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
1
Oscar López
Rivera, the Puerto Rican activist, and advocate for independence
whose 70-year prison sentence was commuted earlier this year,
resulting in his release after serving 35 years, once had this to say
about patriotism and colonialism:
“To
love the homeland costs nothing, what would be costly is if we lose
it… As Puerto Ricans we have to accept the fact Puerto Rico is a
colony… If we accept this truth then we must be ready and prepared
to kickstart a decolonization process.”
For Rivera,
this process begins with the decolonization of the mind:
“Let’s
face the problem of our colonial status. Let’s work to find a
solution for it. Let’s decolonize our minds and spirits and become
real citizens of Puerto Rico.”
Rivera’s
words were, of course, made in reference to Puerto Rico. However, it
can be said that they are also applicable to many other nations,
including nominally independent states such as Greece, a country
which has been ravaged by almost a decade of stifling economic
austerity imposed by the European Union and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF); a country which could be described as a
modern-day debt colony.
Having been
raised in the United States as a “third culture kid,” with one
foot in the U.S. and one foot in Greece, allows me to see things in
both societies simultaneously as a native and as a relative outsider.
This has particularly been true during the past four-plus years, a
period in which I have resided almost full-time in Athens as a
doctoral student and journalist.
Interviewing
hundreds of individuals in my academic and journalistic capacity,
from politicians to journalists to academics, while being immersed in
the mundane day-to-day realities of life in Greece, has been a truly
unique experience. And what I often have observed in Greek society is
disheartening, to say the least.
What follows
are insights into a country which has been colonized not just
economically and politically, but mentally as well. It is a case
study on how a crisis can be perpetuated through divide-and-conquer
techniques and by making an entire nation and its people feel
worthless, guilty, inferior and demoralized. This process of
colonization and globalization is followed through several steps: the
minimization of a country and its people, the fostering of feelings
of inferiority and collective guilt, the diminishing and depreciation
of local culture, and the lionization of anything foreign and
“civilized.”
Source,
links:
https://www.mintpressnews.com/greece-a-basket-case-study-in-savage-globalization/230221/
[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
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