Be of Good Cheer

Share |
If we depressed you last month with the fragile state of our civilization in the wake of both man-made economic storms and nature’s hurricanes, be of good cheer this month because we’re still here (and the subways in New York are running again and now we have gas for our cars without the lines), and people are still without power and homes, but they’re picking up the pieces and discovering the wealth of the support they have from friends and family and their community (if not, inevitably, from insurance companies and the bureaucracy).

We did have a presidential election in which sensible people from both parties voted for their heads as well as their hearts and voted against bigotry and division and gave a mandate not so much to Obama, but a message to politicians of all stripes that they want things done and they want their elected officials to work for the good of the country as well as the good of their party, and the two should not be mutually exclusive.

Greece did get more bail out money—with the usual strings attached. Can Greece ever untangle itself from all those strings and ever be independent again? Will the Germans and French and Chinese and (heaven forbid) the Turks who are buying up Greek real estate and firms and driving the tourism industry now leave anything for the Greeks to call their own?

Well, the good news is that while the Greek identity in Greece is becoming imperiled, a new generation of Greeks (like our cover subject Justin Bozonelis in New York) are not only discovering their heritage but discovering each other and making a business of promoting their ethnicity: it’s not awkward to be the product of immigrants in the American melting pot, it is now a badge of honor and very cool.

In major American cities, as I’m sure in cities abroad, the children of the first generation of Greeks are seeking out each other and forming their own alliances and social colonies and alliances. The Parthenon Restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany was a popular hub, as is the Medusa Greek Taverna in Sydney, Australia, and Ricks Greek Meze Bar in Hong Kong. And you don’t have to be there to enjoy the company. You can tweet, or friend, or Skype with any other Greek anywhere and enjoy a virtual parea and connection with anyone anywhere in the world.

“The world,” said one sidewalk philosopher flipping his worry beads and sipping his latte in Astoria (which has more philosophers per square block, because it has more Greeks per square block), “because now the world is a very small place and all you have to do is use your fingertips.” He simulates typing or scrolling his cell phone. “That’s all you need—and you can talk to your Cousin Yanni in Singapore.”

He was right (most Greek philosophers think they’re right) and we can have some cheer this season because while Greeks will be forever scattered all over the world, the virtual Greek is coming into his own and will be in touch as never before.

Enjoy your holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Dimitri C. Michalakis

©2012 NEOCORP MEDIA





web stats tracker