“Greeks want even more than our billions” (Bild), “Are the Greeks crazy?” (Die Zeit), “Why do we pay the Greeks for their luxurious pensions?” (Bild). Beyond the stereotypical way in which we were presenting part of the German press during the economic crisis (“lazy”, “gleezes”, “beggars”), little have become known over the last 20 years about how the German perceive the Greece and the Greek people. Do those titles still reflect (if they were ever echoed) the image of the Germans for Greece?
Everything else, argues the German political analyst, a key researcher and coordinator of research programs on Greece-Germany relations in ELIAMEP, Ronald Mainardusin the study of ‘Greece through the eyes of the Germans: Beyond stereotypes in Greek -German relations“(Foundrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation), which was based on a public opinion survey conducted in Germany last March.
Reversal
According to Everydaythe Germans’ attitude towards Greece is now “overwhelmingly positive”, with any negative associations being marginalized. “The shadows of the past, including the darkest capital -related capital – such as the occupation or the financial crisis in 2010 – do not significantly affect Greece’s image of the majority of respondents“, Commented by Ronald Mainardus.
In particular, the overwhelming majority of the Germans see Greece in the light of the tourist: as a paradise holiday with warm sunny weather all year, excellent food, hospitable people, exciting history and important cultural and historical monuments.
Holiday place
According to the research analysis, Greece is a slice of paradise, a place where the Germans want to spend “the most precious days of the year”, that is, their vacations. The sun and the sea are the first words that come to mind when they think of Greece, followed by our flavors – the souvlaki, the tzatziki, the slice. Beauty, hospitality, holidays complete the top places on the list.
Significantly lower – though present – are the associations with history, culture, mythology, as well as the country’s world -famous historical and archaeological monuments. Political references such as “crisis”, “poverty”, “bankruptcy” only appear at the end – a key finding of this analysis.
Source: Skai
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