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Erdogan orders teams to remove ‘arena’ from stadium names

Makes sense.

Wouldn't want the sports stadiums to be confused with the Roman definition of arenas he will be reintroducing shortly, where people are shredded to pieces.
 
It still makes it kind of amusing when he's referring to it as a "foreign" term.

It's non-sense since most of the turkish language is "foreign". Like most language, really.

Makes sense.

Wouldn't want the sports stadiums to be confused with the Roman definition of arenas he will be reintroducing shortly, where people fight to the death.

You forget to add he will also throw christians to the lions and eat their babies.
 

Carcetti

Member
So, Pigeon, while youre here, can you tell us about the ordinary life under a maniac dictator? I'm sure many people here would love some details.
 
Nobody makes that connection these days outside of a crazy dictator though. Surely you see how strange it is to bring up a 2000 year old practice that is not linked in any way to current day arenas.

Maybe he should change the design of the things also then, since they all look a damn lot like the Coliseum.
 
I was sure my name would be mentioned haha !
I don't care about this issue. It's just funny seeing that it's making the news.
Changing the name of a public building because it have a alleged bad connotation is nothing rare or new.

Just an historical sidenote: Ataturk brought more than 5.000 words in the Turkish language, eliminating a lot of arabic names.
I am sure it would be perceived as "progress" by many people here ;)

it's not a public building, it is privately owned
 
So, Pigeon, while youre here, can you tell us about the ordinary life under a maniac dictator? I'm sure many people here would love some details.

I'm not turkish, but i lived some time there. It felt like normal life, most of people around me being openly critical to Erdogan. Don't feeling like a dictatorship at all.

I am from South America so the word dictatorship have an actual meaning.

I would agree that he is increasingly authoritarian.
 

CrazyHorse

Junior Member
I really don't like this man. But at the same time try to understand that cultures can be different and words have different meanings in those cultures. If "peadophile" meant some sort of food in in some counrty, would be okay with using that word in products that kids ate? "Here little jonny have a slice of this peadophile".

If arena means a bad thing in his culture then we can't be so close minded about his dislike of it.
 
I really don't like this man. But at the same time try to understand that cultures can be different and words have different meanings in those cultures. If "peadophile" meant some sort of food in in some counrty, would be okay with using that word in products that kids ate? "Here little jonny have a slice of this peadophile".

If arena means a bad thing in his culture then we can't be so close minded about his dislike of it.
It has the exact same meaning though. It doesn't mean anything else in Turkish. Our words for arena also comes from Rome in the same way theirs does.

Its an incredibly strange thing to request not using a normal word like that.
 
I really don't like this man. But at the same time try to understand that cultures can be different and words have different meanings in those cultures. If "peadophile" meant some sort of food in in some counrty, would be okay with using that word in products that kids ate? "Here little jonny have a slice of this peadophile".

If arena means a bad thing in his culture then we can't be so close minded about his dislike of it.

Lol at your example. 'You don't like the taste of your pedophile Johnny?'
 
The real issues of our times.

I l0led because it's true, but sad at the same time.

General: "President Erdogan, ISIS is right at the border and slaughtering civilians and refugees, what should we do?"

Erdogan: "Give me 2 minutes to think about the situation... We should remove the name arena from our stadiums. Too violent and barbaric for these times. Let the west see how civilized I am."

General: "... See it done."
 

L Thammy

Member
Putting Erdogan aside - I don't follow him that much so I don't know a lot beyond him being a dictator - language reform strikes me as a more complex topic than people generally appreciate. I think this falls in line with something like what we see from France or Quebec, where it's a nationalistic effort to prevent the local language from being overwhelmed by more widely spoken languages. Those always seem pretty silly at best, and I don't think they're really effective because they're hard to enforce outside of businesses and they don't benefit anyone. Any ideas of language purity are a joke.

But I don't think this is particularly dictator-like, silly as it is. Language reform can be great if it's for the purpose of standardization. It removes some of the useless inconsistencies that make it harder for people to learn the language or become literate, and a lot of those inconsistencies don't get ironed out on their own.
 
I l0led because it's true, but sad at the same time.

General: "President Erdogan, ISIS is right at the border and slaughtering civilians and refugees, what should we do?"

Erdogan: "Give me 2 minutes to think about the situation... We should remove the name arena from our stadiums. Too violent and barbaric for these times. Let the west see how civilized I am."

General: "... See it done."

Yes, the Operation Euphrates Shield never occurred.
Also, there is no 3 millions refugees in turkey, with pretty good condition (in relation with what they receive in Lebanon or worst, Europe) and nationality acquisition on the way.
 

Carcetti

Member
I'm not turkish, but i lived some time there. It felt like normal life, most of people around me being openly critical to Erdogan. Don't feeling like a dictatorship at all.

I am from South America so the word dictatorship have an actual meaning.

I would agree that he is increasingly authoritarian.

