Can Okar Profile picture
26 Dec, 4 tweets, 2 min read
On the left, an ignorant, vainglorious old man, saying the young don’t work.

On the right, a young healthcare worker saying he has no money, no hope, and could be hit by a car on his way home from a 24 hour shift and he wouldn’t care anymore.

New Turkey.
If you watch this video and don’t get a lump in your throat for the kid and raging anger at the sheer inhumanity of the old man, I question your ethics and your ability to drink from the milk of human kindness.

This, right here, is Turkey’s challenge. It is generational.
The problem is there are millions of both that old man and that beautiful little kid.

The forces of unwarranted and inhuman arrogance waged against hopeless yet bright youth is the battle for Turkey’s future.

How it ends is really up to up all of us but it’s not going well.
Even if you don’t speak Turkish, watch the video with the sound off and read the body language.

That will be enough for you to understand how this new generation is being ignored and belittled by incumbent power.

That old man represents an aged elite of entitled ignorance.

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More from @canokar

24 Dec
Ottoman Chess.

Like normal chess but the Sultan (King) can occasionally strangle his own pieces. Image
Also, if you play for long enough, the game collapses, there’s a Republican interlude and then the Imams (bishops) are allowed to do whatever they like.

It’s a confusing game but it ends with your side owing the other side more money than reasonably exists
“Why did you lose your last game of Ottoman Chess?”

“The Germans lost and for some reason that meant I lost too.”
Read 7 tweets
23 Dec
The AKP can’t reasonably claim moral superiority when it comes to sexual assault of women and abuse of the vulnerable more generally.

But the CHP has to be whiter than white on this.

Right now it clearly isn’t. The #MeToo  movement should replenish the opposition.

Seriously.
It’s natural we hear more details of abuse from the opposition because the opposition should necessarily pull in people who don’t accept abuse.

Our problem is a society that allows powerful men to think that power allows them to exert abuse of authority on those around them.
The opposition may well be attacked by an unfair media and judicial system but at the same time, an abuser is an abuser and the evidence is always there in the person who finally shouts out about their abuse.

If the opposition can’t be clear about this, it’s screwed.
Read 4 tweets
30 Aug
Given we’re asking whether Turkish twitter celebrities are actual people, I’d love to ask who @drsinanerdil is.

His profile photo is from this group photo from a University of Toronto OISE graduation in 2011.

He doesn’t exist outside of twitter.

Yet followed by 62.3k people...
The only other photo I can find of him is the one below. Old bios talked of ODTÜ and living in Canada. Those are gone now.

There are no publications by a Dr Sinan Erdil. In this world of everything being online, it feels impossible that there would be no trail.
He’s been quoted in Turkish media as an expert on the economy. Yet there is no evidence that this person even exists. Perhaps @drsinanerdil might want to shut me up by discussing what he was doing at UoT in 2011 with the OISE graduating class.

Or discuss how he became a Dr?
Read 6 tweets
13 Aug
Two things the Finance Minister said last night:

“A weak lira boosts tourism revenue.”
“Turkish citizens don’t care about traveling abroad.”

That tells you everything you need to know about how AKP views Turkey and voters. We should all know our place.
A country with a weak currency will entice investment but only because it’s cheap. That is only one type of competition and it’s not the one you want to aim for.

It’s choosing to be the BIM or A101 of the global market. It limits the dreams of anyone living in that country.
Instead of attempting to develop a truly competitive economy, labour force and vision, Turkey appears to have thrown in the towel to compete on price alone.

“No more holidays or nice things for you. You just work for a pittance, let the foreigners actually enjoy life.”
Read 4 tweets
27 Mar
Turkey’s President is about to give a national address about COVID-19 following two rapid acceleration days taking the case count past 5,000. I’ll be live translating here. A lot of rumors that he will be announcing a shutdown. Let’s see.
In the meantime, I’m watching AHaber. It’s normally very difficult to watch, with deeply partisan and conspiracy-laden commentary.

Tonight there seem to be some really qualified medical experts talking a lot of sense. Surprising but welcome.
The empty lectern appears, flanked by six Turkish flags. This is going to be a serious announcement.
Read 16 tweets
6 Mar
I think we’ve reached the point where we can say it is a statistical impossibility that Turkey does not have a single case of coronavirus.

We’ve all been privately talking/joking about it but it’s probably time to really discuss what is happening here.
Early detection and treatment is vital when you’re dealing with any illness.

Public precautionary measures are even more vital in cases of epidemics. Whatever is happening in Turkey right now needs to be reconsidered fast. This can’t end well if the current approach continues.
If this is the reason (and I apologize but I sense it’s the only way to phrase this), it is a terrible fucking approach. It will backfire big time.

If you try to save the day by sacrificing trust and all the days of the future, you’re acting malevolently.
Read 4 tweets

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