Turkish machismo has been well-documented from Pope-shootings to football stabbings, dangerous seductions and even internet memes; masculinity is one of the defining characteristics of Turkey, a little behind camels but before Camel cigarettes (though neither are Turkish).
Here, ‘manliness’ is next to ‘godliness’ (more so than cleanliness) and renouncing masculinity is a shameful act dared only by the lowest rungs of the social ladder: women, your rival football team’s fans, and homosexuals.
The gay community* has it particularly rough, with 76 percent public disapproval, homosexuals discouraged from working in fields outside of fashion or entertainment, gay rights groups threatened, and the easiest way out of compulsory military service being a boyfriend.
The best efforts of the gay community (including annual awards [link Turkish] given to the most homophobic people, institutions, television programs and Popes) have not been enough to shift Turkish sympathies, eliciting much criticism from the West.
But
- Speaking of music, most modern Turkish pop consists of the same repetitive electronic dance music popular in gay clubs and
- Most Turkish men prefer socializing with men over women; they spend all day sitting in smoky all-male cafes, drink raki with large groups of men, walk down the street arm-in-arm with their buddies, beat up anyone who questions their masculinity with other men, etc.
- As a peninsula
- It’s not really gay if you are on top, and definitely not if you didn’t know she had a penis.
- This has been our national sport for nearly seven centuries:
This past weekend was the 648th annual Kırkpınar oil wrestling finals. Men cover themselves in olive oil, push and reach in each others’ pants to subdue their opponent. For some reason, only foreigners seem to notice the homo-eroticism.
Really, Turks have no problem how “gay” the culture is, just as long as nobody calls it “gay.”
* “Gay community” here refers to homosexual males; lesbians don’t count as they are shamed enough being born women.
2 comments:
humorously narrated, as usual :)
by the way have you heard of the recent "pink scare" in the turkish literature?
as you may recall, elif şafak's latest book aşk has a phosphorus pink cover with a heart-shaped leaf on the front. now, the publishers (doğan kitap) has published a new special issue with a smoky gray cover. you know why? because, as şafak explains, male readers want to read and enjoy the piece but find it embarrassing when people see them with a pink book at hand.
here is all the details of the story, including interviews with the author, the publisher and the readers:
http://www.milliyet.com.tr/Pazar/HaberDetay.aspx?aType=HaberDetay&KategoriID=26&ArticleID=1111421&Date=28.06.2009&b=Macolar%20icin%20%20%E2%80%9CAsk%E2%80%9Din%20gri%20%20kapaklisi%20cikti (unfortunately for only those who can read turkish)
i feel embarrassed for living in the same country together with a group of men who feel embarrassed to hold a pink book when they are in society. and let me remind you, i haven't said anything yet about the "colorful" discrimination around our id cards.
It is absolutely useless.
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