That's interesting, and it certainly opens up your point of view a bit better, too!
 

Madness

Member
Lol, this just keeps getting better and better. I bet Turks in Turkey stuck with this wannabe dictator wish they could smash the face of his supporters in Europe who live outside the country and won't return but voted to give him these powers.

Might as well start calling him Sultan. Sure it hasn't progressed yet, but give him another 10 years. See what happens with Turkey.
 
I'm not turkish, but i lived some time there. It felt like normal life, most of people around me being openly critical to Erdogan. Don't feeling like a dictatorship at all.

I am from South America so the word dictatorship have an actual meaning.

I would agree that he is increasingly authoritarian.

Good post tbf. I don't like Erdogan but a lot of outsiders who only know of Turkey from geopolitics and news articles seem to think it's some North Korean/Saddam Iraq dystopian level or something.

It's not good the direction Erdogan is taking the country. But Secular Turks still freely live, go out, drink, chill, have sex, criticise Erdogan openly etc. Just name all the lifestyle things you want and Secular Turks still live all that without hassle. I always enjoy my time there and strangely I worry more about Turkey when here in UK than when I'm there and everything appears normal in day to day life.

Again I'm not supporting Erdogan. This thread's subject is prime Erdogan tier of fuckery. But we need to be objective and not make Turkey look more dystopian than it is. It's a country full of First World problems and amenities, it's not a 3rd World shithole by any means.

If things were truly as fucked as some people think then the exodus of Secular/Opposition Turks would be far stronger, they'd even be desperate to get out and even try illegal immigration. But things aren't on that level. Hopefully they never will be. Perhaps sooner rather than later, as there are core AKP members who have had enough of his shit from what I've heard.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Good post tbf. I don't like Erdogan but a lot of outsiders who only know of Turkey from geopolitics and news articles seem to think it's some North Korean/Saddam Iraq dystopian level or something.

It's not good the direction Erdogan is taking the country. But Secular Turks still freely live, go out, drink, chill, have sex, criticise Erdogan openly etc. Just name all the lifestyle things you want and Secular Turks still live all that without hassle. I always enjoy my time there and strangely I worry more about Turkey when here in UK than when I'm there and everything appears normal in day to day life.

Again I'm not supporting Erdogan. This thread's subject is prime Erdogan tier of fuckery. But we need to be objective and not make Turkey look more dystopian than it is. It's a country full of First World problems and amenities, it's not a 3rd World shithole by any means.

If things were truly as fucked as some people think then the exodus of Secular/Opposition Turks would be far stronger, they'd even be desperate to get out and even try illegal immigration. But things aren't on that level. Hopefully they never will be. Perhaps sooner rather than later, as there are core AKP members who have had enough of his shit from what I've heard.

Erdogan changed the law to cement almost all power in the president's hands and allow him to maintain presidency for life with ease. He has jailed serious opposition and has aligned hardliners and religious extreMists behind him. You can count on one mutilated hand how many times that has ended well and there's no defense for it. Golden Pigeons post history is absolutely baffling given that he's not Turkish.
 

cameron

Member
Good post tbf. I don't like Erdogan but a lot of outsiders who only know of Turkey from geopolitics and news articles seem to think it's some North Korean/Saddam Iraq dystopian level or something.

It's not good the direction Erdogan is taking the country. But Secular Turks still freely live, go out, drink, chill, have sex, criticise Erdogan openly etc. Just name all the lifestyle things you want and Secular Turks still live all that without hassle. I always enjoy my time there and strangely I worry more about Turkey when here in UK than when I'm there and everything appears normal in day to day life.

Again I'm not supporting Erdogan. This thread's subject is prime Erdogan tier of fuckery. But we need to be objective and not make Turkey look more dystopian than it is. It's a country full of First World problems and amenities, it's not a 3rd World shithole by any means.

If things were truly as fucked as some people think then the exodus of Secular/Opposition Turks would be far stronger, they'd even be desperate to get out and even try illegal immigration. But things aren't on that level. Hopefully they never will be. Perhaps sooner rather than later, as there are core AKP members who have had enough of his shit from what I've heard.

The Guardian: "Record number of journalists in jail globally after Turkey crackdown"
More journalists have been imprisoned this year by governments around the world than at any time in nearly 30 years, primarily because of the crackdown in Turkey after the failed coup in July.

According to the annual survey compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), there were 259 journalists in jail as of 1 December, and at least 81 of those were in Turkish prisons.

All of the editors, writers, cartoonists and photographers detained in Turkey are facing anti-state charges, the press freedom organisation said in its report.
The CPJ report states: ”In Turkey, media freedom was already under siege in early 2016, with authorities arresting, harassing, and expelling journalists and shutting down or taking over news outlets."
In a two-month period, the Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan detained more than 100 journalists and closed down at least 100 news outlets, said the report.
The press doesn't seem to be living "without hassle." But tell us some more about how you always enjoy your time there.
 
