I just came across a post about Albania on GreekReporter’s Instagram, and frankly I was at a loss for words after reading the comments. Objectively speaking, do people who live in Greece think albanophobia there is just as widespread as it appears online? I’m genuinely curious, no shade, no hate.
Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 72 comments
Please no answers based on your subjective views. I’m simply curious about the current situation.
Fystikovoutiro@reddit
We talk a lot of shit about each other online like we do with other countries, but personally and the majority of the Greek people I know, like & respect Albanians. Hard working, kind people, with "besa" (not many languages have a word for this concept, and that says a lot).
I don't think there's albanophobia now, but that wasn't always the case. In the 90s with the first big wave of Albanians immigrating to Greece, there was quite a bit of racism.
Stverghame@reddit
I honestly feel no empathy, sorry. Just seeing Albanian comments under any Serbia-related video (even most obviously non-political ones), the only thing I'd say here - right back at ya!
Salt-Wolverine-6367@reddit
Because serbs dont do the same thing under any albanian related video. Definitely not, no way.
Stverghame@reddit
I didn't say Serbs don't do it, quite a lot of them do. All I know is - I don't do it, therefore I keep the right to be annoyed by Albanians doing it to us, and lack the empathy when someone does it to them.
Formal-Can-4168@reddit
Wait you want to be annoyed by Albanians being assholes under Serbia-related content but you don't mind Albanians maybe like you which get annoyed by Serbians? Logical
Stverghame@reddit
Where have I said that?
arbDev@reddit
We just need a strong army and people who actually love their own country to shut these countries up properly
Ujemegaz@reddit
Nah. We need the Turks. This time just we should join them.
Formal-Can-4168@reddit
I mean I would get it if they ever helped us. During Kosovo war they didn't do much. And during the Balkan wars they were actively against the Albanian nation. Not much better than Serbians and Greeks
Obvious-Desk4573@reddit
Ujemegaz@reddit
amerikani@reddit
Disgusting
Ujemegaz@reddit
Pirdh pirdh
Vukaku13@reddit
How old are you? Ten?
😂😂😂
Going to war because of social media 😂😂😂
Imperator_Gr@reddit
Lol
prodigioustimekiller@reddit
Why do you Albanians nag on every nonsense Instagram post appearance? I also see Albanians spamming Greek folk dance pages saying "pure albanian", "not greek", "stolen" and basically you can't watch shit nowadays on obscure Instagram pages without some Albanian account jumping on the comment section commenting like his great grandfather was the original Balkan dancer. As if you can't expect neighboring nationalities to have common if identical traditions.
Then you find some Greek reporter type of shit page that speaks to Greek diaspora where they are particularly very sensitive in all kinds of Greece loving articles, and you jump on the comments to see what the comments say. Wow you found your kind of Greeks where they also see the universe made from feta and olive oil. Albanian day ruined.
I wonder why I don't see any Turks jump on random Greek posts saying that Achilles or Pericles or Alexander the Great being Turk and making the original Turkish society. Or Serbians saying Palaiologoi were Serbs. Or maybe Odysseus was Croatian. Or Heracles was Bulgarian because he toyed with rivers in Thrace. But maybe the next generation of Balkan shitposting may lie in seeing Romanians claiming the foundation of Athens being made from the 10 tribes of Bucharest. I expect to see everything.
magnificent_wts@reddit
Did the order of comments manage to make you stay longer on the platform? Then the algorithm it works
Elmalukat@reddit
Albanians say similar things when it comes to Greeks however not on this level.
Greeks are way more insufferable online.
The superiority complex is insane.
No_Idea_479@reddit
You say this as an Albanian. Have you seen your countrymen claim how Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon were Albanian?
I think your guys are worse man.
smoothieeeee12@reddit
Come onnnn. This 3 are Bulgarians! You are also bulgarian :D
Ujemegaz@reddit
Alexander the Great is claimed by all Balkans, especially in Macedonia region. Leka has been a common given name for millenia in our northen regions and there is nothing wrong or nationalistic to claim such legendary figure. Napoleon is more of fun story which was spread by a newspaper that published an article about illegible curse words that Napoleon voiced. Allegedly, at his childhood he was either brought up in an Italian Arbereshe community. And it was speculated that those words were in Albanian. You made it up about Ceasar though. We never claim he was Illyrian or not. All we say is that he has campaigned in Albania and there are couple of toponyms named after his campaigns. For instance Mali Robit in Durres was named after a bloody skirmish of Ceasar agianst Marc Anthony. Ancient tales say that the pile of bodies was so big that a mountain was formed, hence, Mali Robit. But, the diaspora can be really off rails sometimes. Their second genwration has not received education in Albania and will retell these stories like in the broken phone game.
