I always hated this propaganda that Greeks are lazy. As a tourist who visits Greece every summer I can see how much they work even on weekends. So this thing the media keeps saying is totally wrong.
Thank you for stating the truth. That is a propaganda started from westerners especially the Germans and their close friends just to underestimate and diminish the Greeks And their plan worked pretty well if you think that half of the planet believes that. 😊
A Romanian here! I never considered the Greeks to be lazy! Working in the climatic conditions there requires a lot of work power and to manage with the limited resources you have! Respect from Romania!
So true, Greeks ARE NOT LAZY!!! They’re some of the hardest working people. I’m a naturalized Greek citizen with dual citizenship and live in the US. You don’t owe anyone any explanations whatsoever.
True, they are not lazy, it is just a mistake made by irrational, hysterical Westerns. I was brought up in Sweden, just imagine. Moved to Bulgaria 30 years ago. We share alot with the Greeks. We just work differently. And it works.
I'm 35 years old, I am Greek citizen and live in a village in central Greece. I have a small business with paints which my father started 40 years ago.. I work 6/7 for 10 hours per day.. Anyone who says that I am lazy I invite him to come to work with me...
@@supermavro6072 I understand that you are handicapped and there is nothing wrong with that but whats wrong is also being malignant because of the dices life rolled for you and you ended up with your condition. 6/7 means 6 days out of 7 since there are no 7 hours in a day to conclude he meant 6 hours out of 7 (?). I know that this is hard for you to grasp and you don't have to feel bad about your self, everyone has his issues and weaknesses and some people are less lucky than others and we should care for them which is why I am trying to help you get a clear view of what was said. I am sure that you have some other strength to cover up for your intellectual (or psychiatric) disability. Being intelectually and/or psychiatrically healthy is important but having such issues doesn't mean your life has ended. If you ever have too negative thoughts and/or thoughts of self harm please communicate with the appropriate services in your country/area. Stay strong and best wishes to the people who are there to help you take care of your self.
Travelling to Greece for over 30 years and staying about 3 months per year, I have the utmost respect for all those Greeks that work very hard. They are definitely NOT lazy. The perception "Greeks are lazy" was mainly spread by the media (especially the German) during the financial crisis.
Germans and their close friends in EU did all the damage. The Rich, hard-working, educated and developed europeans and the poor, lazy, undeveloped Greeks. That makes feel them better. 😊
Propaganda always work well in the negative direction. People tend to believe and reproduce something bad rather than something good. Greeks got the bad name and it will be impossible to stop it, whatever they do. Our european "partners" helped too much for revealing the statement of the poor lazy Greeks.😊
I truly respect your honesty and truth!!! I’m Greek and live in the U.K., I too have always felt extremely frustrated when Greeks were called “lazy”!!! Thank you for shedding a light on this very sensitive topic that is so unjustly projected against the Greeks
32 years as contractor i was working 10-11 hoursper day even on sundays with snow n rain in the winter and 40 degrees celcium in the summer after i retired i became a chief officer in a security company ...now im 64 years old and i work 14 hours per day in 3 different posts i believe im lazy cause i dont work 24 hours per day :)
Ο παππούς μου πέθανε 80 χρονών στην δουλειά και ο πεθερός μου το ίδιο. Οι Έλληνες πάντα δούλευαν πολύ. Ειδικά τώρα, που οι μισθοί είναι τόσο μικροί, που τα χρήματα δεν φτάνουν καθόλου. Χρειάζεται να δουλεύεις όλη μέρα. Οι κόρες μου δουλεύουν στην εστίαση μαζί με το πανεπιστήμιο. 9 ή 10 ώρες δουλειά με μόνο ένα ρεπό την εβδομάδα. Ευχαριστούμε γι αυτό που κάνεις. Τα βίντεό σου είναι πάντα ευχάριστα και πολύ σωστά. Καλό καλοκαίρι!
My father used to work from 6 to 9 in the evening 2 jobs. Same as my mother she did 2 jobs so i can study. My father only had Christmas andcEaster days off.
I used to work in a construction company 3 years ago, while in Greece the temperature was 44 degrees... people could not even get on their tracks to work properly because of the heat... nevertheless, our boss would not care... he thought that if he would supply us with cold drinking water we were ok to work in such conditions, 8-14 hours
Hello again from the Southern US! I don’t think the Greek people are lazy at all! It gets super hot and dry during the summer. There are several cultures around the world where they simply don’t work in the hottest part of the day, including most of the other Mediterranean countries! Especially the Spanish. They take siestas, too! It makes perfect sense to not work when the heat is so unbearable. It’s inefficient and straight up dangerous. There have also been studies that employees working a five-day or four-day work week are much more productive and happy in the long run than those with a six or seven-day work week. So I don’t understand why so many places are moving to a six-day work week. It just hurts the bottom line in the long run 🤷♀️ Of course, this is hard to abide by when you have a small business, but if scheduling can be arranged where everyone gets a four or five-day work week, it can run very smoothly! I’m also a History major with a huge interest in Greece and… I just don’t see why the stereotype exists? Most of Greece is very rugged. Farming and food production has always been difficult no matter where people were, and it’s always survived through trade and hard work. Plus, keeping life running smoothly and their one-of-a-kind language alive despite getting knocked around by constant ancient war and foreign occupation by widely different people for thousands of years is no easy feat! So, no. The Greeks are not at all lazy. They are a very hardy people that have my utmost respect. ❤
@@sakisgr1396 to the Brits as well. Let us not forget that perhaps the biggest colonial power ever existed, the laziest in other words, made fun of us Greeks broadcasting reality shows about "the lazy Greeks". Oh how I wish the Brexit gives them the final blow!
Explain all these to our German "friends" who started all these. In the times of Greek financial crisis, we had the face the austerity and the problems, we had also to face the comments of the Germans and their friends.
my friend Daniel, the reputation that Greeks are lazy is due to the number of people who work in the public sector. those who work in the private sector work much more than all the workers in Europe at the moment.
Not only this is true for most public sectors in all countries but I used to be a "public servant" and worked for a yearly average that if split to days it equals 17+ hours a day average including day offs, holidays, weekends and whatever else. This number does not include the 2.5h+ of driving (well riding the bus) and neither the hours I lost when out of work due to work (from getting prepared for it down to running unpaid errands for work while not working like say buying stuff they need, studying for the job or writing multipage documents). This lasted about four (4) years +-a half (and for the 1st 6 months the average was even worse). For a few years after that my workhours dropped to an average of 11h or something a day (again yearly average including weekends that I didn't always work, holidays, day offs etc). For all of that I was getting paid for just 8h whatever happened and nothing extra (enforced by constitutional law afaik for specifically my then sector). We were literally free labour and used as such even for the most stupid reasons since we were free and nobody gave a single F about us. If you also want to hear (net not mixed - mixed were higher) salaries I was getting anywhere from less than 800 euro a month up to 935 or something (the maximum I took was 1100 something only for a one month and also a few months of 1000 something euro). Some times I was also in life threatening situations and even part of a group more or less literally left to die but somehow didn't, in a situation where we shouldn't be thrown at and it was actually illegal to do so. All for no gain other than satisfying the sensations of the civilian masses and superiors looking good while being safe and away. I eventually left the job by denying my permanence and leaving my old contract to expire and I still feel like I literally died at that job having loads of health issues now. Ofcourse I am not claiming this being typical for the public sector - far from it and yes most of the public sector is indeed lazy (having things to do but not doing them OR even not being at post during workhours) or "lazy" (being at post but not actually having much to do anyway). Now I temporarily work in another part of the public sector (via a training programme for just 6 months or so) and half the personnel comes late and leaves early and almost all of the personnel is being lazy (or lazy-ish depending on who we talk about) even when at post. In the private sector it was the other way, I mostly worked 11h a day (but yearly average was more like 9 since I had at least a day a week free when not two) and very rarely I worked up to 17-19h (happened like half a dozen of times). I would also rarely get paid more for the extra hours depending on which work we talk about (eg in a coke cola factory filling pallets with products via contractor I worked from 11h up to 17-19h for no more money per hour since we were getting paid by the product loaded on pallets and sometimes we would be forced to just wait there without being allowed to leave with no orders to load due to the system having crushed - on the other hand I have also done 3 days of 17h non stop as a security guard and ofcourse lots of the usual double shifts, those I got usually paid for but was never asked if I can work that long or have something else scheduled and at least once I worked an unscheduled 15-16h as a security on a sunday and got paid 18 euro, the manager only had a 20 euro paper money on him and he asked me to give him the 2 euro change and I stared at him angrily and told him "you fcking kidding me right?" and he said "well its ok, keep the 2 euro to have a coffee from me" (no pension stamps either of course since I shouldn't be working that day).
