OPINION

Serious lack of proportion

In a responsible, serious and balanced country, there is a time and place for everything – for public celebrations and merriment, for displays of national pride as the occasion arises. This is true so long as a sense of proportion is preserved, as long as minor and relatively insignificant events are not projected as «major moments of national pride» or as indications that a country «is ready to take on even greater things.» Equally, it is only natural that citizens should be happy whenever their country excels in an international contest (however commercial its nature may be), but it is doubtful that the political, and even religious, leadership of a serious and responsible country would rush to send its congratulations to a singer-cum-dancer, however attractive she might be. In a serious and responsible country, last Sunday night’s television news bulletins would have featured the death, earlier that afternoon, of former Communist Party leader Harilaos Florakis in their main slot. Instead, even those channels that did air reports of the historic leader’s death as their first story failed to dedicate more than a few minutes to it before moving on to much heavier coverage of Greece’s success at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev. Undoubtedly, the fact that the contest will be staged in Athens next year is a great opportunity to promote our country’s image. But this does not mean that half the Cabinet should make televised statements about the fiesta…

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.