Cave Cihan, Mr. Erdoğan!

Forget about what I have been posting yesterday.
Of course, Tayyip Erdoğan is the winner of election in Turkey.

Congratulations, Mr. Erdoğan.

I, me and myself do not have any doubt of your integrity.
My closest friend, though - a writer who would not write for reasons I shall probably never understand - just murmured: "He should not forget forget the mission of July 30th, 2003."

"Well", I said when watching the first photo he showed me from his REUTERS-archive, "not everybody on this planet is a horseman."

"For sure", Tetrapilotomos smiled, "and the photos , OF COURSE, would not have been published in Zaman."
"But why?" I asked. "It's not a shame to get in trouble with a horse."

"Hm, Turkish journalists know pretty well to use the scissors in their mind (brain)."

"Actually, Tetrapilotomos, I think some Turkish journalists are very brave. Much more brave, indeed, than I'd be."

"Well, Sean, it's not because of the horse alone. It's because of the horse's name."

"C'mon, Tetrapilotomos, what was or is the horse's name?!"

"Cihan."

"Sounds nice."

"Indeed, it does. But would you like to be unhorsed by the 'World'?"

Congratulations, Mr. Baykal!

Less shock but awful awe let me wait until tonight so that I could listen on the 266th anniversary of Vivaldi's death to his oratorio Juditha Turkey triumphans* while congratulating the greatest Turkish politician of all times, Mr. Deniz Baykal, on his and his (sic) party's tremendous election triumph last Sunday.

No doubt that Turkey's next Prime Minister and President (the rest of the world just would not know the real facts, yet) would dispense lenity to horrific ignorants like Yusuf Kanli, although such smocks not being able to read the auspices, would surely deserve to enjoy (at least) the next legislative period on water and bread old as the hills.

Isn't Wikepedia wrong and doesn't Article 301 in fact read: "A person who publicly denigrates Deniz the Magnificent, shall be punishable by imprisonment of between 48 months and four years"?

No doubt either Mr. Baykal could say: "It's not correct that Deniz Baykal is the greatest politician ever born on Turkish soil. True is however that there has never been a greater politician."

* Don't believe what you will read at Wikepedia. Here you get the real historical fact: Juditha Turkey triumphans (RV 644), composed in 1716, is one of his masterpieces. It was commissioned to celebrate the victory of the Turks under the command of one predecessor of Deniz the Magnificant (Baykal) against the Republic of Venice.

In dubio pro Bekdil AND Akyol

As promised in the (hopefully not) last post, here is the jury's result:

The Flann O'Brien Prize Winner is ...

