Why It Will Be Good To Be Greek in 2004

January 5, 2004

If you’re Greek, then this is your year. We’re serious. This isn’t just some typical New Year’s Resolution self-renewal hype. In 2004, you are necessarily going to be the focus and envy of all your friends, and you’ll be able to get away with a lot more because of it. Here’s why…

Remember two years ago when My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out and how everyone was asking you if that’s what your family was like and how many times you saw the movie? That’ll be nothing compared to how popular you’ll be this year around Olympic time as your friends keep asking you questions like, “Is that dirt mound with the goats on it really supposed to be the new track and field stadium?” or “How come you didn’t try out from the Greek baseball team? You played little league, right?” or “Those Greek weightlifters are sure strong. So what do you look like underneath that t-shirt?” (We guess that one is only for the guys.) Whether it’s praising the country of your ancestors or making excuses for them, get ready for a year where you’ll have a lot of explaining to do. 

The Olympics will be your excuse for that long vacation you deserve. If you’ve been smart you’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that you’re going to Greece this summer for the Olympics. You’ve been billing it as “a trip of a lifetime.” You’ve told everyone that you need to go see your relatives, even if all your relatives really live in New Jersey. And then there’s the one about your third cousin who grew up in the village and is now us the starting goalie on the Greek Water Polo team. It’s not only that you need to go to Greece this year, because you could go any year. No, you need to max out your vacation on this trip, and even use vacation days you don’t even have. Three weeks is a good amount of time to go, but five weeks is what you should strive for if you can pull it off. Your boss couldn’t possibly say no. You’ll be able to get a vacation usually reserved for those going on a honeymoon or maternity/paternity leave and still save those up for another year. 

What you do with that time off is up to you? Unless you’re a real sports enthusiast or have a lot of money to blow on things like the Opening Ceremonies, you can go to Greece during that time and skip Athens and the Olympics altogether. You could even skip Greece altogether if you don’t feel like dealing with the inflated prices, increased security and mob of tourists that will be there this year. It’s not like the boss will be able to check. 

Besides the Olympics, two major Greek-themed motion pictures will be just two more reasons why it’ll be good to be Greek this year. The release in May of “Troy,” starring Brad Pitt and the November release of “Alexander” starring Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, and Angelina Jolie, will be putting some big name Hollywood names in Greek roles. For any ladies out there dating Greek guys, it may be the only way to get a Greek guy to willingly see a Brad Pitt movie. For the guys, as a result of both of these movies, that Greek suit of armor that you keep in a back closet somewhere may be just the Halloween costume you’ll be looking for in October. For those of you following the releases of these Greek themed movies, you may have heard of another Alexander the Great movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role. That movie doesn’t come out until 2005, reinforcing our view of why it will be good to be Greek in 2004. (We said nothing about 2005.) 

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