(no subject)

I don't want to be that person who quotes Thucydides and makes a facile allusion to the present...

Oh heck, I guess I actually do (substituting "the economic downturn" for "war"):

ἐν μὲν γὰρ εἰρήνῃ καὶ ἀγαθοῖς πράγμασιν αἵ τε πόλεις καὶ οἱ ἰδιῶται ἀμείνους τὰς γνώμας ἔχουσι διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐς ἀκουσίους ἀνάγκας πίπτειν: ὁ δὲ πόλεμος ὑφελὼν τὴν εὐπορίαν τοῦ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν βίαιος διδάσκαλος καὶ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα τὰς ὀργὰς τῶν πολλῶν ὁμοιοῖ.

In peacetime and prosperity, both cities and individuals have superior sensibilities, because they aren't encountering ugly necessities; war, removing the security of day-to-day life, teaches by force and assimilates the passions of the populace to their circumstances. (3.82)

(Dear Fellow Citizens: why did you give me such a horrible birthday present?)