Learning a lesson from the French
Those here in Greece who rushed to celebrate the protests by students, workers and teachers in France should reconsider their reactions – first because they had probably not properly considered the real motives of the protesters, and secondly because if these French protesters were ever in Greece they would not be satisfied with just taking to the streets. They would also get in the faces of ministers and other politicians to lobby for the cause. It is worth noting, at this point, that the French actually have something to defend that we do not – namely, a robust and organized state which governs an active society that has clear class distinctions. Meanwhile, youths here in Greece do not really have any reason to stand up and protest like their counterparts in France. They must first solve other problems, such as finding a first job (albeit an insecure, badly paid and boring one) and learning to live with their family, colleagues and the demands of an excessively consumerist society. So perhaps our opposition politicians who are so pleased with the radical situation in France should stop to think about the sorry state of the society they brought into the 21st century and consider the gulf separating the status quo in Greece and in France. Instead, opposition parties fritter away their energies on internal disputes such as the clash earlier this week between Communist Party leader Aleka Papariga and officials from the PASOK-dominated labor union GSEE about allegedly «betraying» workers with the new collective labor contract. But this dispute was drowned out by tedious exchanges about protests preceding student council elections.
