Greece: The power of symbols

It's hard to resist the grim spectacle of Greece. I am fascinated by the symbols. In Athens—the birthplace of democracy, as they say—people express discontent with their democratically elected leaders by hurling gasoline bombs at the police. Okay. Okay, let's say it again. In the land of an ancient democratic heritage, citizens vote "no" with Molotov cocktails.

How is this for attacking a symbol but missing the implications of that attack: Here are Greeks—who presumably seek financial support from Germans—burning a German flag. Think the citizens of Berlin will miss the point? Or how about this one: Greeks—who want the world to lend them money, buy their goods, hire their people, and visit their land as tourists—burn down a Starbucks.


Or how about this: The AP and Reuters label people throwing rocks and firebombs as "protesters" or "demonstrators"—while their adversaries are depicted as—oddly—"riot police." If you thought "riot police" defended civil order against "rioters," you are mistaken—and you do not know the protocols of international journalism.

Here is a member of the "riot police" dodging a rock thrown by a "protester."


Let's conclude the evening's commentary thus: I—a consumer of news—must suppress a riot of laughter whenever I witness members of the international press trying to understand the world they live in.

brandsinger