Readers’ thoughts on the riots
As a Greek living abroad (currently in London), I have, of course, followed the recent events with great interest. I thank your newspaper for your balanced views and, up until now, cool-headed reporting. That said, I would like to express my view (which is based upon reading UK broadsheets and some proper US papers, especially ahead of the US elections) with regards to how you also can play a much larger role going forward and also that we have reached a point where cool-headedness needs to be replaced with a slightly more aggressive approach, where you «name and shame» politicians and do your part in driving the reforms that you often write about in your editorials from your own editor’s desk. In your articles, you highlight the weaknesses of the Greek political system and its politicians but, that said, I would really like to see a paper like yours take a more aggressive stance going forward. It is time to take off the kid gloves and wade in. The country needs a good paper like yours to take a stand and play its part in this movement toward better government. Don’t stand back and write about the scandals as an innocent bystander. You have everyone behind you. Step it up a notch… ALEX FINOS, London. Greek citizens are apparently taking themselves far too seriously and viewing their plight as singular when it is quite universal. They also generally assume their politics to be far more complex than they really are. Ascribing political or philosophical forethought to the actions of a mob is to misunderstand the phenomenon and its clear distinction from a viable social or political movement. This is a misunderstanding that all of the world press unfortunately facilitates when it ascribes a causal explanation before any credible analysis has taken place and the event has even concluded. The riots in Greece have little to do with the philosophical premises inspiring the postmodern left. May I suggest a solution? Less frappe and beer at all-night cafes and living with mama and baba until the age of 30, and more hitting the books. And if that does not work, then rubber bullets! F. VOUTSAKIS.
