Greek democracy is being destroyed. Not by soldiers marching with insane slogans on their lips about the inevitable triumph of the German master race, international proletariat or global jihad, but by moderate men and women who think themselves immune to ideological frenzy. Greece’s enemies are novel, but no less frightening for that: extremists from the centre ground; the respectable running riot.
Greece is being destroyed by ‘respectable’ fanatics | Nick Cohen | Comment is free | The Observer.

Poverty is not a sign of collective failure but individual immorality. The psychic coup of neo-liberal thinking is just this: instead of being disgusted by poverty, we are disgusted by poor people themselves. This disgust is a growth industry. We lay this moral bankruptcy at the feet of the poor as we tell ourselves we are better than that.

via Instead of being disgusted by poverty, we are disgusted by poor people themselves | Suzanne Moore | Comment is free | The Guardian.

The new Eurogroup meeting on February 9 is not enough to banish the spectre of a Greek bankruptcy. While Athens may largely be responsible for the crisis, the EU and its partners are not blameless themselves. La Stampa argues that their confused messages and the absence of any strategy have transformed a resolvable problem into an explosive chaos.Europe is just as guilty as Greece | Presseurop English.

The danger is not when a politician tells you a demonstrable untruth, straight to your face – perhaps an MP might say out loud that there is no shortage of jobs, or the prime minister might claim an increase in midwife numbers, having failed to mention the very much greater increase in the number of babies (I know! So unhelpful, but nevertheless, nice and transparent). I don’t mind any of that; I think it hurts them more than it hurts us.

Ignore the soporific jargon of procurement. Privatisation is a race to the bottom | Zoe Williams | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Enlightening documentary that exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.

Miss Representation 2011 – Full Documentary – YouTube.

Americans remain confident that any definition of a free nation must include their own — the land of free. Yet, the laws and practices of the land should shake that confidence. In the decade since Sept. 11, 2001, this country has comprehensively reduced civil liberties in the name of an expanded security state.

10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free – The Washington Post.

The past 18 months have seen extraordinary outpourings of discontent. But what links them? In this extract from his new book, Paul Mason examines how technology has been at the heart of the global unrest, and finds parallels less with 1968, and more with 1914

Global unrest: how the revolution went viral | World news | The Guardian.

Jürgen Habermas has had enough. The philosopher is doing all he can these days to call attention to what he sees as the demise of the European ideal. He hopes he can help save it — from inept politicians and the dark forces of the market.

Habermas, the Last European: A Philosophers Mission to Save the EU

“IN dreams begin responsibilities,” wrote Yeats in 1914. These words resonate with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who have witnessed dramatic shifts in our relationship to power. After generations of sacrifice and organization, gay people in parts of the world have won protection from discrimination and relationship recognition. But these changes have given rise to a nefarious phenomenon: the co-opting of white gay people by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim political forces in Western Europe and Israel.

‘Pinkwashing’ and Israel’s Use of Gays as a Messaging Tool – NYTimes.com.

Officially, German debt in 2011 stands at 2,000 billion euros. But that’s only half the truth, because the major portion of expenditure for pensioners, the sick and dependent persons is not included in the calculation. According to new figures, the real debt is 5,000 billion euros. If these figures stand, Germany is in debt to the tune of 185 percent of its gross domestic product and not 83 percent, as officially declared. By comparison, Greek debt should be 186 percent of GDP in 2012, and Italy’s debt is currently at 120 percent.

Juncker says German debt cause for concern | Reuters.

Germany’s enormous hidden debt

But It seems that also other countries hide the real entity of their sovereign debts.

Butler, Eamonn (13 June 2010). “Hidden debt is the country’s real monster”. The Sunday Times (London). Retrieved 16 May 2011.

Newmark, Brooks (21 October 2008). “Britain’s hidden debt”. The Guardian (London). Retrieved 16 May 2011.

Wheatcroft, Patience (16 February 2010). “Time to remove the mask from debt”. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 May 2011.

“Botox and beancounting Do official statistics cosmetically enhance America’s economic appearance?”. Economist. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.

When Lyndsey is done paying them, she will be 54 years old, and she will have spent more than a third of a million dollars on her undergraduate education.

NYU Students: Debt and Debtor – New York – Village Voice.

the ruling system has even oppressed our capacity to dream. Look at the movies that we see all the time. It’s easy to imagine the end of the world. An asteroid destroying all life and so on. But you cannot imagine the end of capitalism.

Slavoj Zizek: “We Are The Awakening” – Occupy Wall Street Talk | The New Significance.