A kind-of land

By Takis Theodoropoulos

Greece is kind of European, with kind of eastern roots and Balkan influences, and a kind of Mediterranean mentality. Its inhabitants, the Greeks, speak a language that sounds kind of Greek and, as a result, they kind of understand each other. In most cases, they do not have something specific to say; they just want to make themselves heard but this does not stop them from speaking as if they so have something to say. Meanwhile, the Greek state operates with a kind of administration which is kind of modern, kind of workable, kind of effective and kind of made to serve its acolytes and its political bosses – better known as ministers.

The only certainty is that this kind-of country borders with the sea and belongs to the temperate zone – although recent sightings of crocodiles in southern areas suggests a slight shift to the tropics. The country’s highways are kind of highways. That is, they look like highways found in other countries but are not quite the same. The health system is a kind of system and provides some kind of healthcare. The same goes for the social security system. And state education would be free if it did not cost so much money but we all agree state education is indeed free, meaning that it is kind of free.

Greece’s national soccer team kind of plays soccer. You’ll say, of course, that it’s not the only one and I agree. Watching Brazil play at this year’s World Cup I could not help but think that the Greek national squad is a true pioneer that managed to influence the globe’s soccer powerhouses. Kind-of soccer suggests a system of values that has nothing to do with the game per se but focuses instead on a country’s economic performance and whether it suffers at the hands of American imperialism...