I am a Greek political scientist and here are some practical lessons I have learned from my country’s financial crisis

Hello, dear readers. I have long felt the need to share with somebody what I have learned from the Greek financial crisis. I find it important, firstly because this has been a financial, political and social crisis and secondly because these lessons are kind of universal; meaning that they could save other countries’ citizens a lot of trouble.

So, let me begin with where I was when the crisis began. I was at the end of my MA in Diplomacy and my career goals were very set. The world was recovering from a harsh economic crisis and The Economist, in one of its November 2009 issues, had added the following image, which tells it all:

Everything changed in one night for me and for thousands of other young graduates like me, who were just ready to begin their journey in the adults’ world. The same happened with our parents, of course, who had to face a failing state, a failing market and a failing society. November 2019 will be the tenth anniversary of this event and I think it is worth it to look back and see what one can learn from the situation.

Lesson 1: The effectiveness of populism on a country’s citizens does not depend on its literacy rates

Did you know that the overall adults’ literacy rate in Greece is 97,3%? In fact, according to the latest (2011) census of the Hellenic Statistical Authority, out of the country’s overall population of 10,816,286, 1,809,087 citizens are registered as holders of academic degrees from first degree to post-Doctorate, 502,079 have diplomas from colleges and technical schools and 2,532,396 have completed high school. I am saying that because I previously I thought that populism can be successful in countries with low literacy rates.

Yet there we are, since the beginning of the crisis, there is no single candidate who has not used populist tactics to win the elections. And, once they have won, they have claimed that external factors or lack of experience have obstructed them from carrying out what they had promised.

But there is one more effect of populism that has affected Greece: physical and psychological violence among the citizens, which has mounted during the Syriza administrations. You are not with the government? Then, you are a fascist face. You are or used to be with the government? Then, you are a communist dog. These are just two examples of is happening in the Greek families and workplaces right now.

From Papandreou’s “there is money” campaign to Tsipras’ “hope and dignity”, I have learned this thing: the more vague, intangible and seductive a campaign sounds, the further away I should keep myself from the politician who leads it.

Lesson 2: The more a crisis deepens, the more the people turn to extreme ideologies

Indeed, the more bad news arrived every day, the more the Greek citizens coiled themselves around extreme ideologies. It is noteworthy that, while the extreme-left SYRIZA and the extreme-right Golden Dawn were considered marginal political elements by the wider public before the crisis, SYRIZA is now in power and Golden Dawn is the third political power in Greece.

Speaking of Golden Dawn, nationalism is certainly an ideology to which people turn as a result of a financial crisis. Suddenly, migrants and those who let them in become targets of heavy criticism.

How does a literate population give in to extreme ideologies? They offer “support”, “solidarity” and… “alternative solutions”. In the end, it is globally said that desperate times need desperate measures.

Lesson 3: “It is always someone else’s fault”

In situations of crisis, blaming others is such an easy thing to do. Apart from each government blaming the previous one and those who supported it, the citizens will blame everyone else except for themselves. Here are some perpetrators according to many; migrants, non-governmental organizations (in the unfavourable way that the Greek state media present them), the German Jews, the American Jews, Mr Sorros.

Lesson 4: Conspiracy theories are on the rise

An effect of putting the blame on external factors or the previous administrations is the rise of conspiracy theories. Unsupported conspiracy theories have gradually gained more fans; who is not intrigued by the Nephilims and the possibility that the human race never travelled to the moon? Now any random YouTube user can be considered a reliable source for such theories and people seem to need such theories in their search for someone or something who might have caused their problems.

What can one do?

What can one do so that they do not learn these lessons the hard way as I have? Spending a few hours of their day informing themselves and sharing that information!

Think about it; we spend so much time posting and liking on social media and window-shopping at the malls. If we want honest politicians and republics that work, we need to sacrifice some of this time in order to educate ourselves on domestic and world affairs, as well as the background of each person who asks for our trust. In an established republic, everything that one needs to know is public, including fiscal data, proper analyses on them, as well as CVs and personal backgrounds. Thank you very much, bookstores and worldwide web!

Secondly, one should appreciate the value of one’s vote. Abstention from elections is not an effective means of protest, because an election will happen with or without your vote. And guess what: if the majority of people don’t go show up at the polling stations, then they will have to tolerate an unpopular government. Yet, since the new ballot will have shown that everything is OK, nothing much will change, right?

In overall, what did the crisis taught me? It taught me the value of awareness!