I don’t understand them
I can understand the 20-something who couldn’t vote because they had to work at some tourist destination. I also understand the disillusioned voter who either despaired at the result of the first election or had come to the conclusion that nothing will change no matter what they vote for. I can also understand those who calculated how much it would cost them, in gas and other expenses, to go to their village to vote and decided to stay at home in Athens. The person I will never be able to understand is our fellow citizen who went for a swim, traveled for some social event, or decided not to change their vacation and simply didn’t vote.
These people are not few among us. They are often noted for their wealth and high level of education. Oh yes, and they also have strong opinions. They like to criticize everything by looking at politics from a flimsy and naive point of view. You compare them to the 80- and 90-year-olds who, despite the heat and the queues, went to vote, and wonder how irresponsible they can be. It was as if the seniors who voted knew and weighed what was at stake, while some polling stations in affluent areas were nearly empty at hours when they should have been full.
The numbers showed reduced participation compared to the first election. The country could, in theory, have descended into a big mire of instability and high risk if some people had not done their part. Indifference could have cost us dearly.
This country has suffered for decades from the lack of a critical mass of the middle class that takes politics and public affairs more generally seriously. It prefers to have fun and focus on easy profit, while at the same time it has a habit of panicking easily. It’s amazing how the same people who, three months ago, took seriously and shuddered at the idea of a “government of losers” now decide they didn’t even need to vote. I don’t understand them, I confess.
