Symbols of corruption and their role in the Greek economic crisis

• Main Author: Athena Smith
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AfricaJournals 2014-01-01
• Series: African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure
• Subjects: symbols; corruption; Greek; economy
• Online Access: http://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_57_vol_3_2_nov_2014.pdf

The symbolic interaction perspective, one of the three major sociological perspectives, emphasizes the symbolic meaning that people attach to objects, activities and ideas while they construct their social reality. The economic crisis in Greece has been fuelled primarily through a construction of social reality that defined behavioral traits allowing corruption in terms of smartness, whereas the culture of partiality took precedence in daily activities and social interactions. Inflexible bureaucracies, a clientele relationship between governments and voters, an infinite perception of time, the prevalence of populism, the lack of intellectual elites, the culture of mistrust and the identification of “logical” with what is “desirable” have encouraged definitions of situations that lack pragmatism and reflection. However, according to the Thomas theorem, when situations are defined as real, the consequences become real. The economic and cultural crisis in Greece is a real consequence of a false social definition.