On a personal note

In Belfast, it's raining. Heavily, falling on my windows, as if it is October. But it's June.

In Greece, the conservatives are into government, with some ex-socialist losers and an opportunist small "left-wing' party that will soon go to the footnotes of History. Not "the radical left", because if it was up to them we would be out of the Euro apparently. Whatev.

In Greece again, but in the whole of Europe, neo-nazi movements are on the rise. Prominent figures note that last time the world had an austerity agenda, nazism rose. But people don't listen. Perhaps they didn't get the 'history repeating' memo? Should we give them a copy of Thucydides's Historiae? As if...

But life goes on, you know? I am leaving for Greece tomorrow. And no matter what is wrong with my country, I really want to go back and spend a month there. I want to spend a month in the heat, feeling myself again. And then get married. That's right, I am getting married this summer. I am usually working like an idiot, having no time to stop and think, but this year I will take it easy, go to Greece for a month, tan like a motherfucker and be a bride!

So, in the immortal words of the amazing Robyn: Konnichi wa bitches! Have a good summer, go to somewhere sunny and forget the woes of the world. it will all be ok, as long as there is sun...

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.


(Martin Niemöller)

More and more often in my life, I find myself thinking about the above poem. These days I've been thinking about this because of how I feel of the way Greece and the Greek people have been treated by the western media. In a poignant article, economist Yanis Varoufakis tries to set the record straight. Essentially, he criticises the way the BBC have misrepresented the Greek election as a fight between a Pro-Europe group and an Against-Europe group. Don't get me wrong, there have been many many excellent analyses of the Greek crisis in foreign media, and you can have a look at some here, here, here and here (courtesy of my friend, Captain Red, as I like to call her these days). 

My estimation, which is not a very well-informed one admittedly, can only be summarised in the poem above: be careful who you don't fight for, fellow Europeans. Greece is a corrupt country with a lot of problems, but these problems are not the reason for the crisis. They just contribute to it. When the euro collapses, and the bubble of the Northern EU countries bursts, they won't have anyone to blame but themselves, because they chose to blame Greece for everything that was wrong with the EU, without realising the truth behind the problem. Then, though, it will be too late and truly there will be no one to speak out for them. 

Racism

How do we go from this:



to this:


Different as they are, they both deal with some form of racism. Real life racism vs. racism in art. The Golden Yawn rep (new term courtesy of my good friend WL) attacked people, women, live on air. He is a neo-nazi fascist, racist to the bone, of the people who go around terrorising immigrants in Greece everyday. I even saw they attacked an israeli journalist, and they they don't like the term 'neo-nazi'



I am in two minds about these people, do we need to see them in TV or not? Norway, France seem to think not. In some countries it is a crime to be a holocaust denier. Some years ago I thought we didn't need to go down this road, I like Voltaire too much "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." But these days, seeing elected representatives hitting women on live TV, I am not so sure anymore. Perhaps freedom of speech should be somehow restrained and when you are a criminal and speak and behave in a way that society has deemed as criminal and disgusting, then you have no more right to speak. 


You do however have every right to fuck off out of my face. 

The slow win

I hate Facebook, this much I am sure you know. Foolishly I thought I hated all social media (obviously forgetting I am a blogger). I guess I think blogging is not a silly social medium, or something like this.
Last week though I succumbed to the charms of instagram (those filters!). And today I joined twitter... There is no hope for me now, is there?