21/9/11 - A Greek tragedy: How the debt crisis spread like a virus in 'Contagion'

A look at the plot of the No. 1 film at the box office, “Contagion,” shows a striking thematic resemblance to the debt crisis in Greece.

“’Contagion’ follows the rapid progression of a virus that kills within days. As the epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.” That’s what the film’s website says.

So how exactly does that relate to Greece, you ask?

In a theoretical movie that followed the "Contagion" effect in Greece, the plot would follow the rapid progression of debt that is crippling economies. As the debt drives up interest rates and sends financial markets plunging, the worldwide political and financial communities race to find the public money to stabilize markets and control the financial panic that spreads faster than the debt itself.

More than a year ago, Michael Shulman, writing on Time.com, told how this script played out in the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and how Greece might be the latest sequel.

That is in part because the crisis in Europe has turned into an epidemic of sorts as it spreads from country to country. It's left the European Union struggling and the eurozone's financial health hanging in the balance, and it threatens prospects for a U.S. recovery if the global economy is in shambles. Which is part of the reason that U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner huddled with European finance ministers in search of a way out of the debt crisis. more