Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.
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I play a weird sport called underwater hockey. I've mentioned it before. But that's not the fun part for this post.
There is a Turkish guy that occasionally plays with us. How do I know he is Turkish? Because he tells me and everyone he meets in just about every conversation.
He starts most of his introductions to strangers by guessing what nationality they are from. He is pretty accurate most of the time. But also it's a hilarious form of interaction to see in modern day America, where ethnic origins feel like a slightly taboo topic. I'll admit to feeling a little jealous.
His accent and clear foreignness helps him get away with it I think. Or maybe I could get away with it too and I just haven't tried the strategy of "guess their nationality" as an ice breaker. It also maybe ironically helps that he is a clear Turkish nationalist. He earnestly believes that Turkey is the next great up and coming country, and that I should look into investing in companies over there. Turkey is also going to do great in the next Olympics and world cup, or so he tells me. I should also consider visiting there on my next vacation, it's a beautiful country.
He makes me smile, but he also does a damn good job of recruiting random strangers. Remember how I said I know him through underwater hockey? Yeah he somehow convinces people to play this sport while hanging out in the hot tub before practice. We could use some more people to play with us. Maybe I should be a Turkish nationalist.
Man, the shit I've seen.
This is a thing and will likely remain a thing for a long long time if not forever. I can't complain because I've exploited it. I don't know how I wasn't knifed in some places. Not for nationalism, but stupid jovial traveling.
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They had some successes recently, but a sharp turn to islamisation that Erdogan took may eventually take it to the direction of Iran. On one side, Iran is still a power to recognize, on the other - they spend a lot of money on fighting West and Israel and it won't end well for them, eventually.
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It's a great place to go as a tourist. It might be a muslim country, but its not too-muslim. (The first cab-driver I met had me taking shots of his moonshine in the back of the taxi-van.) The vibes in the western part of the country are more like Greece. Lots of Roman ruins to see (Ephesus), there's also a place where a water spring with high calcium content comes out at the top of a hill and covers the entire hill with calcium formations, very scenic.
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