A stupid country

Always knew there was something dumb about hurling and smashing plates when I visited Greece a hundred years ago.  Fresh out of university, I thought there might be something deep behind this bizarre and dangerous custom.  But no, it was just drunken senselessness -- a futile and ridiculous waste of money.  Kind'a like the entire country has turned out to be.

Basically, no one works in Greece.  Come to think of it, no one works in any of the southern Mediterranean countries -- Italy, Spain, Portugal..........whatever.  These inhabitants stagger out of bed at the crack of 10:30, hit the "office" for a couple of hours, then go for a HUGE, boozy lunch, after which they go home and sleep it off.  I'm serious!   They then gather again at about 10:30 p.m. for a HUGE, boozy dinner, sing, smash a few plates and hit the hay in the wee hours.  Every day.  Every night. 

As I said, no one actually "works" as, say, the Germans do.  The Greek upper classes were doing that when I visited my privileged high-school friend way back when and they are still doing it.  Oh, and by the way, everyone has a mistress -- just to complicate things and make the out-of-office hours even longer. 

No wonder they have been in a black economic hole forever.   

What other members of the Eurozone were doing letting that mess into the EU was beyond me, until I asked B about it.  "Why would they let bloody Greece into the EU," I asked him, "and not let Turkey in, which would have been just as stupid.  And why would they let ridiculous Cypress in?"  Here's the deal:

"It's all about snobbism," he explained.  "The only reason Greece is in is because the Italians fancy themselves 'Romans' -- as in the wise, ancient variety.  Remember, the Greeks came before the Romans, so that's the pecking order.  As for Cypress, that was the compromise because Cypress is comprised of Turks and Greeks, so that's the way they rationalized it.  Turkey was refused because it's a little too dark and 'moorish' for the Roman's liking -- a tad too middle-eastern to be 'European'."

So, that's the Cole's notes version of how a stupid, non-country such as Greece (Kevin O'Leary agrees, by the way) found its way into the EU.  Happily, it is about to be kicked out.  In the end, Britain, thanks to the Iron Lady, will emerge the strong and undisputed leader because it didn't join.  Germany and France -- historically natural allies, regardless of WWII -- will have to eat crow for a few decades.   

Imagine living in a country which is part of the EU, where one's own money can't be retrieved from a bank!?  The Greek attitude reminds me of the Monty Python movie 'Life of Brian', where the knight is brought lower and lower, to the point where all his limbs have been cut off, yet he's still yelling and threatening his enemies!

Ludicrous.