Back in the late 80s I worked alongside 2 Greek sisters, they ran rings around the English I've never thought those Greeks are lazy. Thank you for your intelligent vlogs, you are correct. Keep going 💪
Good point and intentions defending the Greeks here. Statistics are true that greeks work more than anyone else in the E.U. Whoever I cant really understand touching this topic without including politics and economics in it. One should adress, WHY GREEKS WORK SO MUCH? Do they just love working, or maybe they NEED to work that much in order to survive financially? Work in Greece does not have the same value as in other places, and THIS is a sad and frustrating fact that is driving locals insane slowly and steadily. And is not a healthy sign for this society.
Good point. Most greeks work very hard, but inefficiently. Greece is full of small businesses that can't take advantage of technology and economies of scale. As a result many are forced to exploit their workers and cheat on their taxes. On the other hand, an overgrown, priveleged, unproductive and sometimes corrupt public sector, makes life difficult to everyone else. Some things started to improve with the introduction of technology the last 4-5 years, but a lot of work remains to be done.
Let's not forget that most people in Athens and the other big cities don't have those mythical siestas! IMHO, it's more of a '70s stereotype, or something that's still feasible only for a few people.
I got to know my father very little because he worked in the cafe from 1959 to 1996 from 7 in the morning to 11 at night with two hours for lunch. He died of exhaustion after two years and my mother fought like a hero to keep the house with a sick old mother and two children (who were not the quietest in the world).
I haven’t watched yet the video but I would say other countries get jealous because they don’t realize Greeks prioritize social activists weather be with friends or family a lot more
When forced to accept European austerity measures all we heard was 'Greeks are lazy' but now with a bumper tourist season and a shortage of service and specialised staff Greeks are encouraged to work 48 hours whilst the advanced nations of Europe aim for 32.
And of course the politicians here were saying "we all ate them together" referring to the debt . The debt now is even higher but now French and German banks are saved so no one cares .
I really enjoy watching your videos while being in the kitchen and cooking. What I love about your videos, is that you talk about basic things in life which are quite inspiring for myself. Keep up the great work, love from Germany
Greeks are definitely not lazy, I have seen their work ethic 1st hand. I love how your videos are made, edited & on YT the same day, great to see the weather there compared to here. Another great video. 🇬🇷🧿🎶 Also, talking of music, which Greek music would you recommend?
The Greek laziness is a stereotype that was spread during the financial crisis mostly by German media, especially those controlled by Merkel's political party. As a Greek I had never heard that stereotype before.
This is so true!!! I have relatives in Greece who barley work in the public sector but I also have relatives that work in the private sector and they are so hard working!!
I had never heard that Greeks were lazy. This was a first when I started watching videos on life in Greece - this by far my favorite channel. Thank you for what you do ♥️
"Lazy Greeks" is a media portrayal which was created many years before to support the international lenders of Greek debt. Big lenders and EU were going to squeeze the country hard at the debt crisis and this media portrayal was to support them against the international public.
I love Greece and respect the Greek people. Still, working long hours predominantly in relatively low value added industries is not resulting in the European and US levels of industrial and technological growth and thus the perception of slow development and laziness.
I think it is the attitudes of the people that make this misnomer continue. Greeks have a way of making things fun and incorporating family and friends with work. I have seen a mixture of work ethic in Greece. As a Greek, I can say that most of my relatives work very hard. But, you will see children at their shops, friends having coffee and talking, etc. But any business owner is working all of the time. Things like closing early on some days, not being open on uncommon in the west. Balacing work and life is not a thing. So when, say, an American wants something and the store is closed, they get frustrated and disparaging, calling Greeks lazy. Simultaneously, they all envy and want the lifestyle. After many years in the US, I returned and became frustrated while searching for something in particular. My cousin looked at me and said 'you cant always have anything you want, whenever you want it....and that's not a bad thing'. I think back on that frequently.
I’m in the US and don’t get the impression that Greeks are lazy. In fact, when I feel that my job is hard, I think of the conversations I’ve had with people in Greece about their work. I am humbled.
Thank you for being objectively about this very sensative stereotype I think it's wonderful to strike a healthy balance...work and siesta...the Greek lifestyle offers that. That's awesome ❤😊
The only lazy Greeks are some who work for the Government or the Public Sector. However it is human nature when you know your job is secure to slack a little. I don't know if this is still the case but from what I have been told things have improved over the last 15 years. I lived in Greece until 29 years ago when I moved to the US.
As an executive of a company that has employees in the US and in Greece (33 coworkers in the Athens office) I can say that my greek teammates work just as hard and on top of that with filotimo, which enhances that experience by 10 times. Filotimo, besa as we say, is hard to describe in any other language.
I'm Albanian from North Macedonia. I worked all across the northern hemisphere. One of the smartest and most hardworking colleague was a Greek from Finland, while we were working in Sweden together. Oh and I understand filotimo besa very very well indeed. 💪 Be well friend!
The siesta time doesn't make them lazy. They open the shops earlier in the morning and close them late at night. They are just breaking the working day in two because they avoid being out during the hottest hours of the day. Working or being active during these hours can be dangerous.
Πολλοί Έλληνες κάνουν δύο δουλείες για να μπορέσουν να εξασφαλίσουν τα απαραίτητα με ένα κόστος ζωής υψηλό με μισθούς πείνας και λυπάμαι πολύ που υπάρχει αυτή η αντίληψη .
I have been to Greece 4 times, the first time in 2011 and I was staying 2 blocks from Syntagma square during the protests. I fell in love with Greece, so much I kept coming back, I am learning to play the laouto, I have playlists with Markos Vamvakaris, Polly Panou, Vasilis Tsitanis, Giorgos Dalaris and Manos Hatzidakis in my phone (but also Villagers of Ioannina City and Alkyone ). I read the books of Nikos Kazantzakis, watch the movies of Theo Angelopoulos and Yorgos Lanthimos and think about a move to Greece and what life would be like, what I would do there. I am also learning Greek. Having spent enough time in Greece and met many Greeks (including my advisor in grad school) I know for a fact Greeks are a very hard working people. They have to be, the economy is unforgiving and unpredictable, the salaries are low. Greeks have always been very hard working, first as farmers, fishermen, traders and sailors and now as a modern European country. This whole "Greeks are lazy" is just a variation on the "The poor are poor because they are lazy" trope, which is what the rich and powerful say when they are asked to contribute their fair share. Thank you for your videos, they give me a lot to think about and plan.
Hi Daniel I met a lot of Greeks that left Greece after the crisis and came to Sydney Australia for a better life and got jobs in the Construction industry and I tell you that they were very hard workers, working long hours 6-7 days a week. They were very happy earning good money but as we all know that Sydney is a very expensive city to live in.
There are two main paths that people choose over their lifetime. One is to avoid risk, the other is to manage risk. Avoiding risk means essentially do things the way your parents did, or do what other people tell you. Managing risk involves education and embracing innovation and technology. Using this theory I believe we can explain why in some countries people struggle more to make a living and in some other countries people struggle less.
Few years ago i was in poker table with 5-6 small business Greeks, in a recreational break moment . At some moment i complained among my fellow players that i was working 12 hours a day , and how hard that was for me !!! That moment one elder fellow player, turned to me and said: " what the hell are you biching about? You only work HALF DAY " ...
We just got to Nafplio for 3 nights, excited to do that hike, find the pools along the start of the walk, go to the ice cream place you did a video on. This will be our 3rd year in a row but this time I have all your suggestions, thank you 🙏
Συγχαρητήρια για τα πολύ ωραία βιντεο.Πιστευω ότι υπάρχει αυτή η γνώμη εδώ και χρονια λόγω των πολλών δημοσίων υπαλλήλων που έχει η χώρα μας και που γέμιζουν τις καφετέριες και δεινουν αυτην την εικονα στους ξενους.Οι εργαζόμενοι στον ιδιωτικό τομέα δουλεύουμε πολύ περισσότερο από άλλους Ευρωπαίους.
