As
Greeks look inward, they see a country that produces nothing of value
and is inferior to the rest of the world - despite evidence to the
contrary. The country has been mentally colonized, with outside
powers convincing the Greeks that they can do no better.
by
Michael Nevradakis
Part
8 - An abject lack of pride
In
crisis-hit Greece, seemingly any positive statement about Greece or
any refutal of “woe is me” statements such as “we’re the
worst in everything,” is met with an immediate response, ranging
from jeers to personal attacks and insults. Any expression of pride
in anything pertaining to the country is construed as “ethnocentrism”
and “nationalism.” Even insisting on speaking proper Greek,
instead of throwing in English for every second word uttered, is
clearly a sign of “nationalism” and “far-right” tendencies.
Wanting to stay in Greece for anything more than summer vacation is
met with astonishment, while any suggestion that other “civilized”
countries are not as perfect as thought, is met with anger.
If, like
this author, the individual delivering that message happens to be,
say, a Greek-American, diminutive remarks about “hazoamerikanakia”
(gullible little Greek-Americans) who “don’t know anything about
Greece” swiftly follow. Interestingly, a lack of knowledge about
life abroad does not prevent the same individuals from relentless
insistence about the perfection of “civilized” countries.
This lack of
pride is reflected in more mundane everyday realities as well.
Approximately half of Greece’s population has piled into the
greater Athens area. Internal migration led to the population of the
city skyrocketing in the postwar period. Built (very much
intentionally) without any planning, zoning, or suitable
infrastructure to handle this influx, the urban area faces a number
of problems, from a lack of green space to crowded narrow streets,
and for many decades, smog and pollution (though public
transportation projects such as the metro system, and now the
economic crisis, have minimized this problem).
Athens is a
city where practically everybody is from somewhere else. And even
after two or three generations of residing in Athens, most
inhabitants don’t consider themselves Athenians, but instead, part
of whatever region of Greece they trace their roots to. Since Athens
is not “their” city, little emphasis is placed on striving to
improve quality of life and living conditions in the city – such as
cleaning up garbage, removing ugly graffiti, or repairing the city’s
often tumultuous sidewalks.
A great deal
of emphasis, however, is placed on grumbling about these quality of
life issues. And, at the same time, most Athenians insist on
remaining in Athens (even if jobless), and bristle at the suggestion
of returning to their region of origin, even if they consider
themselves members of that community and not Athenians. If they must
leave, they’d rather emigrate abroad. It’s a complex mentality
that an outsider cannot explain with anything resembling logic.
Of course,
many do choose to leave – the country, that is. And if one thing is
certain, it’s that many of the 600,000 or so who have departed
Greece during the crisis have no intention of ever repatriating.
Indeed, many Greeks who have left for “greener pastures” have
actively attempted to conceal their Greek identity. This author has
encountered numerous Greek students studying overseas – almost none
of whom have any desire to return – who deliberately make efforts
never to speak Greek or to ever associate with others of Greek
origin.
Older
generations of the Greek diaspora, in turn, often view Greece not
much differently from many scholars of the classics and archaeology –
that is, that nothing good has happened in Greece in 2,500 years.
Many are highly critical of every aspect of Greek society, crossing
the boundary from “tough love” to invective, while wearing
permanent “blinders,” extolling the virtues and conveniently
ignoring the deficiencies of their new homelands. Other members of
the diaspora restrict their connection to Greece to summer vacations,
folklore and partying. Interestingly, many are just as fanatical and
divided along the lines of the corrupt political party system of
Greece as their counterparts in the motherland.
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