Macedonia changes name, ending bitter dispute with Greece

Greek here.

The term 'Macedonia' does not refer to a geographical region only. It refers to a geographical region plus the connection to ancient Greece.

Slavic people like you have no right to use the term Macedonia, because you are not related to Macedonia, the ancient-Greek derived sub-ethnicity. You only live in Macedonia, you are not a Macedonian.

History is full of examples of people that moved to other areas but did not 'steal' the history of the area they ended up into.

Turks moved to Ionia, they didn't become Ionians. Greeks moved to Pontos, they didn't become Turks. Spaniards moved to America, they didn't become Indians. British moved to Australia, they didn't become Aboriginals.

Just because your progenitors moved to the area of Macedonia, that does not entitle your people to claim they are Macedonians.

Yes, you are a separate people, you have your own culture, language, you have become a nation, and we, Greeks, certainly recognize that.

But claiming you are Macedonian and you speak the Macedonian language? that's a fallacy. You should just use another term.

I am saying all the above in friendly spirit and with the relevant historical sciences in mind. I am not a Greek nationalist, I only want justice. And in this case, judging from the historical records, justice means you Slavic people are not entitled to use the term Macedonia in any form.

The ancient Kingdom of Macedonia was 100% Greek, judging from the historical records, the written works, the names of places and people, the language used, the art forms, and the fact that the rest of Greece accepted Macedonians as Greek.

Beyond justice, what might be the reasons for us Greeks not wanting other people to take our history? well, here are the reasons:

1) there is the danger that, in the future, the connection between North Macedonia and Greek Macedonia becomes the geopolitical cause for an unforseen yet block of power to change borders in the area.

History is full of examples of geopolitical blocks using specific interpretations of history, culture and geography to cause problems.

2) Greek products from Macedonia can no longer be named 'Macedonian' in other countries.

I understand it's difficult for you to accept it, but you have been actually scammed. From the moment you were born, to now, in all your life, you have been indocrinated to believe you are Macedonian, that you speak Macedonian, etc. What a shame! this has been done for political purposes.

If only you could let the notion that your people and any form of the word Macedonia has any connection, the world would be so nice!!!

The consensus of historians is pretty clear on the subject though. However, if now a layman considers "We can't even be sure that the Greeks, at the time of Philip & Alexander" shows the extent of the damage this light "stupid" naming situation has caused. Would you consider Spartans or Athenians or people of Thebes not to be Greeks?

>>This is like insisting that what gay "really" means is happy. It's neither true or false statement. It's nonsensical.

Yes, that word has been overloaded with multiple meanings. Yet your example is perfect as it shows that people care how you call them and how you refer to them. If I go and define gay as something else, people referring themselves as gay probably will not appreciate my renaming. If I change the meaning of the terms U.S. citizen, British etc people would not take it lightly either.

Now consider you do that for a race, that is proud for its past for at least the last circa 2000 years. And it is done in a form of bullying. Recall this whole naming situation started during the Cold War and Greece was blackmailed to "keep in line" for the greater good. Recall USSR and the rest of the allies were both imagining their world. USSR's gift to Tito to side with them encompassed all of Northern Greece and Bulgaria, and that was his aspiration.

Consider a Greek, especially one in Macedonia; they are proud of their ancestors and have seen a lot of bullying from a financial and political perspective being applied on them the last few years. Now the same outsiders come in and say that while we settled on a U.N. name originally, we did not really used it and you have to find a compromise and make it work, whatever the cost for Greece. I am sorry, but historically silly issues like this have backfired for the area and Greece. Let us hope there is no war over this (if you think people would not fight over this area see WWI, Balkan Wars, and WWII atrocities; Cold War was not that cold in that area; the Yugoslavia war (90s) was over identity).

>I am not a Greek nationalist, I only want justice. And in this case, judging from the historical records, justice means you Slavic people are not entitled to use the term Macedonia in any form.

Sounds pretty nationalist (if not blatantly racist) to me.