Agree 💯. Althought I'm not greek, I find that term so offensive. I'm blessed too, to be very close to Greece & it's ppl, for almost 15 years. Travel every other yr to Athens & the Epirus area (Parga) where the in- laws are from. My daughter born in NY lives in Athens, (my husband is from Chile, living in NY since 1969, I'm from Colombia, living in NY since 1970, both retired). married to a wonderful greek young man. Now we have a beautiful 4 yr old greek grandson. My daughter's in-laws, now retired, worked in the corporate sector. Worked very hard all their lives. So have all their friends & families. I would says greeks have it clear how it is to balance work & good life style. Something not seen in most cultures. Specially here in the USA. Glad I came across your channel about a couple of months ago. Nafplio is so beautiful, one of my preferred greek island to visit next. Would love to meet you, specially my husband. He's also a very talented like you, a professional singer, composer & self taught musician.🎉
Watching from Washington, US. thanks for the inspiring video! I'm currently learning Greek and working on getting my German passport (have to get my US passport to apply, my mom immigrated to the US as a kid) to (hopefully in the next five years) move to Greece with my future wife. We're getting married in 3 months and started getting serious about where we want to settle to raise a family. Your videos have helped inspire us that it's possible and not just a pipe dream. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Let's set things straight. Few foreign media say that Greeks are lazy. Greeks work probably the longest hours in the EU. Lazy? Hell, no! Unproductive? Hell, yes! We do work long hours chasing our tails. Why? Quite a few reasons. First, resistance to change. We stubbornly refuse to follow new, more productive methods of work. We print online forms, fill them in, and then ask a secretary to do data entry from printed forms. Or we do that ourselves. Second, fear of others learning our (widely known) secrets. Third, selfishness. We refuse to take advice on our business from other professionals. We alone know better. Fourth lack of capital, and lack of willingness to share production equipment with others. We prefer to buy for ourselves an unproductive low-level machine rather than sharing the cost of a highly productive cutting-edge machine with others. This lack of productivity is perceived as laziness by foreign media. They are not fair, but they are not wrong, either.
I'm a Dane and I have been visiting Greece for almost 55 years. The Greeks are not lazy, they have more than one job and are working more hours than the any other European. I was in Tolo in 2009, when Angela Merkel said in a speech that the Greeks were lazy and I have never seen any body so angry. The idea that a GERMAN should tell a Greek that he/she is lazy was an insult.
When I go to crete the different places I always try and find a kafenio sadly I have notice quite a few have shut or the ones that are still open where they used to serve a small meal which was always lovely but you couldn’t get away with where the cook the meals in the UK I think the raki is to kill any bad bacteria but like I said it’s great to see the older guys sitting enjoying a raki and having a smoke, I love it 🏴🙏☀️
Good morning. Not all jobs are the same. The motivation and driving purpose behind working with zeal has to do with the type of work you are doing. If you are running a bakery, the weigh is entirely on your shoulders to keep the job up and running. In this case you work a lot while being productive. If you are working in an enterprise that is not organized correctly, you become unproductive and you lose your motive. There must be initiatives and consensus to make jobs attractive and more appealing to the average person. So we cannot banish the myth that us Greeks are lazy unless those running the state and the big businesses consider the value of the people and products on a higher level. People will call you lazy even if you are working 48 hours/week if you are not productive. So the myth can only be banished if we achieve a strong growing economy. Results and not working hours are a metric of productivity, the lack of which can be interpreted as laziness.
One thing is for sure to me: Greeks belong to the most hard working people in the whole of Europe right now. Why? Because majority of Greek family-run private businesses (excluding the overwhelming civil servants population) need to work hard in order to feed their children and stay afloat to survive. No fallbacks. And most families possess enough stamina and pride to do so. As long as they are able. Here in my hometown Amsterdam the majority of my fellow Dutch folks work on average four days a week (most from 09.00 till 17.00 and have a stable job and work partly from home) and have a lot of freetime and conveniences. Young and old. So no complaining here. This whole six days workweek thing is what I call modern slavery and a disgrace for any European country to implement which in this case only benefits some Greek shareholders and owners of certain businesses and industries in and around the capital Athens and is set up as a popular gesture by a lobby of government pleasing unashamed conservative Greek politicians. Showing at the same time the huge weakness and corrupt working of the national political system in Greece and thus unfortunately keeps continue to benefit only those few (wealthy families).
*You are much more Greek than us Greeks! You have a lovely personality, a very conscious personality, but unfortunately, our country does not have the "guts", especially Greek people are to blame for not having "the guts." Greek woman here, living in Greece - Athens- and working as a freelancer and content creator. I congratulate you for your morality!*
That's a nazi stereotype. The germans kept saying this during the economy crisis in Greece... Greeks have had the longest working hours in Europe for decades.
Public servants are tired in the first 30 mins of their shift... Well, this is an exaggeration. They're tired in the first 10 mins of their shift! Private sector staff goes on for hours and hours, underpaid and with no overtime salary in most cases!
I do not know about the average Greek - but if you work with software engineers from Greece, the delivery time from the Greek team will be twice as long with major quality issues (also they lie they say they tested their system) - one thing that was very odd, they are not reachable after 4 pm (their time) - they do not answer the phones or emails - also for the love of god DO NOT HIRE software engineers from Greece if they are 50yrs+ - completely useless
20:03 Is the camera black? It could be that it is heating up because of the sun. You can try wrapping it up in some thick tin foil (like those take away food containers) or maybe even regular household tin foil (it is more brittle) and see if that helps at all.
to those telling you that you gonna up the prices of the hotels because of the tourists you bring here, tell them that you will chase the tourists with waterpistols just like the spanish(catalonians) people did and thus you will level the playing field. improvise, adapt, overcome 😂 media were saying that greeks are lazy for the public sector too, and that is a common stereotype even between greeks, although what I have witnessed with my own eyes so far(almost reached my 40ies), was that very few people were like that both in public and private sector. Usually was bad management for most of the problems I have witnessed and business plans written in a napkin(even by politicians). Well these few people also exist in other countries too.
Traditionally people living in med countries were considered " laid back " and more family orientated than workaholics in northern countries. In modern Greece they had to change lifestyle . They aren't lazy , they try to be more philosophical about life .oooops
Even Greeks believe that civil servants are lazy! Let them come to the Internal Revenue Service and see with their own eyes how us the employees work like crazy! I have to use tranquilizers to cope with my anxiety attacks!
no-one from the outside has any right to comment on how lazy a nation is- to think this is ludicrous . Every culture will have subjects that work very hard and subjects that are lazy but to decide and determine whether a country is lazy or not makes no sense- especially since there is no reliable and accurate metric for laziness.. Greece has yet again continued to expand financially at a satisfactory level outperforming the euro area averages. Its forecast GDP is between 2.3 to 2.6% over the next 4 years. The public debt ratio has been declining 9169% of GDP) and the net international investment position has improved steadily and its credit rating has increased to investment grade. Household and Corporate debt has decreased significantly. Greece has also expanded its export market share. These are all indicators of a hard working nation....
I am Greek born in Greece, my family [mother, brothers, sister] still live Greece. But I chose another path (4) myself, abroad. When I reached that time, Bratislava capital, Slovakia. The 2nd job I did, just (2) add some extras income, was in a local restaurant. Anyway, the working hours that time I worked, (4) the first time in my life were [16 - 17 hours]. Entering kitchen at [7am - 23pm or so....], that time, I remember pretty clear. Many staff of restaurant told me, we work (2) many hours, they pay us low wages....and yes. Many of us, we are lazy!! Even my manager told me this one, few weeks ago...that he was lazy enough (2) run the restaurant which they chose him...as manager. However the real surprise came (2) me, when the manager decided (2) quit his duties, and open his own restaurant. He, invite me (2) work (4) him, I accepted....and he told me the same thing. I don't know how you [ I ], you do all these stuff!!!! But I am lazy (2) work!! So, after some time, when I realise the true, that Slovak people indeed are lazy....I walked away from kitchen environment. No matter what they do....they are lazy by their own nature
It's easy to fall victim to stereotypes.🤣You are right, you need to be consistent in your argumentation. I usually take what the media says with a grain of salt.
I’m traveling to Greece in a few weeks and will need to work remotely. Any suggestions on getting and keeping consistent WiFi? Someone recommended I purchase a cosmote USB stick. What would you say is best? Thank you so much!
Of course Greeks are not lazy. They work more and in more difficult conditions than the rest europeans. Come and work in 40 and 43 degrees in summer, Greeks do that. Allso as our european "partners-friends" say Greece is not organized and developed. It is more difficult to work in a less organized environment than a significantly organized one 😊 Of course Hellens (Greeks) are not lazy, or undeveloped . But if that suits better for our european "friends" then we are.
The fact that we are relaxed people and don't run like crazy ,full of anxiety like it's happening in other countries, doesn't mean that we are not hard working people.
