(Red) White and Blue

Prior to my departure my dad had warned me about Greece, reflecting on his time in the country 40 years prior during which he said he had never felt farther from home. Since the moment I stepped off the plane, every aspect of this trip has been an adventure: from navigating a metro in a foreign country with a different tongue to exploring the different village streets and trying to understand the cultural exchanges and social cues. I was prepared for a complete culture shock and to feel like a fish out of water. What I was not prepared for was to be struck with a particular sense of familiarity and nostalgia. What I mean by this is the drive to cater to the American taste and pallet. Although Greece has a different language and alphabet than the one I grew up with in the States, everything from the street graffiti to café menus was translated not only into an English alphabet but also into English words and phrases. And of course, it is impossible to escape the ever present American brands and companies for it appears that the Greeks have just as strong a taste for McDonald’s and Forever 21 as Americans do. Even in the Cretan countryside it is impossible to escape from resorts, tours, and activities that try to appeal to Americans.

Of course I was expecting to some extent to be confronted with American safeguards and aspects in Greece, but I was not expecting it to be as accepted in the culture as it is. On my second day in Crete, my fellow classmates and I were confronted with a protest against NATO and the US specifically in the historic Old Venetian Harbor. Here we could see just how much Americanization and forced American interests had affected the culture. Here was a group of people that were actively fighting for a removal of American presence in the region, who felt as though they were being directly harmed and affected by the presence.

The dichotomy between the two rhetorics was astounding, and it has gotten me thinking about globalization and statecraft in general. Growing up, I have been socialized to believe that the rest of the world wants to be American and that every US mission to bring democratization or stability (re: US model and characteristics) to a country or region was positive. But is it really fair? Who are we to force our presence anywhere in the world, especially in a place where we are not wanted? Do the gains really justify the means? And who exactly is benefiting? The US and NATO presence in Greece certainly does not seem to be an equal or reciprocal relationship, especially considering the fact that Greece is one of the few countries whose soldiers outnumber its teachers. It is clear that being part of NATO and US protection in general has greatly altered the country’s social dynamic, and at a detrimental cost. The gains, if anything, seem minimal. And it seems as though the Greek identity seems to be floundering a little bit; the country has lost some of its pride and dignity and is now grasping at straws at anything that seems familiar to it at all-even if what it is grasping at is not something that is sincere or genuine to the Greek identity at its core nature.  

But then again, who am I to say anything? Who am I to make any assumptions as an outsider who is intruding into this enchanted place for a month? Maybe what I am seeing and my musings are completely misguided and I am merely sensationalizing a nonexistent condition. I guess only time will tell, and with a whole month left ahead of me still there is still ample amount of time left for me to make further observations and more concrete conclusions down the road.