Talk:Yanis Varoufakis

Minor clean ups

I removed the words "recently" and "influential" from the sections related to Valve corporation. "Recently" should never be used as it becomes ever more incorrect as time passes. Instead, I said that he started his blog in June of 2012, which is factually correct and will not need to be updated. The reason why I removed "influential" is because the citation for the section does not note that his blog has been of major influence. I enjoy his blog and his musings on Valve's in-game economy, but if it has had a major influence, then someone needs to find a reference stating so.

I also removed the reference to his upcoming book from the Valve Corporation section to his Books in English section. The upcoming book, Reverse Alchemy: Europe on the Road to Disintegration, seemingly has nothing to do with Valve and I have no idea why it was put in the Valve Corp section. Obviously, I can't foresee if his book will be in English, but it is highly presumed that it will be, and the Books in English section is a much more appropriate place than within his working with Valve.

I hope I didn't upset anyone with these edits, as they were merely done to correct some minor quibbles with the article and to make it more concise as well as appropriately organized. 96.228.19.210 (talk) 19:47, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Interviews

Are there alternative hosts for the videos, not reposted to YouTube on the bio's subject's YouTube channel? Note the edit history here. 169.252.4.21 (talk) 11:01, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

"Economist-in-Residence"

Article says "Varoufakis became Economist-in-Residence". What is an "Economist-in-Residence"? If anyone knows, please add this to the article or rephrase the material. Thanks. --82.136.210.153 (talk) 17:29, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

It probably means economic consultant.Jonpatterns (talk) 15:02, 31 January 2015 (UTC)

Well, yes that's what he seems to think it means. But then he calls himself "economist in residence" (in italics) in the second source. Forbes calls him an "In-House Economist", but also gores on to say: "Varoufakis is not the first economist in residence appointed by a game company". Not sure what the FT source says, as you have to pay to find out. Martinevans123 (talk) 15:47, 31 January 2015 (UTC)

The Financial times allows you to read about three article for free per month, if you register. Here are the relevant paragraphs. I've reworded to article reflect this info.Jonpatterns (talk) 11:42, 1 February 2015 (UTC)

...Yanis Varoufakis, who was an adviser to former Greek prime minister George Papandreou and a sought-after voice during the financial crisis, performs a similar role at US-based gaming company Valve. He was hired as economist-in-residence to ap­ply his expertise on problems within the eurozone to similar problems within the company’s virtual economies. “Suppose you allow members of one community to trade their assets . . . with members of other communities, or across games,” he says. “Suddenly, exchange rates across different economies emerge and so does some sort of balance of payments. Should we fix that exchange rate across this set of economies, eurozone style? Should we worry about internal imbalances evolving within such a currency union?”

Questions about exchange rates and trade deficits arose for Valve when it created a trading platform for participants to buy and trade games and assets within Steam, its gaming platform. “The eurozone all of a sudden becomes a pertinent source of insights because of its sorry history of having created the circumstances for increasing imbalances in both the current and the capital accounts of its member states,” says Prof Varoufakis. Valve’s founder Gabe Newell, he continues, “thought that there [could be] lessons for Valve . . . if Steam proved to be a kind of eurozone for video game social economies”.

Prof Varoufakis is no longer economist-in-residence but he is working with Valve to develop a predictions game. This would allow users to pin down trends in the video games industry and forecast which new game will be the next hit. He says this will be a chance to “test the hypothesis that the tens of millions of Steam users can, collectively, outperform the Fed, the IMF, the OECD in terms of the accuracy of their predictions”. ...

— Real lessons from virtual worlds By Amie Tsang (ft.com Feb 2013)

So, he's still an ""Economist-in-Residence", then. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:40, 1 February 2015 (UTC)

No, he's working on predictions game - see last paragraph of the quote. Jonpatterns (talk) 11:55, 3 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:14, 3 February 2015 (UTC)

Μiddle class family?!

