[bluepoint]

Varufakis does not say things based on some big thinking. His objective is to provoke and get attention. During the greek debt negotiations he was bragging about “creative vagueness”, which means that he was purposely speaking vaguely with the intention to confuse the EU partners (who would be the ones paying for the debt) and throw implicit threats. His term as finance minister was a disaster and he was eventually kicked out. His party was recently voted out of the greek parliament, so nobody takes him seriously in his home country. His soeaches (in any language) are usually vague general bulshit that no one can argue for or against.

You will probably downvote me for ad-hominem, and for not responding to his “arguments”, but from my perspective, I don’t think there is a deeper meaning in his writings than what ChatGPT would produce and he does not deserve even the modest popularity he seems to have.

[rewmie]

I don't know why people are downvoting OP's comment. Varoufakis' pyrrhic's, meteoric, and self-aggrandizing term as Greece's minister of finance is well documented, so as his critical role in worsening Greece's critical state during Greece's bailout process. Some things can't be forgotten or whitewashed.

[iamsaitam]

Because it isn't true. None of the things you mention happened to Greece due to Varoufakis, in the end he left Government and what he was fighting against materialized. Also, whitewashed??

[bluepoint]

I don’t mean to argue, and I would agree with you that the debt crisis it self was not because of Varufakis, or the entire semi-communist government that had to deal with it (which it self was voted in power to punish the “status quo”), but few doubt, (even the then prime minister, Tsipras) that the initial negotiation tactics were disastrous and almost resulted in a Grexit that was prevented at the last minute. Varufakis was not only promoting “creative vagueness”, but also was publicly bragging about playing the “chicken game” (who will chicken out first during a head on collision) with the EU partners. He was implicitly threatening a Grexit assuming that the EU would be too scared to do it. It was later found out that the German finance minister was also in favor of a Grexit, but fortunately the German chancellor was not. Also it was later found out that he together with some random US profesor (whatever) was trying to design a second “coin” (of course a crude resemblance of one: he would pay government employees with worthless coupons). This suggests that he was a self absorbed asshole out of touch with reality and the voters’ desire (no one in Greece wanted to exit the euro) whose negotiations admittedly costed Greece about 100 billion euros (or something of that order). He did not quit, he was expelled from the government, a government of incompetent naive idiots that rode the wave of populism in a moment of crisis and not criterion and ability to chose a capable finance minister. So given that, I believe it is fair to say that his world views are probably also out of touch with reality, he would also purposely deceive, and therefore he does not have any credibility. An essay from ChatGPT is more likely to be on the point.

[ChatGTP]

I just watched this interview: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37729172 with Varufakis and I really don't see any of the behavior you're talking about.

Nearly everything he said seemed rational, fairly easy to find evidence for and I can validate it through my experience living in the world without my BS detector going off.

Honestly, your opinion of him seems a little more skewed by perhaps his version of the current state of the world clashing with your own narratives?