Terrorism at home
My last news check for the night encountered Greece in the front news at CNN.com which only happens if the news are bad. Before many of you start wondering how can such horrible thing happen and start cancelling your vacation plans, let me just say this: whatever. And btw, my family there is safe -- thanks for asking.
Greece and most of the rest of the world are not new to terrorism, foreign or domestic. It doesn't make it right, but the reality is that people are unhappy all over the world and right now Americans are not very popular. Even in my two weeks worth of vacation over holiday break, I had to argue with several people about Bush and I didn't even vote for the guy. In Greece, I am an American. In America, I am a Greek. Even my own mother treats me like a dissenter. Nationalism is on the rise in Europe. On the other hand, when wasn't it? It all depends how far back you're willing to look.
No Greek is new to violent political crimes. Each generation of my family has experienced it and was marked by it. My paternal grandparents relocated and raised their kids in housing projects after the Germans burned down their village. My maternal grandmother's brother was executed during post WWII civil war by the left wing militia. My parents fled the country during the military coup in the 70's. I grew up in a city full of anti-American protests and bombs exploding every month somewhere. My high school, which was filled with children of the rich and famous was guarded like the White House after one of my classmates' parents (a journalist) was assassinated by an anti-American terrorist organization.
To be honest, none of it traumatized me as much as news from things happening in other places in the world. When similar things happen in the US (with the obvious example being 911), I am much more affected because the US is supposed to be impervious to all this and people come here to escape political violence. Not anymore, I am afraid. Let's not be naive: making friends in the world is much harder than making enemies, and we only seem good at the latter lately.