You must be joking! How is this possible, with a father who was the president of Halyvourgiki? When he attended Moraitis (very expensive, upper-class only) private school? With his mother member of an "elite" women's group of PASOK. Please change it, the article is a joke like that.

Y done Jonpatterns (talk) 15:47, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

His family were not aristocracy, i.e. Upper Class, were they? 2.28.151.244 (talk) 16:01, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

Yanis or Yannis?

I thought Yannis is spelled with double nn, from the Greek Γιάννης — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.6.17.238 (talk) 15:03, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

It appears he spells it Yanis. All these sources spell it Yanis: His Twitter Business article His website Newspaper article. Also, a Google search for Yannis Varoufakis suggests spelling it Yanis instead. Your Greek might be correct, but this appears to be the way he spells it. Joseph2302 (talk) 15:44, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

"Always defiant" Mr Varoufakis showed signs of defiance and non-conformism from a very early age. That includes deliberately misspelling his name Yanis, writing it with only one "n" since elementary school. "I had an aesthetic problem with the double "n"," he said. "So I decided to write my name with one. My teacher gave me a bad grade, which made me very angry and I've kept writing my name with one "n" ever since."

BBC. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 17:52, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks, for nailing that one, Dr. K. .. "who knew"!? Martinevans123 (talk) 20:50, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Thank you Martin for your kind comments and the humorous links. You nailed it with the link to the letter nu. I guess I broke the news about the breaking of the nus. :) Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 01:30, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Does he also write his name with one "ν" in Greek? All the links are in English. Alakzi (talk) 23:38, 1 March 2015 (UTC)

According to the BBC quote he started writing his name with one "n" since elementary school because he had an aesthetic problem with the double "n". Since he was educated in Greece he must have written it in Greek with one "n" since then. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 00:18, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

Well, that makes sense. It's fascinating that he was sufficiently aware of the phonology of the language at that age, considering that phonics is not taught in Greek schools. Alakzi (talk) 00:47, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

That's a good point. Although, imo, the phonology-related awareness you mention is rather widespread in Greek schools due to the existence of multiple ways of rendering similar sounds through diphthongs and single letters, all of which have exactly the same pronunciation. This leads people to wonder why all these alternative spellings should exist just for the sake of an orthography which traces its existence to ancient times and does not have a practical functionality in the modern language. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 02:50, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

Finance minister section is unbalanced

The newly added section of "Finance minister" contains only negative assessments of Varoufakis. As such I tagged it as POV. Varoufakis has also received praise from notable economists which is not represented in the section as currently written. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 19:41, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

With the Economist calling for his replacement, the stinky finger salute, his photo shoot, the criticized unpragmatic attitude, his dream to be able to change every euro in Greece suddenly to a Drachma, I would say the section could be written a lot more negatively as well. -jmv2009Jmv2009 (talk) 20:36, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

Varoufakis is a public figure. As such he has his detractors as well as his supporters. I would say the section could be written a lot more negatively as well. This does not address the problems of the section as it curently stands which reads like an unbalanced and negative piece on Varoufakis. ...his dream to be able to change every euro in Greece suddenly to a Drachma I haven't seen that kind of statement from Varoufakis who has actually compared the eurozone to "Hotel California", stating that you can never leave it. Also, the so-called "stinky finger salute" was based on a doctored video and the person who did it has actually confessed to doing it. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 21:35, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

He can't leave the Euro, because he can't change every Euro suddenly into a Drachma. Jmv2009 (talk) 03:43, 22 March 2015 (UTC)— Preceding unsigned comment added by Jmv2009 (talk • contribs) 03:40, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

He can't leave the Euro, because he can't change every Euro suddenly into a Drachma. Do you have a citation for your statement or is it just your POV? Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 07:36, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

Unless he changed his mind, See [1]. "The Argentinians had the Peso's in their pockets". It is also consistent with your comment that his opinion is that you can't leave the EuroJmv2009 (talk) 16:49, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

This is your own interpretation from examining primary sources. It cannot be admitted to the article. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 16:59, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

