It doesn’t matter how hard we crashed into the wall of reality 14 years ago. Financial ruin did not dull the heady fantasy of prosperity, which remains vibrant as always – and ill-fated.
From the 1990s and until the start of the 21st century, the period aptly dubbed the “lobster spaghetti era” has known all sorts of ups and downs and variations. But this carefree excess of spending, the theory that life is one big party, always manifests itself in the most ostentatious manner, with massive gas-guzzling cars, frippery, bubbly and facelifts. There is one big difference between then and now: With lifestyle magazines all but gone, the party is now captured on Instagram posts, with a few morning gossip shows on TV filling in the blanks.
The seed of parasitic expectations may have lain buried for a while, but it was not uprooted.
A wedding that was advertised on social media and found by tax authorities to be, essentially, a party in evasion, has brought the issue back into the limelight. As the authorities discovered, every single individual and company involved in throwing the “Barbiland” wedding “a la grecque” was working practically pro bono – or so they claimed. In their tax filings of the past few years, in fact, they declared “accumulated losses” – all the while posting photos of lucrative gigs on their social media accounts.
The “party” was uncovered thanks to a new strategy adopted by the tax authorities to tap social media when looking into discrepancies or suspect declarations. What they are finding is a slew of violations by celebrities, influencers and high-profile businesses, laid bare in their posts.
Times are changing – and tactics are evolving along with the technology – but proclivities are not. The seed of parasitic expectations may have lain buried for a while, but it was not uprooted. Ersatz cosmopolitanism is alive and well, as confirmed by the frenzy on Mykonos, Paros and other hyper-popular destinations. And wherever the selfie crowd goes – there are others too, of course – the shadow economy thrives.
Rooting out undeclared income is the battle that every government claims to wage – made ostensible by the result. In reality, though, the state continues to give a pass to certain professional and business categories, making up for poor wages.
In a country of extravagant fantasy and meager fertile thought, easy money – fantastical prosperity – always wins. Now, though, showing it off on social media has consequences, and they are not only the obvious ones.
