Well, I'm finally back from Greece. To be honest, it was pretty boring. Didn't go sight seeing much. Didn't go to the beach much. Just stayed with my grandparents in their rural mountain village. But, after spending seven weeks there I realized that here was the real Greece - not the touristy Greece, not the historical Greece, but Greece as it really is today, populated with real Greeks. My experiences there have left me with different perspectives of some basic issues, from clean energy to gender equality to crime. Not that I necessarily agree with any of these new perspectives, but they offered me insight into American culture and are helping me to formulate well-rounded and fair ideas. Here are some things (noted above) I noticed which stuck out to me because of their differences from American culture.
Clean Energy:
The first thing I noticed upon arriving at my aunt's apartment in the city of Patra were the wind turbines on the crests of the distant mountain ridges. To be honest, it was the first time I've even seen a wind turbine, which struck me as odd. You hear so much talk about clean energy and ways to generate it, yet I had never seen a wind turbine up close. They were nearly ubiquitous, visible from even the beaches, about thirty of them surrounding the city. Why, I asked myself, where there not any wind turbines around where I lived? Perhaps Pennsylvania isn't windy enough, but, I realized, neither is Greece. So why aren't there more wind turbines in the US?
I came to two conclusions: first, American electricity is generated chiefly by coal, which is abundant and cheap here. In Greece, on the other hand, fossil fuels are much rarer and much more expensive. Second, I have a hunch that the Greek government (and probably the EU) had a hand in ensuring those wind turbines were built. I'll grudgingly admit that this is a case in which governmental regulations are a good thing. We need cleaner energy sources.
Also, nearly every urban apartment and even some small houses in rural villages had a solar panel on the roof. This makes sense to me. It saves the resident on their electric bill, especially since Greece is so sunny (it rained once, very briefly, the entire time I was there). Even in the not-so-sunny parts of the US I think this would alleviate pollution and our oil addiction. Imagine if every house had just one solar panel. It would fall far short of supplying that one house's electrical needs, but the overall impact would be tremendous.
Gender Equality:
Usually I woke up in the afternoon. My 80 year old grandmother was already up, feeding the chickens. My aunts were already preparing lunch for over a dozen people. My cousins (both girls) were doing the laundry. My granduncle was whittling wood. My uncle was at a cafe. And my brother was playing cards with my grandfather.
Yikes. The gender roles here immediately jumped out. None of the women had jobs, the men went to work all day while the women stayed home and reared their children and cleaned house. Now, although I do believe in some of the benefits of gender roles, I felt like, when taken to this extreme, they more resemble gender inequality. Here's another example: during a visit to the neighbors, the 8 month pregnant wife waited on us hand and foot. Sure, this was probably partly hospitality, but her husband didn't offer to help one bit. She was required, even in her state, to do this job. Even in the city, I could sense a hint of gender inequality.
On the other hand, I couldn't help but think that these women are in absolute control. Sure, they are subservient to their husbands, but their husbands are totally helpless without them. These women do exercise power in the household, after all. To be honest, this seems like a perfectly acceptable arrangement, provided the wife is willing to accept her roles, and leave her husband to his. That constitutes gender roles. If the wife is unwilling to accept her roles, and the husband unwilling to allow her to pursue other roles in the family, then that constitutes gender inequality. I realized in Greece that gender roles are helpful and beneficial, despite the American liberal view of them, provided they are engaged in willingly and happily.
Crime:
Though crime has risen slightly in recent years in Greece, it is truly insignificant when compared to America. Greece has crowded cities and poverty (classic supposed causes of crime) just like America, so why is America's crime rate so much higher? I came upon a seemingly likely, but controversial, answer.
Greece is ethnically homogeneous. Ninety percent of its inhabitants are Greek-speaking, Greek Orthodox, Greeks. The few crimes which are committed (often theft and burglary) are overwhelmingly perpetrated by members of the Roma (aka Gypsy) minority. So, applying these observations to the USA raised one question: Is America crime-ridden because of its diversity? I think that, perhaps, in an ethnically homogeneous community, members are less inclined to commit a crime against one of their "own kind." In America, we're all different, so perhaps the mentality is that of "they aren't like me, so I don't care if I commit a crime against them."
After coming to this controversial conclusion, I realized there was a second possibility. There is no denying that in Greece the vast majority of crimes are committed by minorities. In America, too, many crimes are committed by minorities. To back this claim up, consider the fact that the US prison population, while mostly white, has a severely disproportionate black and Hispanic population. I came to the possibility that a feeling of disenfranchisement contributes to crime.
