Mental Floss

How to Survive an Albanian Blood Feud


3 replies on “How to Survive an Albanian Blood Feud”

im from allbenia berat i leve in irland and in my city we my famyli we dont know how to gow from awr enemy i run from my contry after meny taim atacks but i survave

I believe that Graeme Wood needs to spend some more money in Albania and take a more thorough tour so that he can understand the people and the country; you get what you pay for. It’s just a shame that writer’s/reporter’s only care to include quirky/weird/and negative articles to give people skewed perceptions on topics most know nothing about. That is precisely why they get away with it because they are writing to an uneducated public. I am not saying that all his information is misunderstood, but instead of searching in the nooks and crannies of the country and spending only 2 sentences talking about how now Albanians “live modern lives” I am merely suggesting spending more time in a place you write about, after all what would you get out of NY city if you took a 50c tour? Not such a pretty view either. It’s not just about writing an entertaining article, you’re talking about a culture, a people and sharing with others and contributing to them a distorted view of reality. I
would say go to Wikipedia before you read anything else by this guy, chances are it will be much more accurate.

Words cannot express the anger and frustration I felt reading your depiction of Albania in Mental Floss magazine. Your article painted an utterly unfair and distorted portrayal of the Albanian people and their culture, something I would not expect from a writer of your caliber. The basis of your article displayed an obtuse historical outlook of Albania and a narrow focus on marginal elements of society and cultural customs, mostly taken out of context.

When I read your article I cringed at image your article provides to Americans (most of whom have never heard of Albania) about the most pro-American country in the region. Unfortunately majority will never take the time to read father about a great land blessed by an abundance of natural resources, a noble country taking it first steps of economic and political freedom, and a proud people who struggled through centuries for their culture, language and traditions. Unfortunately the only impression your readers will have it will be of the stereotype you created for them and I resent that. To put this into perspective, think if the only fact you heard about the United States that 40 percent of the country still dispute evolution (fact which is not disputed in Albania). What would be your impression of the US and Americans after that?

I urge you to take another trip to Albania and take the time to immerse yourself its culture and its people. This way you will discover much more interesting and unique details rather than skirting the country in a 50 Cent Tour. It is a breathtaking land, with to much to offer, to be cut down by underserved impressions as it is struggling to make itself known. It would my pleasure to be your guide, should you choose to do so.



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