- Sean!?!
- Yes, Tetrapilotomos?
- Who do you think deserves the prize?
- Actually, I could not decide. Both, Mr. Akyol and Mr. Bekdil deserve it.
- I fear, Mr. Akyol would not appreciate to share the prize.
- Why shouldn't he?
- He is missionary, while deep in Mr. Bekdil's heart the serpent "Sarcasm" is darting. Mr. Akyol seriously believes in what he is writing, while Mr. Bekdil does not take himself too serious.
- Hm, Flann O'Brien is not missionary at all. Would you say, Mr. Akyol is not as amusing as Mr. Bekdil?
- I said Mr. Akyol would not be amused to share any prize.
- So, let's wait with the decision, until Mr. Bekdil offers his reply to Mr. Akyol's reply to his, Mr. Bekdil's, reply.
- There won't be a reply to Mr. Akyol's reply to Mr. Bekdil's reply.
- ?
- Mr. Bekdil knows very well that Mr. Akyol would let nobody have the last say, the more when this "Nobody" is an agnostic.
- But there were none of his 2.185 words indecent. And, missionary?! He seemed even glad and proud being able to tell that "the Diyanet, the offical religious body, announced last year that it would cleanse the hadith tradition (the reported sayings and deeds of the prophet) from remarks that humiliate women".
- In other words, Mr. Akyol accepts without protest that the reported sayings and deeds of the prophet would be censored. This is either blasphemy or ...
- Hold on, Tetrapilotomos! The prophet reportedly said this and did that. And you know as well as God and his wife would know that some reporters' skills are ... are ... let's call it suboptimal.
- Well, anyway, I should never write this, but I do hope there would no peaceloving colleague of the late Ayatollah Lankarani come to know of this passage in Mr. Akyol's masterpiece. I mean, it would be blasphemy to think that the prophet did not instruct all good men to beat up their wives whenever they feel like, wouldn't it?
- Hm, what did the friendly looking old man say the other year when there was a two weeks or so campaign for not beating up one's wife in Turkish media: A man who does not beat his wife, is not a man.
- There you are, this humble man surely had studied and internalised the sura important for his character building. And now, suddenly and out of the blue should be wrong what has been right for the past 1387 years?! But we are slightly extravagating. Now, who deserves the prize?
- Be it: Burak Bekdil.
- Why? Because he wrote just one article containing 1.741 words, while Mr. Akyol cast 2.185 pearls for swine?
- No. Because Mr. Bekdil is a true humourist.
- Wrong. Mustafa Akyol is much funnier. And he is an intelligently designed primate.
- He did not explicitly say so. Besides, according to my daughter, who is presently writing her master thesis about Dandyism in the English and French literature of the late 19th century Mr. Akyol might be a fine specimen for Dandyism; by seemingly promoting the idea that there is or has been a potter who's first name is/has not been Harry who about 10.000 years ago took a clot of loam, designed a being, shortly afterwards took a rib of this being and formed him a female so that he would always have something to beat up, Mr. Akyol wins lots of plaudit and praise, while in fact by doing so he is covering his world weariness by making fun of all these poor stupid idiots in the classical sense.
- Mr. Akyol may have some dandyesk attitudes, but I do seriously think he believes what he is writing about intelligent design.
- Couldn't it be that he anticipates the change of wind and that soon there will be enforced intellgently designed biology curricula, and therefore is trimming his sails?
- Is there anything Mr. Yesbut would not anticipate? By the way, nobody, I repeat, nobody could yet thoroughly explain the difference between opportunism and pragmatism.
- Mr. Yesbut?
- Well, you would often if not mostly find Mr. Akyol initially praise any Mr. Siyahyol's opinion with oriental amplification, and after the comma there would follow a but.
-Who is Mr. Siyahyol, Tetrapilotomos?
- Everybody who is not Mr. Akyol.
- ?
- Akyol means White Path. And therefore all those not of Mr. Whitepath's opinion are walking on the black path.
- Doesn't siyah colloquially also mean the same as afyon?
- I don't like dilettantes secretly consulting dictionaries. Neither I know if Mr. Akyol ever got stoned by opium. Actually I think he’d prefer cannabis, but, of course, would probably not inhalate.
- Do you know Mr. Akyol?
- Only by his writing.
- And you think you are fair with what you are talking here?
- Unlike Mr. Akyol I know that I could err.
- Ah, Tetrapilotomos, before we are getting from Pontius to Pilade, let’s make a compromise.
- All right. So, let's award Burak Bekdil the Flann O’Brien Prize, and Mr. Akyol the Huysman & Wilde Prize.

Hurra, we got it!

Turkey in a Nutshell

These are interesting times for the Turkish people. And, no doubt, the times will get not less interesting after today's election.

For those not familiar to Turkish politics, and those who are and therefore would not know how to put into a nutshell what Turkish politics is about, I recommend reading the following masterpieces by Mustafa Akyol and Burak Bekdil in chronological order:
Akyol's artwork published July 12th, Bekdil's reply (July 18th), and Akyol's "sequel" (July 21st).

And - as it's election day - in my next post I shall let you know who my closest friend and I'd vote to become winner of the Flann O'Brian Prize.
Yes, I could right now, but I do not wish to get accused of manipulating my readers' opinion making. :)

Variatio delectat

Instead of delivering wise words about about not impossible advantages of proper education, I decided to take a glass of Toreldego to the balcony, and while smoking, enjoying a fresh nightly breeze (only 25°C around midnight) and watching the stars to reflect on the three lines I read a couple of minutes ago in Pessoa's "Book of Unrest ".

Carpe noctem. :)

Who is dumb then?

Amazing coincidence? Two days ago I titled a post "From Privilege to Prejudice".

Reading this article you will be able to understand my surprise.

My first reaction: Raising brows; corners of my mouth starting an expedition to my ear-lobes; rolling a cigarette, entering the balcony and while smoking watching a film made in the studios of my brain, finally sighing: Think of Voltaire, Sean. Don't let this post become an epos. Cut it short.

And here I am. Trying to cut it short, the more as unlike quite a few journalists on this planet I am quite convinced that many if not most readers are wise enough to form an opinion themselves.

Therefore just a few thoughts I find worth to get their own post next week.
1. What is the controverse about? It's about an educational and therefore social problem of (not only!) the Turkish society.
2. Censorship would not change anything for the better.
3. Why would such a reality (?) show become such a "success"?
4. Why would one find in an Turkish English Daily so many Americanisms?
5. Dumb or not dumb ... is not the question! ... Shall we bet the producers of this magnificent show are men?! :-)

The Peace of the Night.