Perhaps this note might complicate my passage north of the Tempe Valley, and it could also be seen as another dark maneuver in an undeclared war between the North and the South. Nevertheless, I cannot resist expressing my complaints, along with my perplexities, to the people of my beloved Thessaloniki. Had I not personally experienced this phenomenon over the years while traveling between the two cities to teach photography (to very few Thessalonians and many more Northerners), I would not have believed it, especially not to its full extent.
Thessaloniki, this beautiful and lively city, with the noblest Greeks, lives, exists, and is defined through the rivalry and antipathy caused by Athens. This is at least groundless to the extent that it seems to separate Thessaloniki's position from the fate of other provincial cities. In a bloated state, where, at least until now, decentralization was merely a crude, not even courteous, method of increased central control, it is logical and expected for the center, the capital, to amass all power. In a capital where, apart from the government, nearly half the population and all major media are concentrated, it would be unnatural not to gather a corresponding share of significant influence in all areas. Denying this or attributing it to dark conspiracies is often due to childish stubbornness rather than a product of cool-headed analysis.
Moreover, the standardized, almost tourist-quality, descriptions attributed to Thessaloniki, whether by its residents or visitors, do not help respect its substantial character. No city is more romantic than others, and nowadays, one can enjoy mussels and bougatsa everywhere. As for the term 'co-capital,' it should primarily be rejected by Thessalonians themselves as at least ironic. And sure, Thessaloniki can be a bride, but fortunately, the North has many brides, at least as many as the South. As for the artists (who, according to a carefully cultivated reputation, abound in Thessaloniki), thankfully history has proven that their number and quality are not dependent on geographical origins.
I truly do not know what power can convince the Thessalonians, including many friends of mine, that their city and life have joys and beauties many would envy, and that it is not certain happiness today resides more in the capitals than in the provinces. I do not know how to explain to them that their worth and success should not be measured against the behavior of Athens and Athenians, but based on their uniqueness. And finally, I cannot believe they do not understand that the real threat does not come from the Athenians, or the inhabitants of any other country or city, but from a cultural, economic, and social behavior that tends to homogeneously cover everything and to which everyone seems to aspire. Those who see and fight against it, no matter from which city they come, are more akin to each other.
Disagreements and curses are natural to arise. However, they are related to specific people and not to the city they come from, the soccer team they support, or the religion they adhere to. All else, in the worst case, pertains to obscurantism and, in the best case, to willful blindness."
Plato Rivellis