Homophobe ranting at Athens Pride 2015

Now I'm ashamed to be Greek. -_-

 

Pfft, there's at least 4 people in the video that poked fun with her via pictures/etc.

I don't feel bad.

 

Is it moral to tell people they are going to hell? little kids? young adults? She is the most immoral one on the street. Jesus!

 

I think Greece has much bigger problems to deal with right now!

 

I've never been the biggest fan of Greece frankly. Think their supposed "greatness" is owed mostly to the Anglosphere (England) over-hyping them. Which isn't surprising, knowing how the only country on the Balkans that the UK has supported historically is namely Greece. All other 'balkanoids' (Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia) are historically German-allies or russian ones.

Anyway...^ bit offtopic. Now...Greece is VERY religious. Someone posted a map in another forum about their level of religious followers and its again far higher compared to their Slavic neighbors. So, I am not surprised.

 

Interesting perspective. Their culture and so many things about them are so much an island unto itself ... or many islands.

The lady in the video is obviously a fanatic and is very reactionary. Does it make some of those men and women in the crowd look any better for taking selfies with her as though she is a circus side show? I either would have ignored her or just asked her to leave for the sake of harmony, though I don't think I would have had the right to ask her to leave.

People like her are very simplistic in their views. That's why they keep ranting ... to cover up for the fact that there is no depth and analysis in their points of view.

That country has so many problems right now. I wonder if it will ever look quite the same with everything that's going on.

 

There's a great chance they're going to "unite" with Putin and Russia which will be a huge step backwards. Their PM seems to be far-left.

 

For a country that's so supportive of the far left I am surprised that they haven't even got civil partnerships. I saw an article on the BBC not so long ago that cremation was only legalised there a few years ago but there are still no crematoriums, it's created a huge problem with burial plots whereby you have to rent them at €2-3000 a year as there are very few spaces!

 

The map I was talking about by the way:

http://www.churchpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/belief-in-god.png

Now about their left-stance: It seems to be new development there. Historically they seem to be centrist/right. I am not shocked as you said that laws aren't observed given the high level of corruption....

But I don't want to sound like a hater so lets highlight the good points:

Relatively high incomes (2-3 years ago) compared to the level of Portugal and also: Very developed tourism.

Anything else is bordering disaster: weak industry with no prospects, "friendly" neighbors and no countries to support them given a global crisis. Trying to unite with a Slavic country like Russia seems far-fetched...I've been to Russia and know slavic culture first-hand so I doubt Syriza is going to achieve anything with Putin.

I hope they get their sh*t together though...don't wish them to be as "rich" as Albania, Bulgaria or anything like that.

 

Since I recently came out to my parents, my mom has been worried about what my extended family will think because most of them live in Greece. Though, I've looked at statistics and Greece is probably the most socially liberal of all the Eastern Orthodox countries. The newly elected government has promised to legalize civil unions (which is great). However, if Greece starts depending more on Russian support, then the acceptance for LGBT people may drop.

I am proud of my Greek heritage and hope that Greece doesn't become anymore homophobic. It's not really that bad, especially in Athens where it's accepting enough to see openly gay couples holding hands in public. Cities like Athens and Thessaloniki are more liberal and we shouldn't feel as if a few homophobes account for the entire population. If you see homophobes rallying at San Fransisco, would you consider it to be a homophobic city? Sure, Greece is a pretty religious country, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the most homophobic. If it weren't for the economic chaos, I would actually like to live in Greece.

The government did announce plans to legalize civil unions. It may take some time because they really have other more important issues to focus on. As for cremation, that's really because Greek culture wants for bodies to be buried within the first 24 hours. I guess there really was never a major need for cremations since the vast majority of people didn't want them. People would gladly pay extra money for a burial instead of a cheaper cremation.

 

With all the nudity, partying, and drinking tolerated on Greece's beaches, whether on the islands or on the mainland, they are not as prudish as you might think. They know that tourism means big money. They are more traditional than they are conservative. Greeks love their traditions.

 

Italy is similar except for the Vatican. They love their traditions, yet they are quite LGBT friendly.

 

I've definitely seen all of what was mentioned. Nude beaches are everywhere, but most are not easily seen from the roads. I went around the entire island of Lefkas on a boat and saw some. Alcohol and partying is also very common on summer nights. There's cafes and bars with people having a good time all the time. I really loved going there for the summer.

 

I have mixed feelings about this.

I have family in Greece, I'm half Greek and could get Greek citizenship if I want, and I love the country and the way of life there. But...Greeks are the WORST when it comes to homophobia. I've heard and seen it enough first hand to know it's common and no one is going to complain if someone goes off on a homophobic rant.

Once I went for a job interview at a Greek company and figured I might be a good match because of my heritage. The hiring manager asked me if I would be willing to relocate and how soon I could move, so I told him I have a friend who lives nearby and I could be her roommate. Keep in mind this is a job interview, a professional environment, and he actually said, "But you have a boyfriend right? You're not dykes?"

Meh. At the time I wasn't out or even being honest with myself about my sexual orientation, and I look like a stereotypical straight girl, but I was still offended. Who talks like that in a job interview? Greeks.

And as much as I feel for Greece right now, and I'm upset with hypocritical Germany for being so ruthless, I have cousins and uncles who moved here to the US, opened restaurants (because of course they did), and made lots of money before retiring back in Greece. And they ALWAYS say horrible things about the US, like it's some terrible country. It's like, "Excuse me, didn't you benefit from living in America?"

Also, why do they always have to open restaurants? One of my cousins is here right now, and he's ...wait for it..working in a restaurant! We sure do love our stereotypes lol.