Old vs. New

With a history dating back over 3000 years, the Greeks have been able to s ustain their beliefs, values, and practices through many movements and occupations. Of course influences such as American media, film, clothing, etc have permeated the Greek society, but there is one major change happening. Many Greeks are adopting the American values of individualism.

Traditionally, the attitude of the Greek community has always been more collectivistic, friendly, and family oriented. A professor of Communication at the University of Athens said that people are becoming more westernized these days; before people used to say hello to strangers, now everyone just looks the other way. This is very telling about the cultural shift.

This shift creates a gap within the Greeks. There are those that hold on to the traditional Greek ideals (mostly older Greeks) and there are those that are changing with the times into a more individualistic society.

When Americans are introduced into the equation there are two basic reactions from the Greek people. One is of awe. Many Greek people like Americans and westernized civilization in general. They enjoy speaking with Americans and seem to know more about the culture than most Americans do. These Greeks also tend to embrace the western values and ideals that have been permeating the society.

The second group of Greek people do not like Americans or their influence. They think that the west is taking over and is their contaminating society. They seem to over generalize that all Americans fit into a mold of obnoxious, self-centered, manipulative people and do not take kindly to Americans being around. This is best embodied in an example from the Athens airport. A few American tourists took some pictures of a small plane that they thought was interesting. A Greek woman decided that this was typical American to barge in and dishonor her country. She believed that the Americans thought that they had free reign and could do whatever they pleased. The woman then told a Greek speaking American that it would have been okay if she took the picture because she is Greek. But this is not the only battle between new and old in Greek society.

Another tension within the Greek society is the want to hold on to history while trying to be at the forefront of technology, etc. This is best embodied by the struggle to preserve the ruins of the ancient Greek cities. There is a want to keep the traditions and structures of ancient times alive, yet the city of Athens especially is finding it difficult to be a bustling metropolis and still preserve these items. It is hard for the country as a whole to communicate that they are a major player in the world structure without advancements. The Greeks are trying to compromise as best as possible to keep their history while still looking toward the future.