Accidental Blogger

I noted in my post yesterday that the whole world was watching to see if the United States of America, a country with a majority white population, could bring itself to elect a dark skinned president of mixed race. The US voters came through for Barack Obama, confronting and overcoming a cultural challenge as old as the nation’s history. The world took note and for the most part, from Jerusalem to Jakarta, people rejoiced. (see photo montage)

We heard in the comments section from Jatinder from Hong Kong, congratulating Americans for "doing the right thing." On Tuesday night, before the final election results were in and around the time things were beginning to look promising for Obama, I received the following e-mail from Matthew, a friend from Australia.

Am watching events unfold at work by the minute – it all looks good. I am relieved that your countrymen, on the whole, have shown how much they care about a positive future. It might be a bit early, but congratulations from an Aussie – you’ve made a fantastic decision. I’m under no false illusions, every character is flawed and there is no such thing as a ‘saviour’ but this is such a step in the right direction for the world and believe me, we feel it strongly too.

In wading through numerous foreign news outlets reporting the outcome of yesterday’s election, I came across mostly positive, even exuberant reactions to President Elect Obama, mixed in with regional hopes and concerns for the future. I found just one very curious headline. It too celebrated the impending victory of Obama but for a very wrong reason. The Greek newspaper Avriani declared on the front page: (translation via an Athens news agency)

AVRIANI: "The anticipated victory of Obama in US elections signals …the end of the Jewish domination – Everything changes in USA and we hope that it will be more democratic and humane".

How weird!

Greece no longer has a significant Jewish population. The once large and thriving Jewish community of Salonika was butchered by the Nazis and most of the survivors left at the end of WWII. So why would Greece be concerned with domination by Jews, unless as an expression of its own vestigial anti-Semitism? Particularly ironic is the fact that the newspaper appears to be celebrating Obama’s victory in anticipation of a more "democratic and humane" USA while exposing its own vicious prejudice. Brian Leiter’s Texas Talibans are everywhere – even in Greece.