Letter concerning article "What is the Macedonian Question? - Cutting through the Rhetoric"
Letters to the Editor
October 07, 2008
I recently read Mr. Stefov´s article "What is the Macedonian Question? - Cutting through the Rhetoric" (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/75113) and would like to point out that it violates at least two of the classifications of the "Editorial Board Contributor Policy". In addition to posting a political article, Mr. Stefov states several gross inaccuracies that demonstrate crude ignorance and may be interpreted as bigoted attacks. Although he is entitled to an opinion - any underlying opportunistic or political motivation notwithstanding - I nonetheless believe that in order to maintain the site´s credibility and professionalism, you should avoid posting articles as his.
The following few quotations taken from Mr. Stefov´s article underline his typical political views. Hence his article is a political one:
"Mr. Karamanlis (Prime Minister of Greece), its time to stop stalling and muddying the waters…"
"Mr. Karamanlis it´s time for you and your Government to start facing real issues …"
"Mr. Karamanlis… please take a good look at your own Greek nation and how it was created and decide for yourself who is stealing whose heritage ".
As well as being a political article, it contains many false statements and displays of ignorance which in my opinion resemble hate speech. I have enclosed a few in quotation marks below and followed each by a brief comment:
"Greece knows very well that no one cares about what happened 2,300 years ago."
That shows plain ignorance and total disrespect towards History. Mr. Stefov is nonetheless entitled to an opinion and perhaps no one cares about the Pyramids either, or Pythagoras, or the Second World War...
"Greece, on the other hand, was modeled after a dead culture which existed 2,400 years ago."
The Greece of 1829 was not modeled after the plethora of city-states ruled by tyrants and kings in Antiquity. It was an absolute monarchy headed by King Otto, a German. A constitutional monarchy replaced it later.
"The language the Greek state adopted for its people was also a dead language which was only preserved by the Ottoman administration and the Orthodox Church.
The Modern Greek language (dimotiki) adopted by the New Greek State stems from Medieval Greek. It´s been spoken since the 11th century and boasts a literature of over 10 centuries. Never did the newly created nation adopt the administrative language of the Ottomans (which was Osmanli Turkish) or the language of the "Orthodox Church" by which I believe he means the language of the Gospels and the Bible, a tongue not even spoken by the Greek priesthood.
"The name "Greece" itself is also a non-Greek word. It is a Latin word."
The word "Greek" is not a Latin word, it comes from "Graikoi", a Hellenic tribe from Boeotia. Their name was borrowed by the Romans and its meaning extended to designate all Hellenes. Greeks themselves call their land Hellas, Greece being used by most of the other European nations. Mr. Stefov is either unaware of the remarkable polyonymy of the Greek nation or simply didn´t bother researching the subject thoroughly.
" The 19th century ethnicities that comprised the raw material for the modern Greek state were Albanians, Vlachs, Turks, Macedonians and other Slav speakers, Christians from Asia Minor, Gypsies and other ethnic minorities. Each ethnicity that comprised the so-called "Greek ethnos" was not Greek and each spoke a unique language different from the others."
I can see a speckle of racism in Mr. Stefov´s claim that the Greek nation, the "so-called Greek ethnos" in his words, is an incongruous mishmash of peoples. Having read some of his other articles, this statement is intended on undermining the legitimacy of Modern Greek civilisation because of a supposed lack of authenticity or continuity. Furthermore, classifying peoples on the basis of their racial or genetic background is irrelevant and racist. Besides, a mosaic of intermingling nations is highly desirable and can result in the finest of cultures. I hope he doesn´t deem the Mexican nation a less valid one because it is a fusion of Amerindian, Spanish and other cultures... As for his choice of words to describe the many nations of the Balkans – the "raw material"- it demeans all these ethnic groups which include the one he so proudly "defends".
I have omitted many other segments of the article I found offensive or inaccurate but I think the examples above provide enough evidence of why Mr. Stefov´s writing is inappropriate for AmericanChronicle.com. I hope you will view my concern as constructive advice and remove Mr. Stefov´s article promptly or ask him to revise it thoroughly.
Best regards,
Gerry Touliatos
Montreal
The following few quotations taken from Mr. Stefov´s article underline his typical political views. Hence his article is a political one:
"Mr. Karamanlis (Prime Minister of Greece), its time to stop stalling and muddying the waters…"
"Mr. Karamanlis it´s time for you and your Government to start facing real issues …"
"Mr. Karamanlis… please take a good look at your own Greek nation and how it was created and decide for yourself who is stealing whose heritage ".
As well as being a political article, it contains many false statements and displays of ignorance which in my opinion resemble hate speech. I have enclosed a few in quotation marks below and followed each by a brief comment:
"Greece knows very well that no one cares about what happened 2,300 years ago."
That shows plain ignorance and total disrespect towards History. Mr. Stefov is nonetheless entitled to an opinion and perhaps no one cares about the Pyramids either, or Pythagoras, or the Second World War...
"Greece, on the other hand, was modeled after a dead culture which existed 2,400 years ago."
The Greece of 1829 was not modeled after the plethora of city-states ruled by tyrants and kings in Antiquity. It was an absolute monarchy headed by King Otto, a German. A constitutional monarchy replaced it later.
"The language the Greek state adopted for its people was also a dead language which was only preserved by the Ottoman administration and the Orthodox Church.
The Modern Greek language (dimotiki) adopted by the New Greek State stems from Medieval Greek. It´s been spoken since the 11th century and boasts a literature of over 10 centuries. Never did the newly created nation adopt the administrative language of the Ottomans (which was Osmanli Turkish) or the language of the "Orthodox Church" by which I believe he means the language of the Gospels and the Bible, a tongue not even spoken by the Greek priesthood.
"The name "Greece" itself is also a non-Greek word. It is a Latin word."
The word "Greek" is not a Latin word, it comes from "Graikoi", a Hellenic tribe from Boeotia. Their name was borrowed by the Romans and its meaning extended to designate all Hellenes. Greeks themselves call their land Hellas, Greece being used by most of the other European nations. Mr. Stefov is either unaware of the remarkable polyonymy of the Greek nation or simply didn´t bother researching the subject thoroughly.
" The 19th century ethnicities that comprised the raw material for the modern Greek state were Albanians, Vlachs, Turks, Macedonians and other Slav speakers, Christians from Asia Minor, Gypsies and other ethnic minorities. Each ethnicity that comprised the so-called "Greek ethnos" was not Greek and each spoke a unique language different from the others."
I can see a speckle of racism in Mr. Stefov´s claim that the Greek nation, the "so-called Greek ethnos" in his words, is an incongruous mishmash of peoples. Having read some of his other articles, this statement is intended on undermining the legitimacy of Modern Greek civilisation because of a supposed lack of authenticity or continuity. Furthermore, classifying peoples on the basis of their racial or genetic background is irrelevant and racist. Besides, a mosaic of intermingling nations is highly desirable and can result in the finest of cultures. I hope he doesn´t deem the Mexican nation a less valid one because it is a fusion of Amerindian, Spanish and other cultures... As for his choice of words to describe the many nations of the Balkans – the "raw material"- it demeans all these ethnic groups which include the one he so proudly "defends".
I have omitted many other segments of the article I found offensive or inaccurate but I think the examples above provide enough evidence of why Mr. Stefov´s writing is inappropriate for AmericanChronicle.com. I hope you will view my concern as constructive advice and remove Mr. Stefov´s article promptly or ask him to revise it thoroughly.
Best regards,
Gerry Touliatos
Montreal