| **DONOTDELETE** |
| (Unregistered) |
| Mon Aug 30 2004 09:44 AM |
Triumphant Olympic Games!!!! But I feel empty inside.
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Yes, I am proud to be Greek. Yes, I am proud of the Games! Yes, I knew we could do it! Yes, we have shown the world what the people who gave us Civilization can accomplish if they try.
So, now that the Games are over, I have this empty feeling inside.
I look at the Acropolis, and the Parthenon is still stripped of our national treasures - the “Elgin Marbles” (isn’t it enough that they took the marbles away from us, they had to change the name as well?) I can relate with the “Elgin Marbles”, as my name was changed when I entered this English-speaking country as a Greek immigrant at the age of 5. My name was changed from Foteini to “Sophie” - as “Sophie” sounds more “English”.
For the longest time, I was actually made to feel ashamed for being Greek. People would ask me where I came from and I would reply “Greece”, and they would say, “Oh, you’re Greek, eh?” like I was some kind of alien from another planet. For the longest time, growing up in Canada, I had to deny my Greek identity in order to “blend-in” with the Canadian mungie-cakes.
Imagine, being made to feel ashamed for being Greek!
And I continued to feel this way, more so again, in 1991 when Greece lost the 100 anniversary Games to Atlanta because “Greeks could not be trusted to host their own Olympic Games”! Too much of a security risk, they said. The Greeks could never organize anything like this, they said.
And then, to add insult to injury, Melina Mercury asks for the “Elgin Marbles” to be rightfully returned to its rightful owners, the Athenians, the people who created them in the first place, and the British respond (is it any wonder?): Oh no, we couldn’t possibly return something that does not belong to you any more - besides, you are too incompetent to take care that nothing happens to them in the first place. Your country is too full of terrorists, and besides your museums are crap.
Now that the Games are such a great success, and now that we have blown all our money on them and will be paying for them for the rest of our lives, can we please have our Marbles back?
| **DONOTDELETE** |
| (Unregistered) |
| Thu Jan 20 2005 07:49 PM |
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Re: Triumphant Olympic Games!!!! But I feel empty inside.
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what is a mungie cake???
| inspiredbynikolas1977 |
| (Silent friend) |
| Fri Jan 21 2005 01:33 AM |
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Re: Triumphant Olympic Games!!!! But I feel empty inside.
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Fotini, I know exactly what you mean about our Marbles. Forgive me but I can't call them "Elgin Marbles". To me, they always remain the "Parthenon Marbles" and I refuse to call them by their thief's name! British said we're too incompetent to take care that nothing happens to the Marbles! Funny to hear that from people who rent the room where the Marbles are kept, so that rich people can give parties with everything that includes! Cigar smoke covering the Marbles and God knows what else!
We were indeed accused of having a lot of terrorists around which resulted in losing the Games of 1996 when Atlanta is where "KKK" is based! Quite ironic if you ask me! Not to mention that it was in "safer than Athens" Atlanta, where a bomb exploded right outside a venue!!! We made them ask for our forgiveness when we succeded 100% and that made me feel so good!!!
| classy |
| (Silent friend) |
| Sat Aug 12 2006 08:06 PM |
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Re: Triumphant Olympic Games!!!! But I feel empty inside.
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A mungie ( manga ) cake is someone who is not ethnic... in the case of a Greek, you are a manga cake if you are not Greek,
I beleive ..Manga.. comes from the Italian meaning .. food
the games where great, Athens shined as did Greece in the eyes of the world for those days of the Olympics.
as the saying goes..savour the moment.. as nothing lasts forever.
| Gyro |
| (Stranger) |
| Fri Jan 19 2007 10:23 AM |
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Re: Triumphant Olympic Games!!!! But I feel empty inside.
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The British are not only responsible for the loss of the Elgian marbles but also for the loss of Constantinople, our grandfathers and great grandfathers pushed the turks back into asia minor in the 20's and were told by the brits to not fire a shot in Istanbull ( I hate that freakin name) and continue on their way into Turkey, the Greeks took the brits at their word..huge mistake, the brits make it sound like they are the noblest of people when they are one of the worst barbarians ever, in my opinion they give attila the hun a run for his money but thats another topic. The Greek army decided to by pass Constantinople because they thought they had the British on their side and continued pushing the turks past Ankara, I've actually talked to Greek men who had fought during that time, and remembering how far into Asia Minor they had pushed into. The sad part is they were told to stop once they got so far and then never told anything else, they waited for three months...during the cold months...freezing, wet and getting sick by the hundreds. I was told that they were told by their officers there was to be no harming women and children and pretty much obeyed otherwise severe punishment would be in order. After several months of not being told anything they started to hear rumours the war was over and started to disband...RUNNING to get home, like most of us Greeks we are drawn to our homeland. They never realized the Brits had an other agenda for them to not capture Istanbull, personally I think the brits were thinking how far can they really get, not realizing the spirit of the young greek soldiers who were fighting after 360 plus years under the ottoman empire. When it was all said and done, the British said that Constantinople belonged to Turkey. It was at that time Greece should have decided to go back and capture, but after years of fighting one can not blame them not wanting to go back to war.
Quote:
We will not say thereafter that the Greeks fight like heroes, but heroes fight like the Greeks! Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965