I've admired Greeks as hard worker's. Greeks work long hours in shops, hotels and restaurants. I've visited many countries apart from Greece and all the people from those countries work very long hours to support their families. My father was born in Cyprus and arrived in London 1938. From the day he arrived until he passed away in 1983 my father work 18 hour days to have an successful business and support his family and family back in Cyprus. So through my father I respect worker's and shop owners in Greece and any country I've visited on vacation. Remember tourist can enjoy Greek culture and the islands but for those who are born in Greece may never enjoy the time to relax and have fun in the land of their birth. Definitely Greeks are not lazy. Love this video 🫶
We Greeks may be working more hours, but our productivity in working hours is 43% compared to the rest of the eurozone countries (less than half). In other words, it takes 100 hours of work for a Greek worker to produce the same with 43 hours of work of another eurozone country worker. This is due to a number of reasons, such as the non-use of technology at work, the failure to achieve economies of scale, and the country’s aging population. It's not how many hours you work, it's how much you produce.
We have to work way harder than other countries because even though Greece is a pretty wealthy country the people get nothing and everything has gone expensive.
Αυτό το όνομα μας βγήκε από την εποχή του Γερμανού Υπουργού οικονομικών κυρίου Scheuble, οι Έλληνες δουλεύουν όσο ζουν ,πρώτα για την δική τους την ζωή, και μετά των παιδιών τους ,και για τα εγγόνια τους ,ιδικά στις αγροτικές περιοχές, τα καλοκαίρια στον τουρισμό 12 ώρες ,και πολλές φορές χωρίς ρεπό, και τον χειμώνα στα κτήματα, ιδικά οι νέοι, που παρόλα αυτά δεν μπορούν να κάνουν οικογένεια λόγο τον χαμηλών μισθών. Προσωπικά εργάστηκα 52 χρόνια, και ακόμα βοηθάω την οικογένειά.
My opinion about this topic.... people (everywhere) only work hard when there is something to achieve. When working conditions and salary are not worth the effort it's natural to have a negative outlook towards work and I'd say this applies to most southern European countries which unfortunately are known for their exploitative and rigid work culture.
Same in America and the rest of the West. People do not want to work menial jobs for min wage and so business are hiring migrants because they don't mind being taken advantage of and abused.
Good morning. Pls consider this fact: How many times we rebuilt Greece after a lot of wars, when everything was destroyed from the foundation. From 1821 till 1922 we had constant war conditions, men were in the army for 7-10 years and women were left alone in the fields to take care about the nation's food, many greek cities in Black Sea and Minor Asia were destroyed and greeks came here starting from the beginning, and in the last war Germans were destroying houses and vanishing even the animals, made everything in pieces when leaving after their defeat, they even dropped all the wagons into the Corinth Canal! All over again and again we begin from 0 point. A lazy people cann't do that. Of course we are tired and I think now we have surrended, young people know that everything is in vain, may be lately we are desperate but not because we are lazy. Thank you if you noticed my message.
Γειά σου Daniel εάν δουλεύω στην Ελλάδα καταλαβαίνω οποιονδήποτε δουλεύει σκληρά. Σε βλέπω να στέκεσαι στον ήλιο για ένα video και ιδρώνω γιατί?γιατί απλά έχω δουλέψει 8 ώρες στους με 40 βαθμούς. Καλά και χρήσιμα αυτά που λες ξεκαθαρίζουν ορισμένα πράγματα. Κλεάνθης από την Κατερίνη.
Not sure if you covered this topic, but I have a question about Greek banks and how safe are they, and which ones you think are better. Kinda sticky subject but important for relocating.
I have never ever heard this stereo type ...but on scorching hot days doing less is probably to stay alive in the heat. Maybe thats where that lie started. Hi from California!
The Greek politicians that supported the austerity measures the last 15 years actually maintained the idea that the Greeks are lazy and overpaid and Greece is a poor country which needs to be supported form other countries
Honestly, this is the first time that I’ve ever heard Greeks to be characterized as lazy. I don’t recall ever reading or hearing any such characterization in the US mainstream media. Maybe that’s what the EU media says…perhaps as a result of Greece’s economic problems…I don’t know. Frankly, I find it to be laughable, but something that I’ll want to discuss with the locals when we visit this fall..
This was basically German propaganda because they caused huge suffering to the Greek population with their austerity measures and they wanted to present the greeks in a negative light in their home country because the Greek banks would have to repay German loans if Greece didn't abandon the euro...
You should have been in Greece around 2010 - 2014. I work in tourism and we had a lot of Germans and Dutch that would say stuff like i can do whatever i want, you owe us money you lazy Greeks.
Τhe german politicians had to blame greeks so that they wouldn't admit that they risked german's taxpayers money to save the german banks that were linked with the greek debt and were risking default if greece defaulted . So greeks were named "lazy",when in fact they work the most hours in the E.U. As for why Europeans almost forced greek governments to accept those loans, it's 101 on taking over a country. Don't take my word for it, Google how u.s.a took over developing countries by debt
Those Greeks who are working sometimes hard at work or work long but inefficient hours, on the other hand they have one of the highest unemployment rate in the EU.
The statistics show low productivity because they take into account the public sector which is useless... Greek economy and the nation as a whole have been destroyed by the public sector.
it comes from greece not having many industries and many greeks working the summer months. the whole balkans is a laid back culture lets just be honest. you wouldnt have moved there if it wasnt.
I don't think we are lazy. We maybe have a different way to work and also a way to spend our free time, that for some people maybe looks weird. For sure we lack organization and we don't work with cold blood like some northern european countries. Some times profit is not the number one reason to work.
who ever works a lot the live long and the old people giagia pappou used to do that and there kids continue and so on and so on so the greeks there are not lazy
I agree. I worked with a shepherd on a farm in Greece and it was the hardest work I have ever done. And the whole family was working on the farm and all working hard. And the village I was in were all working or studying everyday 7 days a week. Yeh they have breaks and celebrate but so what doesn't every culture lol. 😂 And so they haven't paid tax some times but which culture hasn't avoided tax. Ffs hypocrites. Greeks just know how to relax and celebrate that's the difference with this culture
Thinking this, is a proof of ignorance and stupidity, I wonder who is making these propaganda to take profit...The best is to find the smart and legal way to make money, whatever you are from.
1 only has to look at German media who promoted this false idea and propaganda against greeks putting them in a negative light so that they appear to be the good guys as promoting their punishing austerity on the country to benefit only the German banks & pockets...
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I always hated this propaganda that Greeks are lazy. As a tourist who visits Greece every summer I can see how much they work even on weekends. So this thing the media keeps saying is totally wrong.
Thank you for stating the truth. That is a propaganda started from westerners especially the Germans and their close friends just to underestimate and diminish the Greeks
And their plan worked pretty well if you think that half of the planet believes that. 😊
Other countries are jealous of Greece
It's true, that's what meat to be Greek, Live your life on welfare never worry about paying cents of taxs, new pension money get straight to waist.
A Romanian here! I never considered the Greeks to be lazy! Working in the climatic conditions there requires a lot of work power and to manage with the limited resources you have! Respect from Romania!
a tortoise work better that greeks
So true, Greeks ARE NOT LAZY!!! They’re some of the hardest working people. I’m a naturalized Greek citizen with dual citizenship and live in the US. You don’t owe anyone any explanations whatsoever.
True, they are not lazy, it is just a mistake made by irrational, hysterical Westerns.
I was brought up in Sweden, just imagine.
Moved to Bulgaria 30 years ago. We share alot with the Greeks. We just work differently.
And it works.
I'm 35 years old, I am Greek citizen and live in a village in central Greece. I have a small business with paints which my father started 40 years ago.. I work 6/7 for 10 hours per day.. Anyone who says that I am lazy I invite him to come to work with me...
Not a single American on the planet would be able to do your job. Believe me, I've seen it with my own eyes!
your 35 and work for 6 hours a day, and you think that tough ? What about the rest 18 hours, sleep & resting time ?
@@supermavro6072 he said 10 hours per day for 6 to 7 days a week, thats over 50-60 hours per week, Im sure that the opposite of a lazy worker
@@supermavro6072 I understand that you are handicapped and there is nothing wrong with that but whats wrong is also being malignant because of the dices life rolled for you and you ended up with your condition. 6/7 means 6 days out of 7 since there are no 7 hours in a day to conclude he meant 6 hours out of 7 (?). I know that this is hard for you to grasp and you don't have to feel bad about your self, everyone has his issues and weaknesses and some people are less lucky than others and we should care for them which is why I am trying to help you get a clear view of what was said. I am sure that you have some other strength to cover up for your intellectual (or psychiatric) disability. Being intelectually and/or psychiatrically healthy is important but having such issues doesn't mean your life has ended. If you ever have too negative thoughts and/or thoughts of self harm please communicate with the appropriate services in your country/area. Stay strong and best wishes to the people who are there to help you take care of your self.
