Apathy

Everyone agrees that the current absence of a robust opposition is a shortcoming of the Greek party system, but they often frame this finding as if the government is to blame for not having a viable alternative to it.

Apathy and a shortage of professionalism and sensitivity can lead to tragedy. The Greek state is wholly unprepared to meet the basic challenges before us. This became evident in the darkest possible way with the recent shocking femicide.

The underwhelming performance of Greek students in the latest PISA (the acronym stands for Program for International Student Assessment) competition organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development likely did not come as a surprise. 

In other news, Poland faces new EU infringement procedure over #LexTusk; Slovaks show greatest apathy for European elections; and Czech government delegations go dry on official flights after unseemly incident.

The barrage of information regarding the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, when and how the lockdown might be gradually lifted, and government assistance to businesses and individuals affected by the crisis appears to have overshadowed the tragic reality that over 1,000 lives have been lost.

The first public opinion poll to come out after the summer break provides worrying evidence of indifference and fatigue in a sizable part of Greek society.

Many wonder why there is such an air of apathy, almost speechlessness in Greece society today. Nothing seems capable of making people angry - or excited for that matter. Most people are simply irritated and on edge because they are struggling to survive in a country where you literally have no idea what tomorrow may bring, especially when it comes to anything related to the state.

By Pantelis Boukalas

By Pantelis Boukalas

In the past five years, despite consecutive ?bailout programs,? or maybe because of them, the terms ?last chance,? ?Grexit,? ?ultimatum? and ?destruction? have been doing the rounds with exhausting regularity in Greek and international headlines.

By Paschos Mandravelis