Before yesterday night, I was planning to write a new blog post [probably on Monday] about what I’m planning to do in 2017, and keep it cynical but as optimist as possible. But then, at the first hours of 2017, this happened.
It was shocking and devastating, some idiot motivated by delusional bullshit killed at least 39 people just because they were celebrating New Years Eve. But the main problem was, atmosphere for this attack created by many groups together, including some government organizations and pro-government media. Of course, many Muslim groups in Turkey didn’t liked Christmas and NYE celebrations and campaigned against those for a long time. But in the past couple years, especially in 2016, this become something more than that.
Also government helped them to legitimize all of this attacks and campaign against NYE celebrations. https://t.co/n4yzWiwvPp
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
That’s why I wrote this tweet. Because even the government’s Religious Affairs Directorate practically approved every protest and attack against NYE celebrations. Those attacks were usually something like stabbing or beating people wearing Santa costumes (some acting with them, some just wearing for money), passing out threatening flyers and using their media to spread those threats. And every year, they’ve become bolder and ready to do more.
The main problem is, government and media close to the government just served them as ‘concerned citizens.’ Beating people wearing Santa costumes delivered as ‘cute news.’ They were just citizens trying to protect ‘our national values.’
But when it comes to the reality, things were not that cute. All of them wants everyone living in this country to act and live like them. Everyone in Turkey must live like a perfect Turkish citizen, which is constructed by the Sunni, Turkish men long time ago, tweaked by every government on the way. They are the ones we should be like and not anything different. And if we’re different in any way, we’re a threat.
That’s why when I wrote the tweet above, some people on Twitter started attacking me. Claiming I’m the one dividing this society, “playing politics over dead bodies.” So I wrote couple more.
Because of this, pro-gov accounts claim I'm playing politics over dead people. Sorry, but you're not the ones made target by them. https://t.co/v39BVeIZx2
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
You're the ones dividing this country and turning us into 'others.' And I'm playing politics because I said that out loud? Fuck off!
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
Sorry but I'm not going to stay calm and kind against all of this bullshit. No one can threaten me and then expect me to be kind to them.
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
You're creating ideological breeding ground for them by targeting us. You prefer our death instead of criticizing your religion for a sec.
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
Ppl got stabbed bc they dressed as Santa and you show it as cute news and 'concerned citizens.' Govt orgs says celebrating is not approved.
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
When you do that, of course others will think "I can kill those heretics and get away with it." You're the ones encouraging those ideas.
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
And they're coming to kill people like me. They killed people like me tonight. Of course I'm going to say all of this out loud.
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
We're living in a constant state of panic, thinking "Which minorty will become the target this week?" This is our life in Turkey everyday.
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
And I have nothing to do other than writing what I feel and what's happening to me and people like me. And I'll keep writing no matter what!
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
I'll do everything to defend my way of life, my ideas and every other minority you're trying to destroy. We'll not go down that easily!
— Ahmet A. Sabancı (@ahmetasabanci) January 1, 2017
The “We” I was talking about there is basically everyone who is not Sunni, Turkish and male living in Turkey. Women, LGBTQ, Christians, Jews, Atheists, Kurds, Armenians, Alevis, leftists and everyone else you can think of. We’re always seen as a threat to their values, to their nation. And every time an attack like that happens and someone like me comes out and says why people are too eager to do things like that, they say we’re dividing this country. We’re playing politics. Instead we should just shut the fuck up and be like them. Every time they say “We should unite against this attack,” they mean “You all have to be like us and instead of talking the truth, you should go along with our conspiracy theories which doesn’t explain a shit but helps us to gain more politics points. And if you don’t, we’ll declare you’re a terrorist too.”
[Just to make it clear: This isn't something new or specific to AKP. This is the political culture in Turkey for decades. Every government in Turkey used it, just tweaked some parts or added some new conspiracy theories over it.]
I’m pissed off. Every time, every single fucking time, they do everything to divide this society and oppress us and then someone using their rhetoric kills people. And then when I say you’re helping them with doing this and saying that, I’ll become the target again. They cause all of this bullshit and then blame the people got attacked. Two days ago, Religious Affairs Directorate declared NYE celebrations against our culture [PDF], pro-government newspapers ‘warned’ people to not to celebrate, some people put a gun over someone’s head who wears a Santa costume and get away with it [in TUR], many local departments of Ministry of National Education sent notices to all schools to ‘kindly forbid’ NYE celebrations in schools (because it’s not part of our culture) [both links in TUR] and religious sect leaders close to them threatened people celebrating [people like Cübbeli Ahmet etc.]. Then someone decided to kill people celebrating NYE and now they’re acting like all of these didn’t happened and we’re the ones to blame. Just because we’re saying what they did two days ago.
FUCK THAT SHIT! I’m sick of playing the kind and good one against those secretly (and sometimes openly) wishing death to all of us; thinking either we live like them or we don’t deserve living in here; expecting me to apologize for everything I believe and do which they did not approve; doing everything to destroy every culture, art and lifestyle they didn’t like.
This is who I am and I don’t have any plans for a change or apologize just because some idiots didn’t like it. I’ll defend myself and every other minority living in here until those shitheads understand that only thing they should do is shut up. I don’t have any plans to let them get away with turning us into targets just because we want everyone to live however they want, instead of how they want.
This wasn’t how I planned to start 2017 but here we are. Everything keeps going and doesn’t care if you’re hangover or not [I’m, kind of]. It’s going to be a weird and deadly interesting year, as usual. I’m here to do what I usually do, only more and more. And with hope to turn the world into a weirder place with it. Because that’s the only way I know to resist against those who wants us to become the copies of them.
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