On the road among the ‘horkatoi’

The conundrum of driving in Cyprus

By Christakis Peristianis

Some years ago, when the pandemic was still in its initial stages, the then Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis commented on the driving practices in Cyprus and how they represent, or rather reflect, our collective mentality as a society.

It has been stuck in my mind ever since. And then, I came across a small book by the late Caesar Mavratsas, professor of sociology at the University of Cyprus, called The Society of Peasants: The Cultural and Political Underdevelopment of the Greek Cypriots in the Beginning of the 21st Century (2012).

In Greek Cypriot society, the term ‘peasant’ (the Greek Cypriot term ‘horkatos’ is translated as peasant rather than ‘villager’ for reasons I will explain below) is commonly used in everyday life to denote certain behaviours seen as ‘uncivilized’ and often annoying. The term derives from the word ‘horiatis’, whose stem word ‘horio’ means village. Nevertheless, the term is often used as an adjective rather than a noun and is employed to denote a cultural, aesthetic, social and even political underdevelopment.

Mavratsas chose to parallel the term ‘horkatos’ with the term ‘peasant’ rather than ‘villager’, due to the negative connotations the former term is accompanied with in the English language. Quoting studies by Paul Freedman (1999) and Michael Kearney (1996), he states that the peasant was understood as ‘the man of the rural countryside’, an individual who from pre-industrial times was understood as uncultured or even stupid. However, the way the term is used by Mavratsas, denotes more than just this. ‘Horkatos’ is the dominant psychosocial mentality in Greek Cypriot society, visible in all social strata of society and denoting the character of interpersonal relations. It describes more than mere social class and escapes the rural/urban dichotomy. It is a phenomenon of modernity as that was experienced in Cyprus and is connected with the processes of industrialisation and urbanisation on the island.

For Mavratsas, being a ‘horkatos’ entails a specific perception regarding the self and a specific attitude towards others. The four characteristics he identifies with this mentality are: a) the persistence of traditional values such as patriarchy or xenophobia; b) a lack of sophistication, exemplified in the mannerisms, speech and behaviour of the ‘horkatos’; c) egocentrism and arrogance, with the ‘horkatos’ believing that ‘they are the centre of the world’; and d) aggressiveness towards others, with the ‘horkatos’ seeking to impose themselves on others and being unwilling to compromise. For Mavratsas the first two of these characteristics denote the ‘traditional Cypriot’, while the latter two are the psychological and offensive aspects of the psychosocial type. This distinction is visible also in driving behaviour with the latter two seen as aggressive.

Going back to Yiolitis’ comment and its connection with Mavratsas’ typology of the ‘horkatos’, I firmly believe that the characteristics identified by the sociologist are easily discernible in the driving mentality observed in Cyprus, to varying degrees.

These women drivers…

A car in front of you either goes too slowly for the speed limit or drives in a way that is incomprehensible to you. The first thought that crosses your mind is, “the driver must be a woman”. Then, as you overtake the car and glance at the driver, you exclaim, “I knew it”. In this very common scenario (and let us be honest, we have all experienced it), we take for granted that women are ‘bad drivers’, perpetuating a gender stereotype that portrays women as less skilled in the domain of driving. Gender stereotypes are connected to a patriarchal system that perpetuates the notion that for certain activities, men are better suited than women. This stereotypical attitude is still very present in 21st century Cyprus and is reflected colourfully through our driving mentality. It has even been engrained in the minds of Cypriot women. Indeed, the scenario described above was played out by a female colleague of mine during our shared ride to work.

The loudest place you could ever be…

A car does something they are not supposed to do. Horns start blaring and you find yourself shouting, simultaneously letting go of the wheel, waving your hands around, saying, “Re koubare, what are you doing?”

Let’s be honest; we have all done it at least once in our lives. We honk our horns and keep them blaring. With everything that relates to our social events and gatherings, we Cypriots can be extremely loud.

Our driving practices disrupt and impose themselves on a natural environment in an incomprehensible way for our small size as a population.

The fun of driving without giving a ****

The title above is self-explanatory. How many times have you witnessed this? How many times have you seen drivers changing lanes without indicating or driving as if they are the only ones on the road. “Hey, no one else needs to know that my car is about to switch lanes? Does it matter that the other guy is speeding up to pass me and needs to see that I will change lane? Hmmm… NAH!!!” It is the most common practice I observe on the motorway.

And then, there is the other common practice indicating that Cypriots do drive as if there is no one else around. “Hey, I will drive in the middle of this three-lane motorway, speak on my phone, and never mind the fact that I am going 90 kilometres per hour and cars are surpassing me on both lanes. Who cares?”

Yo, get out the way…

You are driving on the motorway, specifically in the left lane, and there is a truck ahead. You do the sensible thing and signal your intention to change lanes in order to overtake the truck. However, another car tailgates you, aggressively positioning their front end close to your car, repeatedly flashing their lights, and manoeuvring as if they were in a Formula One race car, all to indicate that you need to move out of their way. Then, once you have successfully overtaken the truck and signaled your return to the left lane, they quickly pass you, with the driver turning their head to look at you (perhaps even uttering “I knew it” if you happen to be a woman), displaying disdain as you have slowed them down.

To revisit the connection I drew between the “horkatoi” and Yiolitis’ comment. As a society, we can be self-centred and often exhibit aggression towards others when we perceive them as “obstructing our way”. This mirrors the behaviour of Mavratsas’ ‘horkatoi’ and whether we like it or not, it is a reflection of our own tendencies. Our driving mentality serves as a clear example of this point.