@@supermavro6072 HE WORKS 6 - 7 DAYS A WEEK. 10 HOURS EVERY DAY. Please read properly
Travelling to Greece for over 30 years and staying about 3 months per year, I have the utmost respect for all those Greeks that work very hard. They are definitely NOT lazy. The perception "Greeks are lazy" was mainly spread by the media (especially the German) during the financial crisis.
Germans and their close friends in EU did all the damage. The Rich, hard-working, educated and developed europeans and the poor, lazy, undeveloped Greeks. That makes feel them better. 😊
There is no work in greece, that's why we have economic crisis
@@supermavro6072 that is not true. There are plenty of works. If you want to work there are jobs.
@@user-oi4cn7rt8t there is no job in greece.
@@supermavro6072 There are jobs in Greece if you want to work. Especially if you have qualifications it is easier to find.
There is lazy and hard working people in all countries you can not put a whole Nation in a bag and claim they are lazy that is just stupidity.
Propaganda always work well in the negative direction. People tend to believe and reproduce something bad rather than something good. Greeks got the bad name and it will be impossible to stop it, whatever they do. Our european "partners" helped too much for revealing the statement of the poor lazy Greeks.😊
I truly respect your honesty and truth!!! I’m Greek and live in the U.K., I too have always felt extremely frustrated when Greeks were called “lazy”!!! Thank you for shedding a light on this very sensitive topic that is so unjustly projected against the Greeks
but you are
32 years as contractor i was working 10-11 hoursper day even on sundays with snow n rain in the winter and 40 degrees celcium in the summer after i retired i became a chief officer in a security company ...now im 64 years old and i work 14 hours per day in 3 different posts i believe im lazy cause i dont work 24 hours per day :)
Ase mlk oi germanoi mas exoun xesoi. Stin xora tous i oikodomi doulevoi 6 ores kai tis upolipes poinoun mpires. Edo pame to proi kai febgoume to vradi
Ο παππούς μου πέθανε 80 χρονών στην δουλειά και ο πεθερός μου το ίδιο. Οι Έλληνες πάντα δούλευαν πολύ. Ειδικά τώρα, που οι μισθοί είναι τόσο μικροί, που τα χρήματα δεν φτάνουν καθόλου. Χρειάζεται να δουλεύεις όλη μέρα. Οι κόρες μου δουλεύουν στην εστίαση μαζί με το πανεπιστήμιο. 9 ή 10 ώρες δουλειά με μόνο ένα ρεπό την εβδομάδα. Ευχαριστούμε γι αυτό που κάνεις. Τα βίντεό σου είναι πάντα ευχάριστα και πολύ σωστά. Καλό καλοκαίρι!
The Greeks are the hardest workers in the world from my own experience. Σεβασμός σε κάθε εργατικό Έλληνα
My father used to work from 6 to 9 in the evening 2 jobs. Same as my mother she did 2 jobs so i can study. My father only had Christmas andcEaster days off.
I used to work in a construction company 3 years ago, while in Greece the temperature was 44 degrees... people could not even get on their tracks to work properly because of the heat... nevertheless, our boss would not care... he thought that if he would supply us with cold drinking water we were ok to work in such conditions, 8-14 hours
Ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ φίλε μου.
Hello again from the Southern US! I don’t think the Greek people are lazy at all! It gets super hot and dry during the summer. There are several cultures around the world where they simply don’t work in the hottest part of the day, including most of the other Mediterranean countries! Especially the Spanish. They take siestas, too!
It makes perfect sense to not work when the heat is so unbearable. It’s inefficient and straight up dangerous.
There have also been studies that employees working a five-day or four-day work week are much more productive and happy in the long run than those with a six or seven-day work week. So I don’t understand why so many places are moving to a six-day work week. It just hurts the bottom line in the long run 🤷♀️
Of course, this is hard to abide by when you have a small business, but if scheduling can be arranged where everyone gets a four or five-day work week, it can run very smoothly!
I’m also a History major with a huge interest in Greece and… I just don’t see why the stereotype exists? Most of Greece is very rugged. Farming and food production has always been difficult no matter where people were, and it’s always survived through trade and hard work. Plus, keeping life running smoothly and their one-of-a-kind language alive despite getting knocked around by constant ancient war and foreign occupation by widely different people for thousands of years is no easy feat!
So, no. The Greeks are not at all lazy. They are a very hardy people that have my utmost respect. ❤
Tell that to the Germans who started this propaganda
@@sakisgr1396 to the Brits as well. Let us not forget that perhaps the biggest colonial power ever existed, the laziest in other words, made fun of us Greeks broadcasting reality shows about "the lazy Greeks". Oh how I wish the Brexit gives them the final blow!
Explain all these to our German "friends" who started all these. In the times of Greek financial crisis, we had the face the austerity and the problems, we had also to face the comments of the Germans and their friends.
my friend Daniel, the reputation that Greeks are lazy is due to the number of people who work in the public sector. those who work in the private sector work much more than all the workers in Europe at the moment.
That is true for most public sector employees in any country. I guess the correct word is complacency of the job that exists within the public sector.
Not only this is true for most public sectors in all countries but I used to be a "public servant" and worked for a yearly average that if split to days it equals 17+ hours a day average including day offs, holidays, weekends and whatever else. This number does not include the 2.5h+ of driving (well riding the bus) and neither the hours I lost when out of work due to work (from getting prepared for it down to running unpaid errands for work while not working like say buying stuff they need, studying for the job or writing multipage documents). This lasted about four (4) years +-a half (and for the 1st 6 months the average was even worse). For a few years after that my workhours dropped to an average of 11h or something a day (again yearly average including weekends that I didn't always work, holidays, day offs etc). For all of that I was getting paid for just 8h whatever happened and nothing extra (enforced by constitutional law afaik for specifically my then sector). We were literally free labour and used as such even for the most stupid reasons since we were free and nobody gave a single F about us. If you also want to hear (net not mixed - mixed were higher) salaries I was getting anywhere from less than 800 euro a month up to 935 or something (the maximum I took was 1100 something only for a one month and also a few months of 1000 something euro). Some times I was also in life threatening situations and even part of a group more or less literally left to die but somehow didn't, in a situation where we shouldn't be thrown at and it was actually illegal to do so. All for no gain other than satisfying the sensations of the civilian masses and superiors looking good while being safe and away. I eventually left the job by denying my permanence and leaving my old contract to expire and I still feel like I literally died at that job having loads of health issues now. Ofcourse I am not claiming this being typical for the public sector - far from it and yes most of the public sector is indeed lazy (having things to do but not doing them OR even not being at post during workhours) or "lazy" (being at post but not actually having much to do anyway). Now I temporarily work in another part of the public sector (via a training programme for just 6 months or so) and half the personnel comes late and leaves early and almost all of the personnel is being lazy (or lazy-ish depending on who we talk about) even when at post.
In the private sector it was the other way, I mostly worked 11h a day (but yearly average was more like 9 since I had at least a day a week free when not two) and very rarely I worked up to 17-19h (happened like half a dozen of times). I would also rarely get paid more for the extra hours depending on which work we talk about (eg in a coke cola factory filling pallets with products via contractor I worked from 11h up to 17-19h for no more money per hour since we were getting paid by the product loaded on pallets and sometimes we would be forced to just wait there without being allowed to leave with no orders to load due to the system having crushed - on the other hand I have also done 3 days of 17h non stop as a security guard and ofcourse lots of the usual double shifts, those I got usually paid for but was never asked if I can work that long or have something else scheduled and at least once I worked an unscheduled 15-16h as a security on a sunday and got paid 18 euro, the manager only had a 20 euro paper money on him and he asked me to give him the 2 euro change and I stared at him angrily and told him "you fcking kidding me right?" and he said "well its ok, keep the 2 euro to have a coffee from me" (no pension stamps either of course since I shouldn't be working that day).
Back in the late 80s I worked alongside 2 Greek sisters, they ran rings around the English I've never thought those Greeks are lazy. Thank you for your intelligent vlogs, you are correct. Keep going 💪
Good point and intentions defending the Greeks here. Statistics are true that greeks work more than anyone else in the E.U. Whoever I cant really understand touching this topic without including politics and economics in it. One should adress, WHY GREEKS WORK SO MUCH? Do they just love working, or maybe they NEED to work that much in order to survive financially? Work in Greece does not have the same value as in other places, and THIS is a sad and frustrating fact that is driving locals insane slowly and steadily. And is not a healthy sign for this society.
