Wednesday, March 24, 2010

What have pigs got to do with it?

Amidst current financial turmoil and rising stock exchange speculations, economic pressure, social unrest, high-fly difficult political maneuvering and big games at stake with an almost certain hidden agenda, the modern term PIGS was coined.
Now, far from being an expert in finance and having turned down the world of politics quite some time ago, I have a simple question -would the new abbreviation stand for all of the above misfortunes or rather to more literally denote the better part of Europe (PIGS= Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain or in a more generous version PIIGS to take Italy on board)?
I was stunned to notice that my favourite media, the BBC, the exemplary voice of respect, precision and thoroughness, has opted for launching its quest for on-the-ground readers' opinions under the following title:
Europe's PIGS countries: Send us your experiences
Just an unflattering acronym as the article suggests? More that that, I would say - sheer and undisguised contempt of the rich towards the poor or at least a careless choice of expression.
But summer come, we will be there, PIGS, where else?

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