Victor David Hanson has an
interesting article about the role of culture in European development and the ongoing European crisis:
Do average passersby throw down or pick up litter? After a minor
fender-bender, do drivers politely exchange information, or do they
scream and yell with wild gesticulations? Is honking constant or
sporadic? Are crosswalks sacrosanct? Do restaurant dinners usually start
or wind down at 9 P.M.? Can you drink
tap water, or should you avoid it? Do you mostly pay what the price tag
says, or are you expected to pay in untaxed cash and then haggle over
the unstated cost? Are construction sites clearly marked and fenced to
protect pedestrians, or do you risk walking into an open pit or getting
stabbed by exposed rebar?
By coincidence, my Lindenwood colleague, Mike Mathea, sent me
this chart today. It presents the results of a survey of Europeans about Europeans:
My favorite part is that Greeks consider themselves the most hardworking and the most corrupt. Corruption must take a lot more effort than it looks.
