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Is there a distinct Turkish Cypriot culture?

How can we solve it? (keep it civilized)

Postby denizaksulu » Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:11 pm

Tim Drayton wrote:
denizaksulu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:
Kikapu wrote:Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.! :lol:

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!! :lol:


Turkish men in Turkey sometimes also squeeze one anothers' knees or thighs when they sit and chat, usually when exchanging some spicy bit of information. Again, there is nothing gay about it, it is just a way of bonding. Turkish Cypriot culture, in my experience, is not like this. As I have said, it seems less tactile to me. However, Deniz's input suggests that I could be mistaken.


You are not mistaken Tim. I think the 'custom' just died out because of foreign inspired 'homophobia'. As I said, I have not seen this in Cyprus since 1963. It was as you say a 'bonding' of friend. Tactility is a psychological need of every human being. Ourupbringing in those days even prevented young people (couples) walking hand in hand unless you were engaged to get married. Among young men this was common, but nowadays more liberal attitudes to open male /female relationships has negated the need for this male to male 'tactility'. IMHO.

Also we must not forget that we were 'taught' to hold hands at primary school.


From what I have heard about the "old days" in Cyprus, mainly from listening to interviews with elderly people on television, weddings in both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot villages used to be strictly segregated along sexual lines with the women celebrating indoors and the men celebrating outdoors in the streets. What strikes me is that is how village weddings are conducted today in mainland Turkish villages. In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden. Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.



We had that too Tim. At the age of 12, I was in love. When I went to Nicosia LTurkish Bots Lyce, I sent a Bayram card to my 'beloved'. She was 11 at the time. I cannot tell you the repurcussions. I was a hunted 'man', by then 15 year old. I cannot say any more.
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Postby Tim Drayton » Fri Jul 25, 2008 4:51 pm

denizaksulu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:
denizaksulu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:
Kikapu wrote:Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.! :lol:

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!! :lol:


Turkish men in Turkey sometimes also squeeze one anothers' knees or thighs when they sit and chat, usually when exchanging some spicy bit of information. Again, there is nothing gay about it, it is just a way of bonding. Turkish Cypriot culture, in my experience, is not like this. As I have said, it seems less tactile to me. However, Deniz's input suggests that I could be mistaken.


You are not mistaken Tim. I think the 'custom' just died out because of foreign inspired 'homophobia'. As I said, I have not seen this in Cyprus since 1963. It was as you say a 'bonding' of friend. Tactility is a psychological need of every human being. Ourupbringing in those days even prevented young people (couples) walking hand in hand unless you were engaged to get married. Among young men this was common, but nowadays more liberal attitudes to open male /female relationships has negated the need for this male to male 'tactility'. IMHO.

Also we must not forget that we were 'taught' to hold hands at primary school.


From what I have heard about the "old days" in Cyprus, mainly from listening to interviews with elderly people on television, weddings in both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot villages used to be strictly segregated along sexual lines with the women celebrating indoors and the men celebrating outdoors in the streets. What strikes me is that is how village weddings are conducted today in mainland Turkish villages. In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden. Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.



We had that too Tim. At the age of 12, I was in love. When I went to Nicosia LTurkish Bots Lyce, I sent a Bayram card to my 'beloved'. She was 11 at the time. I cannot tell you the repurcussions. I was a hunted 'man', by then 15 year old. I cannot say any more.


That's a touching story.

I have lived in Qatar and seen the misery that this kind of segregation causes young people, but then the streets there are not full of knife-wielding drunken teenagers from broken homes, either, like you get in the UK. Perhaps both extremes are wrong. I think the kind of society that you find in both halves of Cyprus nowadays represents a happy medium.
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Postby Kikapu » Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:21 pm

Tim Drayton wrote:In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden.


That's how some young girls who are unmarried and not a virgin any longer end up in the local village's whorehouses, since "mercy killings" is not really a Turkish thing. For the girl however, it means the same thing, because they are disowned by the family and the community.. :cry: :cry: :cry:


Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.