To the best of our knowledge, the finger wasn't doctored. Jan Böhmermann's admitting to it being doctored was satire. Alakzi (talk) 22:00, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

I see. The fake was a fake. An absurd episode gets even more absurd. Thank you Alakzi. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 22:06, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

I've rewritten the section to better reflect the sources. I've added information about the agreement on the four month loan extension. Also, I've tried to make the tone more neutral.Jonpatterns (talk) 23:14, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

Thank you Jon for your rewrite which greatly improved the section. The only thing missing to fix the POV problem is some positive critiques from notable economists and think tanks. I would normally add these myself but I don't know if I have the time to research and organise the information. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 00:48, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

The article no longer appears to have any criticism of his performance at all. Does this really count as balanced?128.90.34.69 (talk) 21:44, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Does he have a son?

The article says he has a daughter from his first marriage. Does he have a son as well? I ask because this article mentions him moving to Texas because his son had received death threats. aoxiang翱翔^(user)(talk) 14:03, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

Either he does, or the article is mistaken. Does a web search show anything? Jonpatterns (talk) 15:00, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

I doubt the article is mistaken, as it's an interview with Varoufakis himself and quotes his answers verbatim. However, I can't seem to find much online (although I'm hindered by not knowing Greek). There are these articles that quote the original Stern interview. There's also this video from an Instagram under his name, although the authenticity of that account hasn't been officially verified. Perhaps this is his wife's son from her first marriage? Could anyone who speaks Greek provide more info? aoxiang翱翔^(user)(talk) 15:39, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

His has two step children, perhaps one these was the son who was threatened. From previous relationships, Mr. Varoufakis has a daughter and Ms. Stratou has two children. feisty Jonpatterns (talk) 17:44, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for the link! I've been spending a while trying to verify the gender of her children, but I haven't been able to do so. Regardless, I do think that's the most likely explanation, that he was referring to his stepson, as I haven't managed to find any references to any other children of his apart from his daughter. Thanks! aoxiang翱翔^(user)(talk) 14:53, 25 March 2015 (UTC)

Varoufakis' Wife

Hi Dr K

I thought this would be a good place to discuss. I feel that a small bit on Varoufakis' wife's ambitions and previous schooling is relevant to this article as many other articles would also include a small piece on a person's relatives, be that wife, children or parents, especially when that person may not warrant their own page. See Nick Clegg's page, Barack Obama's page and Ban Ki-moon's page: all give some background and information on their immediate family. I would think that this is appropriate here.

Thanks H.Y.

217.146.31.19 (talk)

Stratou speculation

A little Background information on Ms Stratou seems appropriate. However, there is no evidence that Stratou is the topic of Common People by Pulp. This is the ref provided, it states-

Ms Stratou herself has not yet commented, nor has Mr Cocker.

Jonpatterns (talk) 15:43, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

I agree the piece is speculative, but given that the source is BBC, as long as the article attributes the rumour to the Athens Voice newspaper, I don't see there's a problem. We should not present it as a fact, but it's hardly defamatory. 20.133.0.13 (talk) 16:01, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Here's the same story in The Standard: [2]. And here's a piece in The Independent: [3] which reports his response. It seems that, in an interview with the BBC World Service, Varoufakis "did not confirm" reports. But then he didn't even know her back then. So maybe that counts as "did not deny". Martinevans123 (talk) 09:49, 17 May 2015 (UTC)

Wording of reference to Adam Smith Institute

The Adam Smith Institute, one of the leading free-market think tanks of the United Kingdom, has "enthusiastically" supported Varoufakis's debt-swap plan and has asked British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to support it.

@Dr.K.: The phrase 'one of the leading' is unnecessary and unencyclopaedic. As it gives the impressive Wikipedia is saying the institute is 'one of the leading' rather than a particular source. For example, even the article on the Adam Smith Institute does not say it is 'premier' or 'one of the leading'. Jonpatterns (talk) 10:10, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

No need for pings thank you. I have the page watchlisted. The source says:

Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has found an enthusiastic backer for his debt restructuring plans in one of Britain's premier free-market think-tanks.