In Greece, the Roma ethnicity are severely marginalized. They have rights in theory, but not in practice. So, perhaps some of these minority individuals may commit crimes because they have been cast out of society, rejected opportunities like everyone else. In America, minorities have full rights, but I believe a feeling of disenfranchisement lingers from the pre-Civil Rights era. After all, it was hardly 40 years ago. Also, minorities are more likely to be poor than whites, a fact they no doubt notice. They will, not entirely incorrectly, feel oppressed and cast out, denied certain rights. So, I think that poverty is not a cause of crime, but the feeling of disenfranchisement often caused by it is.
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This blog has covered three extremely diverse subjects, derived from my observations comparing Greece and America. I think these new perspectives I've seen have taught me a lot, and will certainly shape my opinions, hopefully for the fairer. I'll have more to say about Greece (or rather just the differences between America and other countries) in upcoming blogs. My trip has definitely afforded me a refreshed world outlook.
There are a ton around. We drove through Kansas, and saw miles of wind farms. I know there are a few in Northern Colorado as well. My mom is looking into getting a small one for our house, because it really is so windy here. My ex-stepdad is looking into solar panels for his house, because we get sun 300 days out of the year.
But you do have to consider some additional things when considering wind and solar power. The first is, of course, that it isn't very energy dense. Ft. Carson has a huge solar field... one of the largest in the nation. And yet, that entire solar field only supplies like 0.5% of all the energy Ft. Carson uses in a year, despite the fact that we get 300 days of sun each year.
There's also the imprint left by manufacturing these things in the first place. I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that the footprint of making one solar cell is more than that which is reduced by the use of the panel.
Now, if we actually start manufacturing buildings so that they might be 'greener' in the first place, we might get somewhere.
Anyway, really interesting look at the differences in the societies.
~C
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That's one thing that always bugs me - our attitude as a society of "this one thing takes more resources to make it right now than it saves, so it's not worth investing in at all" and potentially really good sources are discarded and we never get anywhere. However, if we find ways to more efficiently make things like solar panels and build "greener" buildings, we compound the effects in situations where the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
Oh, I completely agree. I just don't think we should go to mass use of something when it does more harm than good. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't keep developing it... it just means that it probably shouldn't become our lifeline until it does do more good than harm.
We watched a video in conservation biology last semester about a factory in... The Netherlands, I think, that was built with the idea of being greener. Basically, they built it in a way that natural light could be used instead of artificial light, and added enough plants to the building to offset the CO2 created by the factory. I think the same video had the idea of transforming the Ford Motor plant to the same type of thing; it not only helped the environment, but it also created a better work environment for the employees, and made them like their jobs more.
~C
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it just means that it probably shouldn't become our lifeline until it does do more good than harm.
No single source of energy should be our lifeline. Otherwise, we end up right back where we are right now, utterly dependent on our enemies.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
In my theory (wives doing everything) I believe that although it is great that american woman have been able to get a college education and say screw the womanly duties it has some what messed things up. The men also work so the children are stuck with babysitters most of their life and have limited time with their parents. Therefore most people start to buy their children's affection. This also in a sense does not instill respect. My mom worked from her home and I turned out well.
People that commit crime many times don't have guidance in their life. Also this is true that a man depends on a woman over in greece. It used to be like that over here as well. Although I don't agree with it. It seems alot more peaceful and you made some great points in your blog. I would like to further investigate other countries and study their divorce rate and how they live and see if I can find a common demoninator.
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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The men also work so the children are stuck with babysitters most of their life and have limited time with their parents.
That has less to do with women going back to work than a "traditional" household requiring two people's income to function, if you think about it.
People that commit crime many times don't have guidance in their life.
Considering recent events in my life, I'm inclined to believe that guidance is not a deciding factor for people that commit crimes. Innate personality and desperation play major roles as well. So much so that they can override any guidance they had.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I was in a rush before I went into work today so I think I worded it wrong. I am very into psychology and I agree when you say personality plays a large role in crimes and yes desperation. But of course there are ruthless killers who have had bad childhoods. When I think of crime I think about serial killers. That was what I was more leaning towards. Serial killers normally have had bad childhoods, been abused or controlled. I am a freak because serial killers peak my interest. I always want to know why and how people could do it. Yes some people have had ok childhoods and I believe they have mutant genes that have been corrupt. These signs are evident during their childhood.
For example as bad as this sounds I don't find it that bad if a wife is constantly abused and kills her husband in self defense. The reason I think this is because we don't have good enough laws in effect to protect.
I also understand your point about two incomes. what I ment was that sometimes parents treat their children as throw away kids. They aren't loving and they don't care. That was what I ment. Sorry if it was worded wrong. Good come back though. :)
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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Perhaps you know more on patterns with serial killers, but from what I've seen, they tend to have patterns based on some twisted logic. Now, where that logic came from may stem from their childhood (if not some disorder), but it's not something like "I was abused/neglected as a child, so I'm going to take it out on the world."
