Job Discussion Forums

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

I'm somewhat confused by the tone of the following article
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=67566
which appears to be criticising the intrusion of the ex-president of Turkmenistan into its education system.

yaramaz · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:55 am Post subject:

Pot: "Hey Kettle! You're black!"

bigbadsuzie · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:56 am Post subject:

I don't think the situation is the same here, there may be parallels here but hardly to the same degree . We work here in not the best teaching environments and the kids seem to be unaware of any responsibility but I can't see what you getting at perhaps a bit more clarification might help .

tvik · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 371 Location: here

Turkmen are related but quite different. basically they are more "eastern" and the turks are more "western" there is also a stronger connection to the wilder past. Turkmen never had an imperial past and the steppe that the wild horse men rode in from is just around the corner. Turkment never had a democratic thought in their heads until recently.

yaramaz · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:16 pm Post subject:

Maybe things are different in the Izmir area, but dang it, that article sure did ring a few bells from my years in central Anatolia! Statues and quotes and portraits everywhere. At school, if you asked the kids anything about history or philosophy or culture, it all came back to your man. Even the adults asked me who Canada's great, revered general was. I honestly couldn't think of anyone. They couldn't believe that Canada could have coped for so long without one.

Anyone ever see that giant silhouette somewhere near Avanos, with Bataturk's profile done in christmas lights? It was up on a hill somewhere...

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

Yaramaz said:

Golightly · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:53 pm Post subject:

Billy invented music, that's why. He also invented writing, the railway, and ears, so that your hat will stay on.
Don't ask why I call Him Billy.

yaramaz · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 2:00 pm Post subject:

Where I used to work, he was everywhere. He was in sports, in music, in art (year end projects were multi media depictions of your man- in macaroni, clay, mosaic...), history, literature, philosophy... In the playground there were at least three major statues/busts, and that doesn't include the 247 mini portraits we once counted in one single grade 1 classroom (they were strung up around the room, interspersed with flags). My students learned basically nothing about the outside world, and very little that wasn't connected in some way to that fellow with the bushy eyebrows, staring at you from every corner. It was fascinating.

yaramaz · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 2:02 pm Post subject:

Oh, and did you know Elvis was Turkish? He was! And so are the Navajo.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

So, who's Billy?

Golightly · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:08 pm Post subject:

The Buyuk Onder, of course.

The eyes! the eyes!

yaramaz · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject:

The wizard of oz?

tararu · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 494

I think the big difference is that Ataturk has been dead for the past 70 odd years. The government, military and public have deified him. Niyazov decided to become a god all by himself.

tarte tatin · Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Posts: 247 Location: Istanbul

Ha ha you should try living in Samsun where the great man came ashore on 19 May!