I think that we should provide the context that the RS does. There is nothing unencyclopedic in the quotation if it is supported by a reliable source. I have also added four additional reliable sources from U. Penn. and specialist publications from Google books in support of the context that the Adam Smith Institute is a top-ranked think tank. That the main article on the Adam Smith Institute does not mention that it is "top-ranked" may be due to the fact that nobody bothered to find RS to support the description. But sources do exist and I have added them to this article. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 10:26, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for adding the additional sources. I no longer oppose the phrasing. Its still a tricky area without stating who is saying an institute is top-ranked or leading. Jonpatterns (talk) 10:56, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Thank you. I agree that attribution is indeed a tricky area as you put it. However as far as I know if multiple RS agree on a given description then attribution to individual sources is not necessary. Δρ.Κ. ^{λόγοςπράξις} 11:29, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

There appear to be unsubstantiated edits to this article. In particular, the reference to Varoufakis as "crazy", a "wannabe economist" and "proud gay". I am no expert on the guy, but these appear to be in error. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dragunski7 (talk • contribs) 01:19, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

Wording relative to recent resignation

Both in the introduction and in the "political career" sections, we state that he resigned following the no-vote. From the POV of a reader without previous knowledge, it sound like he was pushing for the yes, the people voted no, so he resigned.

Varoufakis resigned as Finance Minister on 6 July 2015 (the day following the 'no' vote in the bailout referendum)

It was actually a political victory for Vourafakis followed . And our wording (which i changed once but it was since deleted) should be clear on that. Yug (talk) 09:18, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

New source

New Statesman interview:

• http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2015/07/yanis-varoufakis-full-transcript-our-battle-save-greece

--NSH001 (talk) 09:29, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

Question about his PhD

I tried to find his MSc and his PhD dissertations, at least the PhD diss, on the swedish LIBRIS service. But without success. His bibliograhy startes at 1990 and none of the books is a PhD dissertation. I'm not able to search otherwise, but someone here may help? The link to LIBRIS is: http://libris.kb.se/hitlist?q=Varoufakis&p=1&d=libris&m=5&s=rc&t=v&f=simp&r=;mat:(bok)

--IP7869 (talk) 21:04, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

Copyright problem removed

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Varoufakis MP?

I just saw this in the Political career section

Varoufakis sits with Syriza legislators in parliament but is not a party member.[10]

At first, I took it at face value, looked at the infobox which does not show membership in parliament, and thought he had been appointed.

I blithely copyedited him out of Syriza and Parliament, then I reread the second line of the article,

In the January 2015 general election, he was elected to the Greek parliament, representing Syriza,[6] and took office in the new government of Alexis Tsipras two days later, on 27 January 2015.[7]

...which is supported by those footnotes and the article on the election itself, which shows Varoufakis standing for Syriza in Athens A, and winning.

Reverted myself proactively(?), then read note [10] (see article), which does not support the is not a party member assertion.

I have been bold, and snipped it out. The infobox should be restructured as well, to show his continued membership in the Greek Parliament, by someone who follows Greek politics more closely than I.

-SM 08:25, 10 August 2015 (UTC)

To my understanding on what he explains in "adults in the room" he is not a party member of Syriza but was elected on a Syriza list in the 2015 elections, thus 'representing Syriza'.

89.217.63.117 (talk) 21:25, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

And The Weak Suffer What They Must? [book]

People remember the weak when they become. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:587:4108:5F00:B577:E8C5:B37A:AB6E (talk) 15:49, 20 August 2016 (UTC)

Marxist

While the page mentions that he's a Marxist, this isn't discussed in the article. There are also various blends of Marxist, which one is he? --105.12.2.146 (talk) 02:46, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

What makes him a philosopher?

Why is he considered a philosopher? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.234.15.239 (talk) 11:54, 5 July 2020 (UTC)