Charles Manson, for example, preached about a "Black Armageddon" known as Helter Skelter, in which black people would rise up, killing white people, and basically taking over the world. He saw blacks as little more than trained gorillas, so he felt he had to show them how to do it, and did so by killing several celebrities, including a actress and the heiress to Folger's.
Another example of creepy, twisted logic, Paul Bernardo had a very twisted view of women and was annoyed by the fact that his fiance, Karla Homolka, wasn't a virgin when he met her (among other demands he made to her). She, all too happy to oblige, felt that he, therefore, had rights to her sister's virginity. And thus, a cycle of raping and killing young girls (many virgins) begins. While Paul's home life was bad (mom suffered severe depression, abusive father), he was a happy, cheerful, charming young boy. The breaking point seemed to be when his mother told him that his legal father was not his biological father. As an adult, he made demands on his wife (who was little more than property to him), and she, wanting nothing more than his happiness, followed every order. The link above goes into quite a bit of detail about the whole thing.
And at the risk of sounding like a long-term broken record (I mention this quite a bit), there's also Harris and Klebold from Columbine. There are actually studies that have been done that suggest Eric Harris was a clinical psychopath. He was also on Luvox, an antidepressant, for past convictions. One of the sources that I had found at one point say that he was incapable of empathy, so the things that he had done were little more than a virtual reality game to him, as far as emotions go. Kleobold was believed to suffer from severe depression. For both, this is believed to be the true underlying cause of what they had done.
I don't know how much TV you watch, but you'd probably like the show Criminal Minds, because it's about basically getting inside a criminal's head in order to find and arrest him/her.
For example as bad as this sounds I don't find it that bad if a wife is constantly abused and kills her husband in self defense. The reason I think this is because we don't have good enough laws in effect to protect.
I don't think it sounds bad at all, I completely agree. I originally read your comment that we don't have enough laws to protect, instead of good enough laws. Here's my response to that, which, after reading what you said correctly, I think you'll agree with:
I had more, but I forgot them. >.<
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I know all to well about serial killers, cults etc and what they believed in. But Although I think alot of these people have mental issues I think they have developed from the people they have been around and how they were raised. For example Charles Manson's mother was supposedly a crack whore or something along those lines.
But then there is Dahmar. Although his parent's divorced his childhood wasn't as twisted as other serial killers. Dahmar was also left alone in the house. His dad thought his mom was watching him and visa versa. From what I also recall he was one of the only one's to feel remorse for what he had done.
Also serial killers are quite intelligent. Although Manson had some far out things he thought about and did screwed up stuff some things were logical. And no not killing someone or anything that you listed about him. I am referring the the interview back in 1980 something. I know it sounds weird, but he was rather smart, even if he was screwed up and crazy.
Yes I agree with the study of the guy from columbine. Most psychopath's don't have any compassion or remorse for the things they do. Their brain pattern's are even different than a normal person. You don't sound like a broken record it is cool. I think I will be quiet now though because I could go on and on.
Unfortuantely I do watch alot of tv and have seen that show. I also watch forensic files. I wanted to actually major in crime scene investigation and than found out that where I live it is very hard to get a job.
I do agree with both your statements on spouse abuse, but I also believe the sentencing they give these people for beating their spouses when they do get convicted are like a slap on the wrist.
My mom had a protection order and still the cops could not do anything because he had left by time they got there. Also many people who are convicted only get an assault charge and thrown in jail for a few months then they can get right back out and kill the person. It is really hard to protect woman (and some men) from the people who abused them. That really is the main point. Verbal abuse is just as bad and I agree they they have alot harder time with that. I think there are probably alot more cases of verbal abuse than physical, but they are harder to catch. Like you said.
You should watch a few movies on serial killers if you haven't. Gacy, Dahmar, Helter skelter. Ted Bundy. I have never heard of the paul guy. They kind of give insight on how a person's life was. Ted Bundy really bothered me so I think I changed my mind on "recommending" it. Although they all are disturbing the Ted Bundy movie seemed way too real. I don't know I guess I am just a freak.
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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I don't know if you have the Biography channel, but I just saw an ad on it for a story about Al Capone. What stuck out to me about it was a line from it - "the parents were perfectly fine, yet all the kids grew up to be criminal." It's an intriguing exception to the rule.
Also serial killers are quite intelligent. Although Manson had some far out things he thought about and did screwed up stuff some things were logical.
Well, I would find it hard to believe that anyone who did the things some of these serial killers did for so long and not get caught would be anything but intelligent. Like I said, twisted logic.
Manson was very intelligent, and charismatic to boot, otherwise he wouldn't have so many followers to this day. Just at the time of his conviction, 6 or 7 other people were convicted with him (all of which should have kept their death penalties, in my opinion).
