never figure out!”
I honestly heard on the radio tonight one “expert” ask another why the Greeks would want to hold a referendum on the bailout package, and the second said “I don’t know”. Really? You have no idea? No idea why Greeks may be upset that Berlin is forcing them to cut pensions by up to 40%, increase property taxes and the VAT tax, and privatize public utilities so that German banks don’t lose money? Those Greeks are almost as ungrateful as the people in the U.S. who were illegally foreclosed upon. Don’t people understand that even if they aren’t responsible for the problem, they have to suffer the consequences?
Greece is Greece. It’s always been Greece. The rest of the EU knew what they were doing when they let Greece into the Euro. And for a while, it was great. Sure, Greece ran up debts, but remember, those European banks freely loaned them money. Imagine you give a person with a poor credit history a platinum credit card, and then not worry about them paying the bill for the next decade; it’s human nature to take advantage of that. And when the credit gets cut off, don’t expect that person to suddenly vow to work three jobs to pay off the bills, especially when a fine alternative (default) is on the table.
So that’s why, dear leaders, Greeks are not happy: they are being asked to suffer so foreign banks can save some money, when alternatives are much better for them. Simple, no?
The same goes for OWS. I’m brewing up a much longer post on the movement, but it the nutshell is pretty simple: This is why they are so mad. Also, this. And this. You don’t need long lists of demands. You don’t need to send billionaires into the street to write superficial and distracting stories (look! dirty hippies!). People are mad because for over a generation, but especially the past decade, the middle class has fallen behind. They went to college like they were supposed to but just got saddled with debt. They want to work but they can’t find jobs. Meanwhile, the top 1% is completely immune to these problems and pulling further away. More than that, though, they think that if you aren’t in the top 1%, it is your fault. It’s your fault there are more job seekers than job openings. It is your fault you can’t afford health insurance. It is your fault tuition has increased far higher than the rate of inflation. And it’s your fault if you have worked full-time and busted your ass for 30 years, but now you can’t find a job because you are over 50.
You don’t have to hate capitalism or hate America to understand what motivates Greeks and the OWS protesters. You don’t have to think corporations are inherently evil; I certainly don’t. I am pro-free market, I’m a free-trader, and I don’t care how wealthy the top 1% are as long as the middle class keeps up, has the chance to work, and can get health care without worrying about going bankrupt due to one disease. It is that break, between the wealthiest who are calling the shots and the majority of people who are not asking for handouts but simply the chance to succeed, that is driving this strife. It’s so simple that even millionaire journalists can’t figure it out.