Good point. Most greeks work very hard, but inefficiently. Greece is full of small businesses that can't take advantage of technology and economies of scale. As a result many are forced to exploit their workers and cheat on their taxes. On the other hand, an overgrown, priveleged, unproductive and sometimes corrupt public sector, makes life difficult to everyone else.
Some things started to improve with the introduction of technology the last 4-5 years, but a lot of work remains to be done.
They don't work more, only for long hours. Not the same. Also you don't consider the high unemployment rate.
Let's not forget that most people in Athens and the other big cities don't have those mythical siestas! IMHO, it's more of a '70s stereotype, or something that's still feasible only for a few people.
Here in Corinth all of the shops closed for the afternoon and they reopen in the evening, so here siesta is still a thing.
@@noother964 In Kozani all the shops (except big supermarket) close during afternoon and they reopen in the evening.
I got to know my father very little because he worked in the cafe from 1959 to 1996 from 7 in the morning to 11 at night with two hours for lunch. He died of exhaustion after two years and my mother fought like a hero to keep the house with a sick old mother and two children (who were not the quietest in the world).
I've visited Greece many times and love it and all i can say is that i never get tired of seeing the blue water and the blues sky
I haven’t watched yet the video but I would say other countries get jealous because they don’t realize Greeks prioritize social activists weather be with friends or family a lot more
The most working hours in EU. 41 hours per week. Second is Poland with 40,4 hours per week.
When forced to accept European austerity measures all we heard was 'Greeks are lazy' but now with a bumper tourist season and a shortage of service and specialised staff Greeks are encouraged to work 48 hours whilst the advanced nations of Europe aim for 32.
EU membership is going to kill Greece...exit now. We are not respected and are beholden to northern Europe....why?
And of course the politicians here were saying "we all ate them together" referring to the debt . The debt now is even higher but now French and German banks are saved so no one cares .
If it wasn't for tourism, greeks would have starved
Bravo... inspirational.
I really enjoy watching your videos while being in the kitchen and cooking. What I love about your videos, is that you talk about basic things in life which are quite inspiring for myself. Keep up the great work, love from Germany
10:30pm/11pm is not late at night in greece. It’s relatively early.
Greeks are definitely not lazy, I have seen their work ethic 1st hand. I love how your videos are made, edited & on YT the same day, great to see the weather there compared to here. Another great video. 🇬🇷🧿🎶 Also, talking of music, which Greek music would you recommend?
never on sunday
Depending on the job you do @@tomstarros3189
I’ve been saying that for years and it’s finally nice to hear the truth. Come out. Love your videos. Keep up the good work.
The Greek laziness is a stereotype that was spread during the financial crisis mostly by German media, especially those controlled by Merkel's political party. As a Greek I had never heard that stereotype before.
Germans and their close friends in EU spread that propaganda for the Greeks.
Greeks still have very high unemployment rates, don't blame merkel for that.
It's facts
@@konstantinos6192 True 👍
Great message--thank you.
Μostly lazyness is viewed at those who work in public sector.Not in the private..
This is so true!!! I have relatives in Greece who barley work in the public sector but I also have relatives that work in the private sector and they are so hard working!!
Great video. Keep up the good work!
I had never heard that Greeks were lazy. This was a first when I started watching videos on life in Greece - this by far my favorite channel. Thank you for what you do ♥️
"Lazy Greeks" is a media portrayal which was created many years before to support the international lenders of Greek debt. Big lenders and EU were going to squeeze the country hard at the debt crisis and this media portrayal was to support them against the international public.
@savvas1640 unfortunately true
I love Greece and respect the Greek people. Still, working long hours predominantly in relatively low value added industries is not resulting in the European and US levels of industrial and technological growth and thus the perception of slow development and laziness.
I think it is the attitudes of the people that make this misnomer continue. Greeks have a way of making things fun and incorporating family and friends with work. I have seen a mixture of work ethic in Greece. As a Greek, I can say that most of my relatives work very hard. But, you will see children at their shops, friends having coffee and talking, etc. But any business owner is working all of the time. Things like closing early on some days, not being open on uncommon in the west. Balacing work and life is not a thing. So when, say, an American wants something and the store is closed, they get frustrated and disparaging, calling Greeks lazy. Simultaneously, they all envy and want the lifestyle. After many years in the US, I returned and became frustrated while searching for something in particular. My cousin looked at me and said 'you cant always have anything you want, whenever you want it....and that's not a bad thing'. I think back on that frequently.
I have never heard of a single American calling Greeks lazy. They respect Greeks…
I’m in the US and don’t get the impression that Greeks are lazy. In fact, when I feel that my job is hard, I think of the conversations I’ve had with people in Greece about their work. I am humbled.
Thank you for being objectively about this very sensative stereotype
I think it's wonderful to strike a healthy balance...work and siesta...the Greek lifestyle offers that. That's awesome ❤😊
The only lazy Greeks are some who work for the Government or the Public Sector. However it is human nature when you know your job is secure to slack a little. I don't know if this is still the case but from what I have been told things have improved over the last 15 years. I lived in Greece until 29 years ago when I moved to the US.
As an executive of a company that has employees in the US and in Greece (33 coworkers in the Athens office) I can say that my greek teammates work just as hard and on top of that with filotimo, which enhances that experience by 10 times. Filotimo, besa as we say, is hard to describe in any other language.
I'm Albanian from North Macedonia. I worked all across the northern hemisphere. One of the smartest and most hardworking colleague was a Greek from Finland, while we were working in Sweden together. Oh and I understand filotimo besa very very well indeed. 💪 Be well friend!
The siesta time doesn't make them lazy. They open the shops earlier in the morning and close them late at
night. They are just breaking the working day in two because they avoid being out during the hottest
hours of the day. Working or being active during these hours can be dangerous.
Πολλοί Έλληνες κάνουν δύο δουλείες για να μπορέσουν να εξασφαλίσουν τα απαραίτητα με ένα κόστος ζωής υψηλό με μισθούς πείνας και λυπάμαι πολύ που υπάρχει αυτή η αντίληψη .
I have been to Greece 4 times, the first time in 2011 and I was staying 2 blocks from Syntagma square during the protests. I fell in love with Greece, so much I kept coming back, I am learning to play the laouto, I have playlists with Markos Vamvakaris, Polly Panou, Vasilis Tsitanis, Giorgos Dalaris and Manos Hatzidakis in my phone (but also Villagers of Ioannina City and Alkyone ). I read the books of Nikos Kazantzakis, watch the movies of Theo Angelopoulos and Yorgos Lanthimos and think about a move to Greece and what life would be like, what I would do there. I am also learning Greek. Having spent enough time in Greece and met many Greeks (including my advisor in grad school) I know for a fact Greeks are a very hard working people. They have to be, the economy is unforgiving and unpredictable, the salaries are low. Greeks have always been very hard working, first as farmers, fishermen, traders and sailors and now as a modern European country. This whole "Greeks are lazy" is just a variation on the "The poor are poor because they are lazy" trope, which is what the rich and powerful say when they are asked to contribute their fair share. Thank you for your videos, they give me a lot to think about and plan.
Hi Daniel
I met a lot of Greeks that left Greece after the crisis and came to Sydney Australia for a better life and got jobs in the Construction industry and I tell you that they were very hard workers, working long hours 6-7 days a week. They were very happy earning good money but as we all know that Sydney is a very expensive city to live in.
There are two main paths that people choose over their lifetime. One is to avoid risk, the other is to manage risk. Avoiding risk means essentially do things the way your parents did, or do what other people tell you. Managing risk involves education and embracing innovation and technology. Using this theory I believe we can explain why in some countries people struggle more to make a living and in some other countries people struggle less.
Few years ago i was in poker table with 5-6 small business Greeks, in a recreational break moment . At some moment i complained among my fellow players that i was working 12 hours a day , and how hard that was for me !!! That moment one elder fellow player, turned to me and said: " what the hell are you biching about? You only work HALF DAY " ...
I work 10-12 hours per day
How much you getting paid?