Albanians are not a people which sprung out of nowhere. 300k-500k Albanians spread throughout Italy in 1500s. 400k-600k in modern times seem too many, go figure similar numbers then. So i would not label us as "worse man".
Ok-Priority253@reddit
You are the greatest cope artist I have ever seen
Ujemegaz@reddit
First vocabulary that comes fo your mind, must be it
Yavannia@reddit
Just lol
Ujemegaz@reddit
Lol indeed.
Elmalukat@reddit
Napoleon, not even my crazy uncle claims him?
Now shut up and make me some pasta
No_Idea_479@reddit
Lol, sure. One of ur top historians btw.
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
What top historian dude ,he is an idiot and also never seen someone claiming Julius Caesar to be Albanian while Greeks have in their school history books Justinian and Constantine as Greeks,
Some dude claiming it on the internet is different from governmental institution claiming it.
No_Idea_479@reddit
https://en.ata.gov.al/2021/05/05/history-of-albanians-academy-of-sciences-begins-work-on-compiling-and-publishing-of-this-major-work/
What's this
You haven't interacted much with Albanian nationalists, I presume. They claim that he was Albanian, because he came from the Alban tribe of Latini.
And I don't care about Justinian and Constantine. Plus, from a cursory look, the latter seems to have been half-Greek.
Ujemegaz@reddit
You confuse folkloric nationalism, with state dictated one. Our school books never write anything about Alexander, Julious and Napoleon being Albanian, while Greeks have some narratives that kept Macedonia for 30 years deprived of negotiations with EU.
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
What js the link suppose to prove??
I know all the stupid claims Albanian nationalists and never encountered Caesar neither the Latini as a tribe but again we do not have them in our history books.
Constanitnes’s mother origin is unknown and it does not matter if you care or not ,it was an example to show you as almost anyone in the balkans claim this stuff and Greeks do it officially in their books while Albanians on the internet ,you kinda using double standards to judge the same situation
Elmalukat@reddit
I would kill myself rather than hear Pigeon Xhufo for 30 minutes.
Also he would be probably talking about some ancestors bla bla from an Arberesh community or whatever which would make sense, but not tongo into the delusion of calling Napoleon an Albanian
Ujemegaz@reddit
Because they don't know their native originis past one century. Most of them came after exchange of population. A quarter of them is either Aromanian or Arvanite. I would have such complexes as well if neither of my great grandfathers wasn't Albanian.
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
10% = "most"
cope on here is insane.
xzxnz@reddit
Peer reviewed DNA studies prove you wrong btw.
You are in every greek post talking bullshit, it's so sad. Keep being mad.
Ujemegaz@reddit
Every OP is about Greek agenda, if you haven't noticed.
Giantdwarf3@reddit
Keep in mind greek reporter is some kind of right wing maga "greek" american news paper so you get the equivalent crowd on the commente
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Lmao what?? Why they would post such an article then?
lara2412@reddit
Easy engagement?
Substratas@reddit (OP)
NoSenseNitro@reddit
Oh, just read Albanian subs or Instagram. There's just as much hate there from Albanians towards all other nations.
Ujemegaz@reddit
Well, we have feelings too. We ain't Scandinavians.
NoSenseNitro@reddit
Well, here's an example. It's clear that you're not Scandinavians. Scandinavians have clean streets, no litter, they love nature and animals, and at least they follow the rules. And yes, they know what is the purpose for a shower curtain.
Ujemegaz@reddit
Rules don't apply to a country which was isolated for 50 years because of constant fear. We had communism. Scandinavians have clear streets, but please climb down the high horse regarding "nature and animals". I did not get the joke about the shower curtain because i have tempred glass, not curtains, an i have been in North europe. I struggled because there no bidets there.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
I believe they mean we know what they’re for even if we don’t use them as often. Here in Sweden, all gym showers are curtainless (apart from Friskis & Svettis which always has one unit with curtains).
