In May '68 there was a sign at the Sorbonne saying 'Don't go to Greece this summer: Stay in Paris'. Clever and politically correct, as in Greece we lived under the 'junta', a seven year dictatorship that had imprisoned many intellectuals and imposed censorship that made impossible for books or ideas to circulate.

So it seemed a good idea not to finance the regime with your holiday money. Right?

Or maybe not. You see, people are not their governments.

The youth of Greece was relying on tourists for news from the outside world, from new books and ideas to hair fashions. Your cheap meal at the small taverna financed the independence of families that otherwise would rely on the government, when 'relying' meant spying on their neighbors or giving a signed statement that they agreed with the junta's militaristic policies.

I am remembering that today because again the need has risen to remind the World that having a corrupt regime does not mean you are a corrupt people.

So, I wish I could dispel some current myths and by doing it help show that any good we have managed in this country is not because of our politicians but despite them.

 That's Greece vs That's Not Greece