Grexit, Laurel & Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, And Bob Dylan

July 6, 2015

Ah, yes . . . Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece . . . Europe is in turmoil . . . the world awaits news.  Hmmm, where have we heard that before?  Oh well, another Monday and another week and, gee, who knows what those Old World geniuses will cook up for us this time.  All of which reminds me of that apt observation on European finance by famed 20th Century economist Oliver Hardy: 


This morning we seem set to queue up before the box-office for the hottest ticket in town: "Seven Against Thebes," which is subtitled for modern audiences as: "Syriza Against Europe." Alas, yet another in a long line of Greek tragedies, none of which end particularly well for anyone. All of which reminds me of another apt observation, this one by George Bernard Shaw: "There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it."

The Greeks seem to have concluded that when you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. It seems like only a few years ago, however, when many in Greece dressed so fine and threw bums a drachma in their prime, didn't you? People said to beware, you're bound to fall but the Greeks thought we were all kiddin'. The Greeks used to laugh about everybody that was hangin' out but now they don't talk so loud, they don't seems so proud, about having to be scrounging for their next meal.  How does it feel?  To be on  your own? With no direction home?