Yes Tim, we have evolved.!! :lol:
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Postby denizaksulu » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:21 pm

Tim Drayton wrote:
denizaksulu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:
denizaksulu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:
Kikapu wrote:Here is something Turkish men do in Turkey that we Turkish Cypriots men would not dare to do anywhere, which is men walking together arm in arm. Nothing Gay about it, it's just what they do in public walking along, specially in small villages. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for me when some male friends put their arms in mine while walking with other friends. This is a man who has lived in the "Gay Capital" of the world for 25 years, San Francisco saying this.! :lol:

Does the settlers do this in the north, and if so, has the TC men caught up with the "new fashion" yet..!! :lol:


Turkish men in Turkey sometimes also squeeze one anothers' knees or thighs when they sit and chat, usually when exchanging some spicy bit of information. Again, there is nothing gay about it, it is just a way of bonding. Turkish Cypriot culture, in my experience, is not like this. As I have said, it seems less tactile to me. However, Deniz's input suggests that I could be mistaken.


You are not mistaken Tim. I think the 'custom' just died out because of foreign inspired 'homophobia'. As I said, I have not seen this in Cyprus since 1963. It was as you say a 'bonding' of friend. Tactility is a psychological need of every human being. Ourupbringing in those days even prevented young people (couples) walking hand in hand unless you were engaged to get married. Among young men this was common, but nowadays more liberal attitudes to open male /female relationships has negated the need for this male to male 'tactility'. IMHO.

Also we must not forget that we were 'taught' to hold hands at primary school.


From what I have heard about the "old days" in Cyprus, mainly from listening to interviews with elderly people on television, weddings in both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot villages used to be strictly segregated along sexual lines with the women celebrating indoors and the men celebrating outdoors in the streets. What strikes me is that is how village weddings are conducted today in mainland Turkish villages. In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden. Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.



We had that too Tim. At the age of 12, I was in love. When I went to Nicosia LTurkish Bots Lyce, I sent a Bayram card to my 'beloved'. She was 11 at the time. I cannot tell you the repurcussions. I was a hunted 'man', by then 15 year old. I cannot say any more.


That's a touching story.

I have lived in Qatar and seen the misery that this kind of segregation causes young people, but then the streets there are not full of knife-wielding drunken teenagers from broken homes, either, like you get in the UK. Perhaps both extremes are wrong. I think the kind of society that you find in both halves of Cyprus nowadays represents a happy medium.



Things are much improved now. Thank God. :lol:
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Postby Tim Drayton » Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:20 am

Kikapu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden.


That's how some young girls who are unmarried and not a virgin any longer end up in the local village's whorehouses, since "mercy killings" is not really a Turkish thing. For the girl however, it means the same thing, because they are disowned by the family and the community.. :cry: :cry: :cry:


Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.

Yes Tim, we have evolved.!! :lol:


I once knew the only doctor in Balıkesir who performed abortions and he was doing a roaring trade, most of his clientele being young, unmarried village girls. Clearly the theory and practice of Turkish village life are quite different things.

Curiously this doctor ended up the victim of a kind of honour killing. The irate husband of a nurse whom he was carrying on with came to his office one day and shot him dead in cold blood!
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Postby halil » Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:40 am

if we are going to talk about distinct Turkish Cypriot culture we must look in 3 parts for of it i can say.
1. Culture during Ottoman time.
2. Culture during British Time .
3.Culture before 74 and after 74 .

Headlines might be :

1.houseing system.
1.1 house belongings ,furniture, property ...............

2. Costumes , habits .....................

3. Moral values, eternal verities ................

4.
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Postby Oracle » Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:43 am

Tim Drayton wrote:
Kikapu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden.


That's how some young girls who are unmarried and not a virgin any longer end up in the local village's whorehouses, since "mercy killings" is not really a Turkish thing. For the girl however, it means the same thing, because they are disowned by the family and the community.. :cry: :cry: :cry:


Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.

Yes Tim, we have evolved.!! :lol:


I once knew the only doctor in Balıkesir who performed abortions and he was doing a roaring trade, most of his clientele being young, unmarried village girls. Clearly the theory and practice of Turkish village life are quite different things.

