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
2 - Modern-day Greece: Fatalism, defeatism and hopelessness
The extent
of the demoralization of the Greek people is plainly evident through
everyday conversations and encounters. Ordinary Greeks, upon learning
that I came to the country to perform academic research, react in
surprise and confusion, wondering why anyone would be crazy enough to
come to Greece to stay for an extended period. Years ago, soon after
the onset of the crisis, two different taxi drivers, upon realizing
that I was from overseas, questioned why I chose to come to Greece.
“Why are you here? Don’t you see what is happening?” I
was asked. “Leave now, as quickly as you can!”
Another
driver interrogated me about job conditions in the United States,
clearly because he had emigration on his mind. When I would mention
that I was in Greece to perform academic research, but more
importantly, because it was my homeland, people looked at me, quite
simply, as if I were crazy.
On other
occasions, upon learning that I am an autodidact in the Greek
language, Greeks openly wondered why I chose to learn such an
“insignificant” language as Greek, instead of a language which
offered “potential,” such as German.
I could not
escape this pessimism, even back in the United States in faraway
Texas. At a farewell party for two Greek-American students who were
graduating from my university, one of the students expressed interest
in teaching English in Greece and living there for six months or a
year. A student from Greece who was part of the conversation,
however, warned her against such folly. “Don’t do it, you
won’t like it,” he exclaimed. “Greece is only good for
summer vacations.”
As far back
as the “good old days” of the 1990s, when as a child I was
privileged enough to travel to Greece with my family during the
summer, I often used to hear mutterings about how much better things
would be if Germans ruled Greece instead of the Greeks. Today, eight
years into the worst economic crisis a developed country has endured
in modern history and at a time when Greece is essentially governed
by Brussels and Berlin, one still hears such sentiments expressed
with alarming frequency.
Interviews,
both academic and journalistic, that I have conducted dating back
several years have revealed an overriding sentiment of hopelessness,
a belief that the economic crisis that had befallen the country would
not be overcome for many, many years. And while the crisis has indeed
dragged on, one wonders to what extent such sentiments are
self-fulfilling, as a result of the inertia and paralysis which
result from the belief that nothing can or will change.
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