Yes, the Operation Euphrates Shield never occurred.
Also, there is no 3 millions refugees in turkey, with pretty good condition (in relation with what they receive in Lebanon or worst, Europe) and nationality acquisition on the way.

I had no info on that operation, thanks for posting and informing me! But with that said, Erdogan is only holding onto these 3M refugees due to the money flowing from Europe.
He has many times threatened to release a "refugee flood" if he doesn't get what he wants.
 

Spladam

Member
Stadium being a well-known word of Turkish origin.
hahahaha
Good post tbf. I don't like Erdogan but a lot of outsiders who only know of Turkey from geopolitics and news articles seem to think it's some North Korean/Saddam Iraq dystopian level or something.

It's not good the direction Erdogan is taking the country. But Secular Turks still freely live, go out, drink, chill, have sex, criticise Erdogan openly etc. Just name all the lifestyle things you want and Secular Turks still live all that without hassle. I always enjoy my time there and strangely I worry more about Turkey when here in UK than when I'm there and everything appears normal in day to day life.

Again I'm not supporting Erdogan. This thread's subject is prime Erdogan tier of fuckery. But we need to be objective and not make Turkey look more dystopian than it is. It's a country full of First World problems and amenities, it's not a 3rd World shithole by any means.

If things were truly as fucked as some people think then the exodus of Secular/Opposition Turks would be far stronger, they'd even be desperate to get out and even try illegal immigration. But things aren't on that level. Hopefully they never will be. Perhaps sooner rather than later, as there are core AKP members who have had enough of his shit from what I've heard.
.
 

gamma

Member
Pretty normal for a democratically elected President to dictate stadium names. Not a dictator at all. Nope.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Pretty normal for a democratically elected President to dictate stadium names. Not a dictator at all. Nope.

Your Eurocentric cultural elitism ignores the norms of Turkish culture which apparently was not a successful secular democracy created by Ataturk and his supporters but was secretly a nuanced Islamic republic which us ignorant westerners failed to properly understand until two years ago.
 
Treatment of refugees in Europe is so bad that nobody traveled through Turkey to get there then?

Don't really know why you feel the need to defend someone like Erdogan here.

So you think that refugees in Europe are well-treated because people want to go there ? Do you think that US border police offer a good treatment to Mexicans immigrants since they all want to go there to ? It's really a dumb argument. Europe is systematically condemned by Amnesty International and others humans rights organizations for their treatment of migrant. The UN recognized that Turkey managed the syrian refugees crisis in a decent way.
 
Good post tbf. I don't like Erdogan but a lot of outsiders who only know of Turkey from geopolitics and news articles seem to think it's some North Korean/Saddam Iraq dystopian level or something.

It's not good the direction Erdogan is taking the country. But Secular Turks still freely live, go out, drink, chill, have sex, criticise Erdogan openly etc. Just name all the lifestyle things you want and Secular Turks still live all that without hassle. I always enjoy my time there and strangely I worry more about Turkey when here in UK than when I'm there and everything appears normal in day to day life.

Again I'm not supporting Erdogan. This thread's subject is prime Erdogan tier of fuckery. But we need to be objective and not make Turkey look more dystopian than it is. It's a country full of First World problems and amenities, it's not a 3rd World shithole by any means.

If things were truly as fucked as some people think then the exodus of Secular/Opposition Turks would be far stronger, they'd even be desperate to get out and even try illegal immigration. But things aren't on that level. Hopefully they never will be. Perhaps sooner rather than later, as there are core AKP members who have had enough of his shit from what I've heard.

Man you should really refrain from this kind of balanced account or you're name will always pop as a "dictator supporter" in every Erdogan thread ;)

On a more serious note, let's hope for the best in the future yes, i really love this country and i only wish you all the best, secular or religious alike.

I had no info on that operation, thanks for posting and informing me! But with that said, Erdogan is only holding onto these 3M refugees due to the money flowing from Europe.
He has many times threatened to release a "refugee flood" if he doesn't get what he wants.

How giving good conditions to refugees would change something about that infamous deal ? Ghadafi (a real dictator this time) was giving hell to refugees for decades and maintained the same kind of politics as doorkeeper for the West. Jordan and Lebanon refugees have it way more harder than Turkey, because Turkey is spending a lot of money in housing, health and education for those refugees. Erdogan is even pushing for giving them nationality. Recognizing a good move don't make you a supporter of somebody, don't worry ;)
 
Turkey is slowly turning into some lunatic tin-pot dictatorship. Damn shame.

Which day of the week do you guys think Erdogan is going to rename after himself?
 
This is so ironic because not only is 'stadium' a Latin word but it also originates from the Greek word 'stadion', their centuries old enemy. :D
 

G.ZZZ

Member
Well since the actual press basically no longer exist in turkey, it's no surprise that those are the "news" that can filter from there.

The interesting stuff will come out in years, if ever.
 
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