Blase Faire

a) Georg Simmel describes the “blasÐ"© attitude” as being the constant stimulation and loss of stability that can result in a state in which one is no longer capable of reacting to the shock of new stimuli. This leads to the development of a cool and distant way of merely observing without expressing emotion. Adopting a blasÐ"© attitude compensates for the mind's feeling of being overwhelmed, and allows the self to begin to build a new urbanized identity. You start to experience the same thing and everything seems to have a pattern.

b) Stella shows many traits of having this blasÐ"© attitude. The most recognizable trait is the fact that she has created this “urbanized identity” within herself that is the complete opposite of what women in 1950’s Athens were supposed to be like. Here is an attractive young lady living in a metro city such as Athens where she is surrounded by big city living every day. After a while, her surroundings became boring, and she coped with this by creating a different side of herself to go against the grain of society so that nothing she did was boring or predictable anymore. Stepping outside of her box allowed Stella to add excitement and flair to her life. It’s almost as if to say she was in her own world so to speak. She didn’t care about anything in the real world that she lived in. She mistreats the people in her life because she neglects people’s feelings and is only concerned about herself. There’s always something exhilarating about doing the things you know you aren’t supposed to do. It’s like when a parent tells their kid that they can’t have any ice cream because they haven’t eaten dinner yet. The child will just want the ice cream even more and although he knows well enough that he shouldn’t have it, he goes against what his parents said and grabs it from the freezer and has a bowl. The same can be seen with Stella. She lives in a society that is trying to tell her to be and act a certain way, and she knowingly and willingly goes against what it’s saying to be who she wants to be. Going against this grain creates a rush and high for Stella that she can’t attain any other way, so she continues to be live a liberated lifestyle

c) The two problems with the Bosnian Serb in “Greek Card” as he tries to make a life for himself in the city are his ethnicity and his social class. Bosnian Serbs have a very negative reputation throughout Greece. They are in the midst of a civil war that has torn their country apart and has caused many people to flee outside the country, mainly to Greece. With them, these refugees have brought poverty, violence, and hatred. As much as the Bosnians are looked down