AIBU to think Albanians have a bad reputation

[kukeslala]

and why?

Foslady,
Please read my posts properly. This is what I am hearing when I ask people why they think things, I am married to an Albanian.

It's ignorance on their part. Try saying what I said to those who come out with that kind of crap

Do you live in Italy?

Ummmmm

The only thread I can recall about Albaniais an old one you revived today, OP

Shrug

No I do foslady, not one person yet has been able to counter that argument but very few have said yeah your right, I didn't think about it like that.

I suppose I just keep challenging those thoughts, and take it on the chin.

5318008
Not just taking about on here, web generally but RL specifically.

Like I typed into google earlier Albanian and it brought up in the top 4 Albanian maffia (you know where it guesses what you want to type), so have been trying with other countries typing in their name and none of yet have brought up maffia, im on a mission to find another country it brings up this now.

5318008
I didn't revive that thread actually, I replied to it after another person revived it.
Then I started to read it and saw it was old.
I dont even know how you would find an old thread like that, I have posted on here less than 20 times I think.

Do British people eat squirrels?

Well that's certainly the popular perception of Albanians Chime - I worked with an Albanian guy some years back and he said as much himself. He knew the national stereotype and what people generally thought of his people and the thing is - he said they were mostly right! I'm still not entirely sure what the OP is getting at so I think I'll just smile and nod

Adressing OP directly here, please keep on thread with all your points, I don't wish to have further PMs from you, thanks ever so

Chime

Thanks, Im not totally crazy.

I too thought Albania was very corrupt, and that it didn't happen in England.
Until my partner was talking to my Grandfather a few years back, (who worked high in local government/council), about the corruption in A| Albania, and then heard the stories he was telling my husband.
I do think there is corruption, I have witnessed, I now just think Albanian's are more open with it.

Wouldn't agree re violence, when out and about it has always been my husband and friends trying to walk away from violence.

But would say they are fiery (not exactly the word Im looking for but closest to it). So am I.

I've just looked up the squirrel eating. It seems British people are eating them. There's an article in the New York Times.

Definitely reckon it's sensitive - I got a zafira - suddenly notice all the zafiras when wouldn't notice before.

As for the mafia thing - I think it's the nature if the area - when I went to visit with my gran and we went past a couple of men in dark winter coats she would nod knowingly and whisper "it is ze russian mafia" :) I think they were just business men but in her eyes everyone was suspected.

5318008

I sent you a private PM, as didn't want to side track the thread with a separate point.
I felt your first post questioned that I had some kind of motive.

I asked you to re read the thread you state I revived, as I didn't and then post factually correct information.

My PM wasn't at any point rude.

And I wouldn't send another PM to someone, who cant even get their facts correct before calling another persons motives into account. I sent one message requesting you re read, before posting.

The response from someone who had made a mistake would be to apologise wouldn't it.

with whom?
i've known some lovely albanian students. and their parents are lovely too. i've never known them be afraid of wasps.

there is the culture of revenge, though, which is very...real... and slightly incomprehensible to the host community.

maddening
Maybe I am, it started about a month ago, when it came up with a group of new people my husband was Albanian.
When I saw this group the following week, one of the ladies approached me privately and offered me advise of DA and numbers, after establishing it was me she wanted to give these too, I asked why and she said well you said last week your husband was Albanian, and my best friend went out with an Albanian and bla bla bla. Wont go into the convo as its obviously very private to that person.
I then carried on the convo and asked her what I had said that made her think that and she admitted it was only because of his nationality.
Simce then I seem to be hearing it everywhere-LOL.

I live in London. It's full of Albanians. They don't have a reputation.

If I were you, I'd ask the people you hear talking about them.

They'll obviously know more than Mumsnet.

I don't know any anbanians but they always seem to be talked of in a negatibe manner. in fact i have never heard anything positive about the country or the people.

b4

about 2 years ago my husbands car was driven into by another car whilst he was at work, the other cars driver and passenger got out, looked at the damage, kicked the number plate across the floor got back into their car and drove off.

He was able to see this on CCTV.

He contacted the driver (who was a subcontractor for where he was working so was able to get the details through another person), the driver admitted this, excuses for why he didn't report etc, and agreed to pay for the damage.

There is lots of other info to the story, however.

18 months later, he finally got the money through the insurance and the other driver was taken to court.

At one point he did say it would be much easier if he was in Albania, as he would have just gone to the shop the guy owner (we know he owned a shop, and where etc), and would have taken the value of goods to get his car fixed.

He would have done this as doesn't have lots of faith in Albanian authorities, and would have been seen as an acceptable thing to do there.

He didn't here as had faith in our authorities to eventually sort it, despite the time and work it took him.

I read somewhere that it is a common belief in America that the British eat squirrels. One wonders where they would have got an idea like that since it's only fairly recently that Hugh F-W put them on the menu. I wouldn't, personally, but some might I suppose

Worral
I do ask also.

Begonia
Thanks, nor do I in general RL, except from friend family that know my husband, or the Albanian I know or their partners. So they are biased the other way.

I never hear oh this Albania guy I knew would give you the last pound in his pocket if you needed it, or oh this Albanian guy *something else positive.

Maybe it seems generally we describe a nation with a negative stereotype, not just Albania, but all others that are "different to us", as shown in a post earlier on, I had never heard those things about the countries specified.

Foolish

Just did the Google test
"do English eat" and "do Americans think English eat", it didn't bring up squirrels in its top few guesses of what it thinks you want to write next.
Dont know what it proves, but just wanted to "Google test it"-LOL.