@@montrealcanada7023 5 euros per hour
We just got to Nafplio for 3 nights, excited to do that hike, find the pools along the start of the walk, go to the ice cream place you did a video on. This will be our 3rd year in a row but this time I have all your suggestions, thank you 🙏
Συγχαρητήρια για τα πολύ ωραία βιντεο.Πιστευω ότι υπάρχει αυτή η γνώμη εδώ και χρονια λόγω των πολλών δημοσίων υπαλλήλων που έχει η χώρα μας και που γέμιζουν τις καφετέριες και δεινουν αυτην την εικονα στους ξενους.Οι εργαζόμενοι στον ιδιωτικό τομέα δουλεύουμε πολύ περισσότερο από άλλους Ευρωπαίους.
Agree 💯. Althought I'm not greek, I find that term so offensive. I'm blessed too, to be very close to Greece & it's ppl, for almost 15 years. Travel every other yr to Athens & the Epirus area (Parga) where the in- laws are from. My daughter born in NY lives in Athens, (my husband is from Chile, living in NY since 1969, I'm from Colombia, living in NY since 1970, both retired). married to a wonderful greek young man. Now we have a beautiful 4 yr old greek grandson.
My daughter's in-laws, now retired, worked in the corporate sector. Worked very hard all their lives. So have all their friends & families.
I would says greeks have it clear how it is to balance work & good life style. Something not seen in most cultures. Specially here in the USA.
Glad I came across your channel about a couple of months ago. Nafplio is so beautiful, one of my preferred greek island to visit next. Would love to meet you, specially my husband. He's also a very talented like you, a professional singer, composer & self taught musician.🎉
Thanks for sharing this with me! I would love to meet you and your husband next time you guys come to Greece! Thanks for your support.
Watching from Washington, US. thanks for the inspiring video! I'm currently learning Greek and working on getting my German passport (have to get my US passport to apply, my mom immigrated to the US as a kid) to (hopefully in the next five years) move to Greece with my future wife. We're getting married in 3 months and started getting serious about where we want to settle to raise a family. Your videos have helped inspire us that it's possible and not just a pipe dream. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Let's set things straight. Few foreign media say that Greeks are lazy. Greeks work probably the longest hours in the EU. Lazy? Hell, no! Unproductive? Hell, yes! We do work long hours chasing our tails. Why? Quite a few reasons. First, resistance to change. We stubbornly refuse to follow new, more productive methods of work. We print online forms, fill them in, and then ask a secretary to do data entry from printed forms. Or we do that ourselves. Second, fear of others learning our (widely known) secrets. Third, selfishness. We refuse to take advice on our business from other professionals. We alone know better. Fourth lack of capital, and lack of willingness to share production equipment with others. We prefer to buy for ourselves an unproductive low-level machine rather than sharing the cost of a highly productive cutting-edge machine with others. This lack of productivity is perceived as laziness by foreign media.
They are not fair, but they are not wrong, either.
I'm a Dane and I have been visiting Greece for almost 55 years. The Greeks are not lazy, they have more than one job and are working more hours than the any other European. I was in Tolo in 2009, when Angela Merkel said in a speech that the Greeks were lazy and I have never seen any body so angry. The idea that a GERMAN should tell a Greek that he/she is lazy was an insult.
Congrats on the 10k!
When I go to crete the different places I always try and find a kafenio sadly I have notice quite a few have shut or the ones that are still open where they used to serve a small meal which was always lovely but you couldn’t get away with where the cook the meals in the UK I think the raki is to kill any bad bacteria but like I said it’s great to see the older guys sitting enjoying a raki and having a smoke, I love it 🏴🙏☀️
Good morning. Not all jobs are the same. The motivation and driving purpose behind working with zeal has to do with the type of work you are doing. If you are running a bakery, the weigh is entirely on your shoulders to keep the job up and running. In this case you work a lot while being productive. If you are working in an enterprise that is not organized correctly, you become unproductive and you lose your motive. There must be initiatives and consensus to make jobs attractive and more appealing to the average person. So we cannot banish the myth that us Greeks are lazy unless those running the state and the big businesses consider the value of the people and products on a higher level. People will call you lazy even if you are working 48 hours/week if you are not productive. So the myth can only be banished if we achieve a strong growing economy. Results and not working hours are a metric of productivity, the lack of which can be interpreted as laziness.
Thanks for sharing this video with us, very inspiring
One thing is for sure to me: Greeks belong to the most hard working people in the whole of Europe right now. Why? Because majority of Greek family-run private businesses (excluding the overwhelming civil servants population) need to work hard in order to feed their children and stay afloat to survive. No fallbacks. And most families possess enough stamina and pride to do so. As long as they are able. Here in my hometown Amsterdam the majority of my fellow Dutch folks work on average four days a week (most from 09.00 till 17.00 and have a stable job and work partly from home) and have a lot of freetime and conveniences. Young and old. So no complaining here.
This whole six days workweek thing is what I call modern slavery and a disgrace for any European country to implement which in this case only benefits some Greek shareholders and owners of certain businesses and industries in and around the capital Athens and is set up as a popular gesture by a lobby of government pleasing unashamed conservative Greek politicians. Showing at the same time the huge weakness and corrupt working of the national political system in Greece and thus unfortunately keeps continue to benefit only those few (wealthy families).
*You are much more Greek than us Greeks! You have a lovely personality, a very conscious personality, but unfortunately, our country does not have the "guts", especially Greek people are to blame for not having "the guts." Greek woman here, living in Greece - Athens- and working as a freelancer and content creator. I congratulate you for your morality!*
That's a nazi stereotype. The germans kept saying this during the economy crisis in Greece... Greeks have had the longest working hours in Europe for decades.
Public servants are tired in the first 30 mins of their shift... Well, this is an exaggeration. They're tired in the first 10 mins of their shift!
Private sector staff goes on for hours and hours, underpaid and with no overtime salary in most cases!
I do not know about the average Greek - but if you work with software engineers from Greece, the delivery time from the Greek team will be twice as long with major quality issues (also they lie they say they tested their system) - one thing that was very odd, they are not reachable after 4 pm (their time) - they do not answer the phones or emails - also for the love of god DO NOT HIRE software engineers from Greece if they are 50yrs+ - completely useless
20:03 Is the camera black? It could be that it is heating up because of the sun. You can try wrapping it up in some thick tin foil (like those take away food containers) or maybe even regular household tin foil (it is more brittle) and see if that helps at all.
to those telling you that you gonna up the prices of the hotels because of the tourists you bring here, tell them that you will chase the tourists with waterpistols just like the spanish(catalonians) people did and thus you will level the playing field. improvise, adapt, overcome 😂 media were saying that greeks are lazy for the public sector too, and that is a common stereotype even between greeks, although what I have witnessed with my own eyes so far(almost reached my 40ies), was that very few people were like that both in public and private sector. Usually was bad management for most of the problems I have witnessed and business plans written in a napkin(even by politicians). Well these few people also exist in other countries too.
The Greek civil servants are lazy. The private sector workers are mainly not.
Traditionally people living in med countries were considered " laid back " and more family orientated than workaholics in northern countries. In modern Greece they had to change lifestyle . They aren't lazy , they try to be more philosophical about life .oooops
🧿Drop a comment from where you are watching this video 👇
Είμαι από την Ολλανδία και μαθαίνω ελληνικά. Το κανάλι σας με παρακινεί
Even Greeks believe that civil servants are lazy! Let them come to the Internal Revenue Service and see with their own eyes how us the employees work like crazy! I have to use tranquilizers to cope with my anxiety attacks!
I am following your channel from Vietnam! I am enjoying your content. Keep up!
no-one from the outside has any right to comment on how lazy a nation is- to think this is ludicrous . Every culture will have subjects that work very hard and subjects that are lazy but to decide and determine whether a country is lazy or not makes no sense- especially since there is no reliable and accurate metric for laziness.. Greece has yet again continued to expand financially at a satisfactory level outperforming the euro area averages. Its forecast GDP is between 2.3 to 2.6% over the next 4 years. The public debt ratio has been declining 9169% of GDP) and the net international investment position has improved steadily and its credit rating has increased to investment grade. Household and Corporate debt has decreased significantly. Greece has also expanded its export market share. These are all indicators of a hard working nation....
Rainy Frankfurt, Germany :)
I am Greek born in Greece, my family [mother, brothers, sister] still live Greece. But I chose another path (4) myself, abroad.
When I reached that time, Bratislava capital, Slovakia. The 2nd job I did, just (2) add some extras income, was in a local restaurant. Anyway, the working hours that time I worked, (4) the first time in my life were [16 - 17 hours].
Entering kitchen at [7am - 23pm or so....], that time, I remember pretty clear. Many staff of restaurant told me, we work (2) many hours, they pay us low wages....and yes. Many of us, we are lazy!!