Manson reminds me quite a bit of Hitler, except that Hitler went the extra mile to get into a position of power so he could get away with killing more people for a longer time.
Even Harris, who was clinically insane, was quite intelligent. He calculated the time of day when the most people would be in the cafeteria, built his own bombs, obtained several weapons, and had even done simulated runs using modified maps in video games, all without being suspected (and for a 17 year old, that's quite a feat, especially for how long it actually took to plan it all).
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I am not sure whether I have that channel. That is a good point though. Well it is my belief that serial killers have either the corrupt gene or they are a product of a screwed up house hold. From a screwed up household if they don't recieve any guidance from the situation then they may be more likely to become a serial killer. I believe Ted Bundy had a good life. He was also considered good looking and charming. He I believe had a screwed up gene. (Maybe he didn't have a good life they are all starting to run together) It goes with the nature vs nuture issue, but I believe instead of the one sided arguement many psychologist have I believe it is both Nature and nuture. The genes that could have mutated and/ or the way the person was raised. Some people have been raised in a great family and become killers. Others have had a bad family and turned out fine. So I guess it just depends.
Yeah I remember reading about harris. I think you have to also watch out for the quiet ones. Like the guy who killed the people at virginia tech.
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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In light of your story about the 8-month pregnant woman on her feet all day while her husband lazily fails to help out, I have to disagree with your idea that many Greek women are satisfied with that lifestyle. Perhaps years of tradition promoting the current gender roles (with women acting in a seemingly subservient manner) caused most mothers and wives to accept that way of living...because they don't know any better. Of course the women are happily serving their husbands! Since their mothers and grandmothers were trained to do it happily, they learned from example.
And while some women may enjoy that feeling of having power of her home...men seem to have power over everything else. I believe in some parts of Greece these days, men have power over land and home ownership, leaving women truly without much say in their lives outside of the home.
Well, you raise some good points about crime. Within the African-American community, I don't think it is so much discrimination as it is disenfranchisement. However, one thing that statistics prove wrong is your notion of being more willing to commit crimes against people who are not "your own kind". In both the white and black community, violent crime is overwhelmingly committed within the race. Interracial violent crime is actually extremely rare in America. Plenty of factors play a role. Racial profiling for instance, is one of the few examples of outright discrimination. While I understand that police say that blacks are statistically more likely to commit crimes, I can't help but think that the disrespect and distrust of the police it puts in the black community, especially among young black males is a huge factor in leading to that crime rate. My respect for the police is already marginal and I have to think that if I felt like I received any serious injustice from the police, it would be completely gone. Poverty also plays a factor, as does culture. Look at the American South. The South does have by far the largest black population and the highest crime rate. However that also has to do with Southern whites. As a whole, down here whites are far more likely to go to jail than whites in the rest of the country. Even when poverty (the South is poorer than the rest of the country, whites included) is taken into account, I read somewhere that a lower or working class white Southerner is 4 times more likely to commit a crime than a white MIdwesterner of the same class and income. There is definitely just a violent culture in the South. The sense of being macho is similar to that found in the black community, and giving the similarities and historical ties of the two overall, probably related. Crime has probably a more complicated web of causes than any other problem.
My musing that people may be less willing to commit a crime against a member of their own ethnicity was not based on fact, as you pointed out, but upon my limited observations. However, I was aware that, for example, "black on black" crime is prevalent, and the evidence you cite regarding the rarity of interracial violent crimes seems accurate to me. So, I stand corrected.
I stand by my other assertion, that disenfranchisement, not poverty or discrimination, seems more likely a cause of crime, however. In a way, discrimination and disenfranchisement are closely related. Discrimination, whether it be actual or imagined, can easily cause a person to feel disenfranchised.
I also like your point about the influence of culture regarding crime. Violence has, since the beginning of man, been considered "manly." Perhaps individuals' insecurities cause them to commit crimes to compensate... Urban gang culture, regardless of race, is also a massive problem. How terrible is it that taking advantage of women, stealing, and killing are considered tough and cool to these people?
Quite interesting observations... But have you considered comparing the crime rate in Greek cities to the crime rate in more rural areas of Greece. You may find that the discrepancy might match that of the U.S. cities compared to the rural U.S. I know that the general rates themselves are much lower, but I'm wondering whether if that is because of the reasons you proposed or whether if most Greeks live in certain areas and more Roma live in others. Basically, does population distribution also play a part in crime rates? I believe that it certainly does. Less crime occurs in rural areas because there are less people and it is more hemogenous in population as was stated earlier. It is most likely a mix of factors that affect crime rates.
That could be true, too, especially due to the simple fact you pointed out- that less people living crammed together in the countryside lower the statistical probability of a crime being committed.