Men In Crisis

How Greek Men Are Dealing With Utter Desperation

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The recession threw American men into free fall, completely altering their career trajectories, household roles and expectations for the future. But they don’t have it so bad. It’s much worse in the eurozone countries, and Greece has sustained the heaviest damages of them all. I’m a Greek man living in Athens, and I think that what we’ve experienced could teach everyone a thing or two about crisis 101.

There is a lot we used to take for granted that is suddenly no longer possible -- careers, for example. Americans pursue higher education in order to acquire the knowledge and certification needed to obtain a well-paid job. The reality, as unemployment numbers can attest, is that many of you are not finding jobs in large supply, even after spending thousands on a degree. But think of this: Greece, a much smaller country with roughly the same population as New York City, has to carry a much heavier burden. Officially, 1,000,000 are unemployed, and 4,500,000 are economically inactive, meaning they are neither working nor looking for a job. That is roughly half the total population of the country. Having been born and raised in the capital of Greece, I am facing this crisis situation after four years of working in the private sector.

I always thought that by the time I was 30 I would have built a proper foundation for my career. You enter the workforce; you start with little and build up from there, hoping to make a name for yourself. But now many major companies are as broke as we are, as was the company I worked for, an otherwise pretty successful publishing house. Most corporations, due to the crisis, immediately downsized, trying to cover past losses. If you don’t get fired, you will probably be forced to quit, since there is no compensation money left. More and more keep working without having been paid for months, some for a whole year. They do it anyway, because finding a new job is even more difficult. I decided to quit, because working somewhere with no future just did not make sense.

Base wage in Greece was around $900 per month until recently. The crisis chopped that down to $750 per month -- and you’re lucky if you actually get it. I wake up every day thinking of the money I owe the state, the extra taxes that are forced on me and are paid automatically through my electricity bill. Living costs have skyrocketed, from basic house utilities to provisions. Gas prices keep going up. Owning a car -- or at least being able to afford to drive it -- is considered a privilege. But the crisis does make all other modes of transportation feel like hell. Strike is a word that easily becomes part of your everyday life. Today there might be a subway strike; tomorrow the taxis won’t be on the streets. I won’t know unless I check a pretty smart website that actually puts all strikes into one simple calendar.

Excursions, small escape trips during the weekends and drives by the beach, are a thing of the past. Try explaining that a date. Going out? It still costs $10 for a drink in most places, but now everyone wants to find the places with the cheapest drinks possible, because every euro counts. Unfortunately, enjoyment is something I have not experienced in a long time, because no matter what, bitterness and talks about another friend who just got sacked happen every other minute.

This broad-based depression brings a sense of defeat among men here, but also anger. We’re no longer able to make it on our own. It makes you feel incompetent. This anger comes from the fact that most of us have to pay for the government’s mistakes of bad managing and numerous misspent funds.

There are basically two options right now for us. The first is to narrow expectations of getting promoted, shut up and keep working, even if that means earning less when the emergency contribution taxes from the state keep asking for more. Hopefully the government will find a solution. Option number two is to jump away from the ship before it sinks; the iceberg has already hit us. Even if you’ve never thought of immigrating, it is now a definite possibility. Look for opportunities elsewhere, maybe gain another university degree or just start over in a different country. Many of my friends have already relocated to London and Amsterdam, but they’re still a long way from stability. Australia and Canada keep coming up in every conversation, but few have the means (and guts) to actually go to the other side of the world. I am hoping to do so. People facing the same problems in the States might find it an extreme step, but it’s a step forward, nonetheless.

Hard times mean that you have to make the best out of what you have, even if that means having to endure living with much less money or starting from scratch in a different continent. But you do it anyway, because your future is everything.