Even my manager told me this one, few weeks ago...that he was lazy enough (2) run the restaurant which they chose him...as manager. However the real surprise came (2) me, when the manager decided (2) quit his duties, and open his own restaurant.
He, invite me (2) work (4) him, I accepted....and he told me the same thing. I don't know how you [ I ], you do all these stuff!!!! But I am lazy (2) work!!
So, after some time, when I realise the true, that Slovak people indeed are lazy....I walked away from kitchen environment. No matter what they do....they are lazy by their own nature
You need to stay hydrated as well my friend. I haven't seen you taking any sips of water! 🥺
It's easy to fall victim to stereotypes.🤣You are right, you need to be consistent in your argumentation. I usually take what the media says with a grain of salt.
I’m traveling to Greece in a few weeks and will need to work remotely. Any suggestions on getting and keeping consistent WiFi? Someone recommended I purchase a cosmote USB stick. What would you say is best? Thank you so much!
Of course Greeks are not lazy. They work more and in more difficult conditions than the rest europeans. Come and work in 40 and 43 degrees in summer, Greeks do that.
Allso as our european "partners-friends" say Greece is not organized and developed. It is more difficult to work in a less organized environment than a significantly organized one 😊
Of course Hellens (Greeks) are not lazy, or undeveloped . But if that suits better for our european "friends" then we are.
The fact that we are relaxed people and don't run like crazy ,full of anxiety like it's happening in other countries, doesn't mean that we are not hard working people.
I've admired Greeks as hard worker's. Greeks work long hours in shops, hotels and restaurants. I've visited many countries apart from Greece and all the people from those countries work very long hours to support their families. My father was born in Cyprus and arrived in London 1938. From the day he arrived until he passed away in 1983 my father work 18 hour days to have an successful business and support his family and family back in Cyprus. So through my father I respect worker's and shop owners in Greece and any country I've visited on vacation. Remember tourist can enjoy Greek culture and the islands but for those who are born in Greece may never enjoy the time to relax and have fun in the land of their birth. Definitely Greeks are not lazy. Love this video 🫶
Thank you for sharing!
The fact that everyone comes here for vacation does not make us lazy...
greeks sit their asss all day and collect tourist money, free money
We Greeks may be working more hours, but our productivity in working hours is 43% compared to the rest of the eurozone countries (less than half). In other words, it takes 100 hours of work for a Greek worker to produce the same with 43 hours of work of another eurozone country worker. This is due to a number of reasons, such as the non-use of technology at work, the failure to achieve economies of scale, and the country’s aging population. It's not how many hours you work, it's how much you produce.
We have to work way harder than other countries because even though Greece is a pretty wealthy country the people get nothing and everything has gone expensive.
great value congrats !!
Thank you
Αυτό το όνομα μας βγήκε από την εποχή του Γερμανού Υπουργού οικονομικών κυρίου Scheuble, οι Έλληνες δουλεύουν όσο ζουν ,πρώτα για την δική τους την ζωή, και μετά των παιδιών τους ,και για τα εγγόνια τους ,ιδικά στις αγροτικές περιοχές, τα καλοκαίρια στον τουρισμό 12 ώρες ,και πολλές φορές χωρίς ρεπό, και τον χειμώνα στα κτήματα, ιδικά οι νέοι, που παρόλα αυτά δεν μπορούν να κάνουν οικογένεια λόγο τον χαμηλών μισθών.
Προσωπικά εργάστηκα 52 χρόνια, και ακόμα βοηθάω την οικογένειά.
My opinion about this topic.... people (everywhere) only work hard when there is something to achieve. When working conditions and salary are not worth the effort it's natural to have a negative outlook towards work and I'd say this applies to most southern European countries which unfortunately are known for their exploitative and rigid work culture.
Same in America and the rest of the West. People do not want to work menial jobs for min wage and so business are hiring migrants because they don't mind being taken advantage of and abused.
Good morning. Pls consider this fact: How many times we rebuilt Greece after a lot of wars, when everything was destroyed from the foundation. From 1821 till 1922 we had constant war conditions, men were in the army for 7-10 years and women were left alone in the fields to take care about the nation's food, many greek cities in Black Sea and Minor Asia were destroyed and greeks came here starting from the beginning, and in the last war Germans were destroying houses and vanishing even the animals, made everything in pieces when leaving after their defeat, they even dropped all the wagons into the Corinth Canal! All over again and again we begin from 0 point. A lazy people cann't do that. Of course we are tired and I think now we have surrended, young people know that everything is in vain, may be lately we are desperate but not because we are lazy. Thank you if you noticed my message.
Γειά σου Daniel εάν δουλεύω στην Ελλάδα καταλαβαίνω οποιονδήποτε δουλεύει σκληρά. Σε βλέπω να στέκεσαι στον ήλιο για ένα video και ιδρώνω γιατί?γιατί απλά έχω δουλέψει 8 ώρες στους με 40 βαθμούς. Καλά και χρήσιμα αυτά που λες ξεκαθαρίζουν ορισμένα πράγματα. Κλεάνθης από την Κατερίνη.
Not sure if you covered this topic, but I have a question about Greek banks and how safe are they, and which ones you think are better. Kinda sticky subject but important for relocating.
I have never ever heard this stereo type ...but on scorching hot days doing less is probably to stay alive in the heat. Maybe thats where that lie started. Hi from California!
The Greek politicians that supported the austerity measures the last 15 years actually maintained the idea that the Greeks are lazy and overpaid and Greece is a poor country which needs to be supported form other countries
Honestly, this is the first time that I’ve ever heard Greeks to be characterized as lazy. I don’t recall ever reading or hearing any such characterization in the US mainstream media. Maybe that’s what the EU media says…perhaps as a result of Greece’s economic problems…I don’t know. Frankly, I find it to be laughable, but something that I’ll want to discuss with the locals when we visit this fall..
This was basically German propaganda because they caused huge suffering to the Greek population with their austerity measures and they wanted to present the greeks in a negative light in their home country because the Greek banks would have to repay German loans if Greece didn't abandon the euro...
You should have been in Greece around 2010 - 2014. I work in tourism and we had a lot of Germans and Dutch that would say stuff like i can do whatever i want, you owe us money you lazy Greeks.
Τhe german politicians had to blame greeks so that they wouldn't admit that they risked german's taxpayers money to save the german banks that were linked with the greek debt and were risking default if greece defaulted . So greeks were named "lazy",when in fact they work the most hours in the E.U.
As for why Europeans almost forced greek governments to accept those loans, it's 101 on taking over a country. Don't take my word for it, Google how u.s.a took over developing countries by debt
Those Greeks who are working sometimes hard at work or work long but inefficient hours, on the other hand they have one of the highest unemployment rate in the EU.
The statistics show low productivity because they take into account the public sector which is useless... Greek economy and the nation as a whole have been destroyed by the public sector.
I didn’t expect a video about Greece that randomly showed up in my feed to give me the exact advice I needed in my life right now. 😂 thank you
it comes from greece not having many industries and many greeks working the summer months. the whole balkans is a laid back culture lets just be honest. you wouldnt have moved there if it wasnt.
I don't think we are lazy. We maybe have a different way to work and also a way to spend our free time, that for some people maybe looks weird. For sure we lack organization and we don't work with cold blood like some northern european countries. Some times profit is not the number one reason to work.
who ever works a lot the live long and the old people giagia pappou used to do that and there kids continue and so on and so on so the greeks there are not lazy
I agree. I worked with a shepherd on a farm in Greece and it was the hardest work I have ever done. And the whole family was working on the farm and all working hard. And the village I was in were all working or studying everyday 7 days a week. Yeh they have breaks and celebrate but so what doesn't every culture lol. 😂 And so they haven't paid tax some times but which culture hasn't avoided tax. Ffs hypocrites. Greeks just know how to relax and celebrate that's the difference with this culture
Thinking this, is a proof of ignorance and stupidity, I wonder who is making these propaganda to take profit...The best is to find the smart and legal way to make money, whatever you are from.
1 only has to look at German media who promoted this false idea and propaganda against greeks putting them in a negative light so that they appear to be the good guys as promoting their punishing austerity on the country to benefit only the German banks & pockets...
It started as a statement in the years of the Greek financial crisis and was spread.
Se a gentrificaçao tivesse origem em canais do youtube seria fácil solucionar a questão.
I often wish americans could be introspective like this... of course not they're the greatest!!
Amen! 💛
everything is politics when it comes to characterizing a whole country... lazy