Politics in Turkey is actually not funny. Chernobyl wasn’t funny and the mad cow disease also not.
People were injured, got infected, lethally sick, people got imprisoned and people died. And still, there is this embracing ironic attitude out there coming along with a fatalistic smirk, a Monty Pythonesk way of looking at life.
When Chernobyl was on, the wind blew radioactive rain on to the fields in the Black Sea region, tea leafs got affected. The government said the harvest is going to be burned, the tea farmers will be compensated. They were not. Tea was still sold, and everyone came to know it. So they said wash the leaves and all is just fine. It was not. Anyway, the tea boys, running around with traditional tea trays, each of them usually carrying a dozen tea glasses, promoted their tea almost proudly but at least with a dirty smirk: Chaynobil, Chaynobil …anyone wants Chaynobil?!
When the mad cow disease was on, the government said the cows will be burned and farmers will be compensated. They were not. Anyway, mad cows were made to Döner, and the Döner guys still standing, grinding their meat swords, promoted their Döner almost proudly but at least with a dirty smirk: Deli Döner, Deli Döner …anyone wants Deli Döner!? Deli sounds quite ok in English, however in Turkish Deli means actually mad. False friend.
Never mind, always look on the bright side of life. Last weekend I was invited to a motto party in Istanbul. The hosts emphasized that they will be very serious about their costume policy, and will not let anyone in without being either seriously Dirty or Corrupted. Unfortunately, I couldn’t join the party, but pictures tell it was full of guys in police uniforms. Quite popular these days in Istanbul. The women I saw were nurses, and just deli sexy. Nurses are quite popular there these days, too. A Bloody Mary to that!