NoSenseNitro@reddit
I've seen many apartments for rent in Albania. There's no shower curtain. And this is in a climate where humidity and mold are very common. At best, you'll end up washing everything after every shower or sitting on a wet toilet.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Okay and?
NoSenseNitro@reddit
This shows the level of intelligence, just like the habit of counting at the old rate that was in place 70 years ago.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
https://i.redd.it/ievgzlbdik0h1.gif
Ujemegaz@reddit
Lucky for us we have a Scandinavian in our midst who talks could talk sense to all of us, including Greeks 🤣
Substratas@reddit (OP)
I’m not Scandinavian, bro. I’m born & raised in Albania.
https://i.redd.it/ih071nl6ke0h1.gif
Ujemegaz@reddit
Maybe you should worry less about Albania since you no longer live here.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
How would you know that?
https://i.redd.it/whpdfm9aqe0h1.gif
amerikani@reddit
Typical response, deflection
Substratas@reddit (OP)
I don’t need you to tell me that Albanians are brutal online because I already know that - this post is about Albaniphobia in Greece, a genuine curiousity about the current state of it, not an attack.
Ok-Priority253@reddit
This is literally just how Instagram is, it doesn't matter the post
scanfash@reddit
In person I wouldn’t say it’s the same especially not in Greece where Greco-Albanian relations are probably at an all time high due to both coming together to „hate“ on newer ME and SE Asian migrants and refugees and their actions. Apart from that I think you should really look at Albanian online behavior first and foremost it easily outdoes anything Greek there is almost not a single part of Greek history not claimed by Albanians online
c0sf-fkr@reddit
Applying modern concepts of statehood to ancient cultures is, with all due respect, moronic...exact borders are a very new concept from a historical perspective...that's why we had ww1; no one agreed where these borders should be. The fact is that regardless of migration, admin structure, imposed religion, etc, pretty much everywhere where we had neolithic people they assimilated whatever concepts are imposed on them but they've pretty much always had a a demographic majority.
maxledaron@reddit
canyoubelieveitt@reddit
You guys do a lot of crime there so they dont like you. Same for us and Romanians with the gypsies that are all over western europe. But end of the day you have to ask yourself is it better to have a good reputation with more criminals causing issues at home, or having less criminals at home at cost of worse reputation abroad. Id take the latter any day.
Krasniqi857@reddit
They hate us cus they aint us
Usual-Leg-4921@reddit
A lot of the times it’s dark Greeks that came over in the population exchange clearly. Always sprinkled in are our ogre neighbours from the north too.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
?
Usual-Leg-4921@reddit
The ones who like to claim we’re Turks or that we come from the caucus region ironically usually look like they come from those areas themselves. Now quick, post a gif!
amerikani@reddit
100%. Lets see that 23 and me Greeks 😂
Substratas@reddit (OP)
https://i.redd.it/7gw8gbq2ye0h1.gif
Ujemegaz@reddit
The complexes they have surpass the Putin speech the day he announced the attack on Ukraine. I mean, he talked about Kieavn Rus in 10th century or so. Greeks would speak about Alexander the Great in a similar situation.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
I wonder if this is just an online thing though. I’ve met many Greeks who were raised in Sweden and they were nowhere near this level of ghetto you see online. That’s why I’m so perplexed…
Ujemegaz@reddit
They think of us as some sort of godless people. Of course at personal level they don't behave bad, in contrary. But, they are influenced by religion even more than Turks.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
I see. Well, that sucks.
Cypriots online are even more hateful - those few I’ve seen in threads about Albania were always saying the nastiest things ever, which is weird bc I’ve never heard anyone in or from Albania, live or online, ever talk about Cyprus. 🤣🤣
Additional-Peace-809@reddit
Haven’t met a lot of Greeks but I’ve had good encounters always. I really think social media gets the worst out of us. Yes I will not deny that there are tensions between Albanians and Greeks, we have our history, but we in the Balkans always go the extra mile to try to dehumanise the other side. Hope we’ll be able to fix it in the coming decades.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Same with Greeks in Sweden. They’re generally great people.