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> Turkey is nothing like the common stereotypes we have of it in the West From what I see, there are two Turkeys - the liberal Turkey which resides in cities l

> Turkey is nothing like the common stereotypes we have of it in the West From what I see, there are two Turkeys - the liberal Turkey which resides in cities like Izmir and the conservative ones which come from places like Bursa or Gaziantep. Currently, there are fewer liberal Turks than the conservative ones. > People in the West need to wake up and do their due diligence on Erdogan's regime On this point, I've always found it amazing how most of my American friends/colleagues have little idea about what's happening outside the USA. I get that most news is local and all that but sometimes there are impactful events around the world which would be difficult to miss. Most times, they haven't even heard about the event let alone know about it.

Altay- 10y ago
>From what I see, there are two Turkeys - the liberal Turkey which resides in cities like Izmir and the conservative ones which come from places like Bursa or Gaziantep. Currently, there are fewer liberal Turks than the conservative ones. The people you think are liberal are anything but. They used military might to maintain control since the founding of the Republic. They have never won a single election. Every free election has gone to the conservative/Islamist parties. Until AKP in 2002, those parties were all removed by the military. Sometimes their leaders got executed in the process. So if you want to know why the PEOPLE support Erdogan, its because the alternative to an Islamic Democrat isn't a Western Liberal Democrat. It's a secular Dictator like Assad/Saddam/Al-Sisi If you think (half-halfheartedly) blocking random websites and a few dozen journalists in prison is bad, why don't you do some research on what life was like when the secular Turks ruled (CHP) Here's a few fun facts: -Calling yourself a Kurd got you jailed. -Speaking Kurdish was a crime. -Having foreign currency in your pocket landed you in jail. -Standard Old Socialist Econ Policies: Price Controls, High Tariffs, long lines for Butter, coupons for food, etc. -Couldn't wear headscarf to school/court/etc. -A female MP who wore her headscarf to parliament was arrested, stripped of her Turkish Citizenship, and exiled. I could go on, but the point is: Zero freedom of expression or religion in Turkey when the 'liberal' Turks were in charge.
sanderjd 10y ago
I don't understand why Altay's comment is dead. I found it interestingly and informative. Unpopular opinions reasonably expressed should not be killed.
- mtmail 10y ago
  Check the user's comment history. It's not that comment in particular. The whole account is blocked for wishing people dead, calling people scum, insulting other users and expressing sadness that a genocide program ended to early. There's unpopular opinions and there's crossing the line.
  - sanderjd 10y ago
    Fair enough!
nickpeterson 10y ago
It's not that we don't care, it's just we have our own problems, have you been following what's going on here?

Altay- 10y ago

>From what I see, there are two Turkeys - the liberal Turkey which resides in cities like Izmir and the conservative ones which come from places like Bursa or Gaziantep. Currently, there are fewer liberal Turks than the conservative ones. The people you think are liberal are anything but. They used military might to maintain control since the founding of the Republic. They have never won a single election. Every free election has gone to the conservative/Islamist parties. Until AKP in 2002, those parties were all removed by the military. Sometimes their leaders got executed in the process. So if you want to know why the PEOPLE support Erdogan, its because the alternative to an Islamic Democrat isn't a Western Liberal Democrat. It's a secular Dictator like Assad/Saddam/Al-Sisi If you think (half-halfheartedly) blocking random websites and a few dozen journalists in prison is bad, why don't you do some research on what life was like when the secular Turks ruled (CHP) Here's a few fun facts: -Calling yourself a Kurd got you jailed. -Speaking Kurdish was a crime. -Having foreign currency in your pocket landed you in jail. -Standard Old Socialist Econ Policies: Price Controls, High Tariffs, long lines for Butter, coupons for food, etc. -Couldn't wear headscarf to school/court/etc. -A female MP who wore her headscarf to parliament was arrested, stripped of her Turkish Citizenship, and exiled. I could go on, but the point is: Zero freedom of expression or religion in Turkey when the 'liberal' Turks were in charge.

sanderjd 10y ago

I don't understand why Altay's comment is dead. I found it interestingly and informative. Unpopular opinions reasonably expressed should not be killed.

mtmail 10y ago
Check the user's comment history. It's not that comment in particular. The whole account is blocked for wishing people dead, calling people scum, insulting other users and expressing sadness that a genocide program ended to early. There's unpopular opinions and there's crossing the line.
- sanderjd 10y ago
  Fair enough!

nickpeterson 10y ago

It's not that we don't care, it's just we have our own problems, have you been following what's going on here?