Curiously this doctor ended up the victim of a kind of honour killing. The irate husband of a nurse whom he was carrying on with came to his office one day and shot him dead in cold blood!


What I found most fascinating about these sexual double standards is that they evolved alongside intelligence.

The drive to further enhance intelligence accelerated to make these sexual games more sophisticated. The advantage seems to be to lead to as much mixed fathering as possible.

The "Sperm Wars" theories grew out of these observations.

Some recent study uncovered a figure of 1 in 5 children from normal happy families, are not fathered by the "family" father.

Evidence for cuckolding (with similar statistics) was found in many species of birds as well.

What's easily hidden by the safety-net of "marriage", is harder to hide for unmarried girls .... the product of a normal biological-driven pastime.
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Postby Tim Drayton » Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:03 pm

Oracle wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:
Kikapu wrote:
Tim Drayton wrote:In rural Turkey, families go to great lengths to protect the honour of their unmarried female members, and any sort of casual mingling of the sexes is forbidden.


That's how some young girls who are unmarried and not a virgin any longer end up in the local village's whorehouses, since "mercy killings" is not really a Turkish thing. For the girl however, it means the same thing, because they are disowned by the family and the community.. :cry: :cry: :cry:


Perhaps, in fact, Turkish Cypriot culture was once closer to that of Anatolia, and more recent developments have moved them apart.

Yes Tim, we have evolved.!! :lol:


I once knew the only doctor in Balıkesir who performed abortions and he was doing a roaring trade, most of his clientele being young, unmarried village girls. Clearly the theory and practice of Turkish village life are quite different things.

Curiously this doctor ended up the victim of a kind of honour killing. The irate husband of a nurse whom he was carrying on with came to his office one day and shot him dead in cold blood!


What I found most fascinating about these sexual double standards is that they evolved alongside intelligence.

The drive to further enhance intelligence accelerated to make these sexual games more sophisticated. The advantage seems to be to lead to as much mixed fathering as possible.

The "Sperm Wars" theories grew out of these observations.

Some recent study uncovered a figure of 1 in 5 children from normal happy families, are not fathered by the "family" father.

Evidence for cuckolding (with similar statistics) was found in many species of birds as well.

What's easily hidden by the safety-net of "marriage", is harder to hide for unmarried girls .... the product of a normal biological-driven pastime.


It is interesting to speculate how many cases of unwitting incest take place in the world where people marry, believing themselves to be the offspring of their lawful parents, when in fact they were both fathered by the same local philander.
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Postby Kikapu » Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:03 pm

Tim Drayton wrote:
Curiously this doctor ended up the victim of a kind of honour killing. The irate husband of a nurse whom he was carrying on with came to his office one day and shot him dead in cold blood!


You can hardly call that a "honour killing" Tim. It was pure and simple a anger and revenge killing. Had he killed his wife, then it would have been more of a "honour killing".

In the past, when ever men from the West wanted to travel to Turkey, I would always warn them, that unless they had intentions in marrying one of the girls from Turkey, was "not to fuck with them", or else.!

It may still be true in some remote villages where everyone knows everyone and everything. But some of these "protector of the girls" fathers would also openly go and visit the local whorehouse in the village, which was an accepted thing by the wives, not that they had any say so in what their man did anyways. Perhaps also, the women were happy to be left alone by their husbands.
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Postby Oracle » Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:14 pm

Well here is an interesting comment on the reasons for the practice of male circumcision (which I believe is in keeping with the thread topic).

New Scientist wrote:Circumcision is one of the less painful forms of mutilation, but it is also less effective at reducing sperm competition. Wilson suggests, however, that the lack of a foreskin could make insertion or ejaculation slower, meaning brief, illicit sex is less likely to come to fruition and lead to a pregnancy.


So perhaps in those cultures which practice male circumcision ... this may be the underlying reason why.

Affairs are less likely to lead to fathering i.e. pregnancies and evidence.

Hence an exercise of Free Will by man, against the drives of nature ....
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