More Misconceptions About Turkey

I have been thinking about this a lot. 
 Us Americans and how we feel the world views us. But how the world really looks at us. 
 We are not a perfect people. I think that collectively, we are honest, good and want the best for our children and we want to just live in peace. That is what I think. 
 However, there are extreme all over the world. I think that us as Americans, one of the things we did not do well was study other people better. I have several friends that have never been outside the state that they live in or they were born in and some that have never been outside America. 
 When I travel to another country, I study the land, the history, the culture and read as much as I can. Then, I go, not wanting to be an elitist traveler but one of a curious mind. This way I can see the world in my eyes but hopefully see it through the eyes of others. 
  The news is not a good place to read about the real things that are happening in the country. 
I have been reading articles on Al Jazeera English but started to delete them because I discovered that although I wanted to read about what was happening in the world, they were writing opinions and not NEWS. opinions are just diatribes of somethings, for example when I have a tangent on something. That is not news. It is just a tangent. 
  HOWEVER...   I loved watching their under cover reports about the Slaves- For- Wife problem in India. to me, that is news because it was real and on camera. It was not opinion it was fact. 
  Now, with this said, There is a lot of talk about Iran and Turkey being buddy buddy. 

Let me clear something up for you Americans that read my blog. And let me also give you a challenge. 

First of all the Challenge. 

Please ask me or people here in Turkey what is really going on. Not once do people ask me anything about my life as an American nor my life living in other places, not anything. But then, that is fine. However, people are reading the "News" when really please look carefully to see if it is news or just opinion. 

Second: The clearing up bit. 

Since right after WWI Turkey and America has had their ups and downs as far as friendship is concerned. 
 In WWI the Ottoman Empire was still here in Turkey. The Lat Emperor to Rule Officially was a man named Abdul Mecid II.  Of course there are recognized descendants but we are talking about the man who was in power when Kemal Ataturk became the President and made Turkey an Independent Country.  
 Well, us Americans are all for a monarchy dissolving. (hehe) 
 Turkey has a very very unique position and a very important one in the world. I believe that Turkey has far greater use to us Americans than we give them credit for and we should be working hand in hand in their great efforts in trying to make the gap between America and the world a smaller one and a more peaceable one. 
 Let's look at this, or consider this. 
For a few minutes  do not think about Turkey being friends with Iran. Because you will see that Turkey is friends with America too!


Turkey is literally a country where East and West meets. Turkey is the beginning or the ending of the old famous and ever needful Silk Road, which is used in part today that helps the smaller countries in the Far East connect to the outside world and parts of Central Asia. Also, when I say literally, I mean it because Turkey is the only country in the world that sits on two continents and they are both huge and vast. Turkey sits on Asia and Europe. It is the only EurAsian country. Period. 
 With this in mind, please reader, think of all the countries East of Turkey. Those countries were once part of this now smaller but great nation of Turkey. So, who better can we learn from than to get the view points of  the world today in those regions than to talk to those leaders but also to get opinions from that of the  Political opinions of Turkey. 
 Turkey wants to just be friends with everyone, although they have been given a lot of bad flack lately. 
Turks are proud people but I do not mean that in a negative proud way. They are hard working and try their hardest to just do with what they have. 
 Turkey is not with out flaws, but Turkey has had our backs since after WWI. Thy did not want to go to war in WWII but we did not either. They helped hundreds of thousands of victims of Genocide. Jews, Bulgarians, The Former Yugoslavia States. They do not have a lot of Jews here but that is because many Jews after WWII were able to go to USA but there are many that stayed. I know of several Jewish Synagogues in Turkey. 
  Turkey and Iran. Turkey is on the border with Iran. However, we Americans have an Air Force base here and we are getting another base here closer to the Iranian border. 
 Turkey was trying and has a lot of oil and natural gas here but the land it is in is Turkey but Armenia is whining about it and so the project to get it has been halted.
 Turkey has been working with American Government and proactive in trying to defeat the PKK (a well known Terrorist group in the Eastern part of Turkey)
Turkey helped American troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and even Korean War. 
 The Turkish people need more modern technology and they need it done in a cheaper way. They want it.
Americans spend too much money in factories in China and India for building things and they should move their companies and jobs to Turkey. They would be higher quality, made in a better way faster, and it would not make the items more expensive. In return Turkish people would be able to benefit because there would not be the high cost of import fees which are more than double than anywhere in the world. Seriously.
Americans complain about the cost of Petrol. I would beg that our Petrol prices were that of America. Turkish people pay by the liter and it is more than double the price for one gallon. Americans would be outraged if they had to pay the prices of United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Turkey. Not to mention anywhere else in teh world.
Turkish Citizens pay 50% taxes on their pay checks every month. That is the cost of Socialism.
Turkish Citizens that are working only get 2 weeks off a year. Period. Some will work 14-18 days before they get one day off. 
 The average worker in Turkey works 12 hours a day and get paid the equivalent of 300 USD a month. There are not any compensations for that either. 
Turkish people LOVE LOVE LOVE Family so very much and Family is the backbone of their life. 
Turkish people want to advance their knowledge, and are curious about the world they live in and other people and what others think of them. They are friendly and caring. 
Yes all over the world you will find in all places bad people, but they are good here. Just very hard working which give them more stress here than other places. 
 There are not a lot of books here and not a lot of libraries. Not a lot of people read for leisure. But people want to change that. 


Turks need to be given more credit for the good and not be thought of so negatively. 

Turkey has a lot of artifacts and antiquities and are doing everything they can to preserve their ancient History. People have come, excavated Turkish Lands and pillaged items by removing them and taking them to London, Egypt and Italy and even Greece. This is an atrocity in my opinion! Those things should be sent back to Turkey and in a honorable way! When Turkey, in 2005 asked the Queen of England to return some items because they deserved to be in the rightful land, she basically said no. She did paint the ceiling as though it was outside in a blue color and that was that. So, Queen of England... .You stink because your Ancestors Stole something and you refused to return it and make a bad thing the right thing. 

  Turkey's antiquities "Touristic Spots" rival anywhere in the world. 


Turkey has a strong strong Ancient Christian back ground and have a huge respect for the Virgin Mary and Jesus who is called Isa in Turkish. No, Muslims are not Christians but Turkish people are proof that you can live with other people and cultures side by side and still have respect and kindness for others and their way of life even if it is different then their own. Ancient Turkey was Roman Empire which was very strong here in Turkey.
  The Ottoman Empire has a bad wrap for killing Christians but Christians killed tons and millions of non-Christians. Even, they would pay for Crusades. What do you think Crusades were? They were simply leaving England, Spain, France, Portugal and Italy and even Germany and what??? Smoking the peace pipe with people who did not believe what they believed? 
The Ottoman Empire were great Conquerors but The Crusades were mean and nasty, so I get really tired when I hear about how wonderful other Monarchies were, and how "Bad" The other Empires were. That is just simply, nonsense. 


Well there is my soap box for the day. 
 Read wisely. Think more wise.