It’s all about reputation

Do we care what foreigners think of Greece, no matter their position or relationship to this country? Of course we do - and so we should, for the very simple reason that all we've got is our reputation. And that reputation has nothing to do with the so-called "brand name" that everyone is on about nowadays; it is something that is much more sensitive and runs much deeper than that. Just as we cared what foreign historians and travelers were writing about the 1821 Greek War of Independence, for example - because their pages contained not just paeans but also criticism that was so important to the task of national self-awareness - so we still care what foreigners have to say about us today in their newspapers and magazines. What they claim in their official reports and what their TV stations are broadcasting, but also what they are posting on social media. We care, and we should care...