Cyprus-Forum.com

[shahmaran]

ok i might have "twisted" the story a bit, i have crossed more then once BUT only actually went further south than nicosia once, the rest were simply to get some greek alcohol from the shops near the gates, but now we can buy most of them in the north too so i dont bother anymore.

i was with some friends so obviously we speak turkish, this was a few years ago, i think the first summer since the gates were opened up, so maybe we dont come accross to be such aliens anymore...and im pretty sure its not so easy to take a vehicle accross, u do need certain special insurances (specially if youre going to get your windows smashed and wheels sliced ).

i think the only time we WERE actually allowed to bring back vehicles from the south, was when thoose foolish bikers decided to protest on the border LOL. anyhow it was a bad move, we all know how that one turned out, all they achieved was to come back with a few more bodies to whine about. shame really...

[BirKibrisli]

Have you heard the expression "One swallow does not make summer",Shahmaran???
Have you considered that perhaps you walked into the wrong shop,or the GC shopkeeper had a bad night or a fight with his wife or something?

That you are prepare to dismiss the whole GC community on the basis of one experience,does not make your arguments very credible. In fact it shows that you had your prejudices,and you jumped on the first negative experience to justify them in your mind.

At age 26 you say you are,one ought to be more openminded and open hearted about these matters,No?

I wonder how many GCs had negative experiences similar to yours when they visited the North? And i wonder if they all went back cursing all TCs and vowing never to go back?

You are talking (plural you) about our motherland,for God's sake.And you are talking about our GC brothers and sisters.Sure some of them are prejudiced and bigoted and chauvinistic,whatever,just like some TCs.But don't you all think we owe it to our country,our motherland,to give each other as many chances as necessary to put all this bitterness behind us,and reunite our Cyprus? I know that the fears of people like VP and Zan for their safety are very real to them,because I used to feel the same fears myself. Until I got the opportunity to get rid of them. I now know those fears were greatly exaggerated,partly being the direct result of a well orchestrated misinformation campaign by the TMT and Denktash and Co...Does that mean massacres did not happen in Cyprus by one side against the other? No,they did happen.Most of us here acknowledge that fact. But to insist in 2007 that those fears are as realistic now as they were in the 60s and early 70s,can only be described as pure cognitive distortion (all or nothing thinking,magnifying,overgeneralisation,catastrophising-take your pick).
Or they are deliberate,superficial excuses to justify the desire for partition.
Either way we need to go past them,to come anywhere near a just and lasting solution which will bring permanent peace to our troubled homeland.
I urge you all to keep talking with an open mind and an open heart.We owe it to Cyprus,our beloved,long-suffering country...

[shahmaran]

Birkibrisli dostum, altho i do aggree with everything u say, i have to point out that i was simply explaining my frist trip to the south, up on request. The post is not about the reasoning behind my thoughts (if it was that would indeed be very silly), by no means my political judgements would be based on those experiences, a simple walk into a store is not going to change my views on an entire nation, and i can assure you that, no matter what the circumstances are i would never disrespect anyone simply because of their ethnicity (we do get a lot of GC customers ourselves), this is more then just a bad day, its a state of mind. People dont just act racist because they are having a "bad day".
However it is still possible to get a glimpse of the overall reactions of people, its simply statistical, if most of the people you meet have an immediate idea about you because you are from TRNC, then no one can deny the reality of it. And as much as i would love to see our homeland in peace and unity as you also describe, i seriously have trouble believing that we are wanted there. And as sad as it is, its alwyas that evil handfull that ruin it for the whole...

[zan]

Have you heard the expression "One swallow does not make summer",Shahmaran???
Have you considered that perhaps you walked into the wrong shop,or the GC shopkeeper had a bad night or a fight with his wife or something?

That you are prepare to dismiss the whole GC community on the basis of one experience,does not make your arguments very credible. In fact it shows that you had your prejudices,and you jumped on the first negative experience to justify them in your mind.

At age 26 you say you are,one ought to be more openminded and open hearted about these matters,No?

I wonder how many GCs had negative experiences similar to yours when they visited the North? And i wonder if they all went back cursing all TCs and vowing never to go back?

You are talking (plural you) about our motherland,for God's sake.And you are talking about our GC brothers and sisters.Sure some of them are prejudiced and bigoted and chauvinistic,whatever,just like some TCs.But don't you all think we owe it to our country,our motherland,to give each other as many chances as necessary to put all this bitterness behind us,and reunite our Cyprus? I know that the fears of people like VP and Zan for their safety are very real to them,because I used to feel the same fears myself. Until I got the opportunity to get rid of them. I now know those fears were greatly exaggerated,partly being the direct result of a well orchestrated misinformation campaign by the TMT and Denktash and Co...Does that mean massacres did not happen in Cyprus by one side against the other? No,they did happen.Most of us here acknowledge that fact. But to insist in 2007 that those fears are as realistic now as they were in the 60s and early 70s,can only be described as pure cognitive distortion (all or nothing thinking,magnifying,overgeneralisation,catastrophising-take your pick).
Or they are deliberate,superficial excuses to justify the desire for partition.
Either way we need to go past them,to come anywhere near a just and lasting solution which will bring permanent peace to our troubled homeland.
I urge you all to keep talking with an open mind and an open heart.We owe it to Cyprus,our beloved,long-suffering country...

You make it sound as if you are the enlightened one and we are still to reach this pinnacle of life. What you need to do is even more introspective thinking because all you have done is replaced one fear with another. Your fear of the GC has turned to an over exaggerated fear of Turkey and maybe your little "swallow" of the flightless bird and interaction with one of its members has left you feeling a little disgruntled.

[DT.]

Have you heard the expression "One swallow does not make summer",Shahmaran???
Have you considered that perhaps you walked into the wrong shop,or the GC shopkeeper had a bad night or a fight with his wife or something?

That you are prepare to dismiss the whole GC community on the basis of one experience,does not make your arguments very credible. In fact it shows that you had your prejudices,and you jumped on the first negative experience to justify them in your mind.

At age 26 you say you are,one ought to be more openminded and open hearted about these matters,No?

I wonder how many GCs had negative experiences similar to yours when they visited the North? And i wonder if they all went back cursing all TCs and vowing never to go back?

You are talking (plural you) about our motherland,for God's sake.And you are talking about our GC brothers and sisters.Sure some of them are prejudiced and bigoted and chauvinistic,whatever,just like some TCs.But don't you all think we owe it to our country,our motherland,to give each other as many chances as necessary to put all this bitterness behind us,and reunite our Cyprus? I know that the fears of people like VP and Zan for their safety are very real to them,because I used to feel the same fears myself. Until I got the opportunity to get rid of them. I now know those fears were greatly exaggerated,partly being the direct result of a well orchestrated misinformation campaign by the TMT and Denktash and Co...Does that mean massacres did not happen in Cyprus by one side against the other? No,they did happen.Most of us here acknowledge that fact. But to insist in 2007 that those fears are as realistic now as they were in the 60s and early 70s,can only be described as pure cognitive distortion (all or nothing thinking,magnifying,overgeneralisation,catastrophising-take your pick).
Or they are deliberate,superficial excuses to justify the desire for partition.
Either way we need to go past them,to come anywhere near a just and lasting solution which will bring permanent peace to our troubled homeland.
I urge you all to keep talking with an open mind and an open heart.We owe it to Cyprus,our beloved,long-suffering country...

You make it sound as if you are the enlightened one and we are still to reach this pinnacle of life. What you need to do is even more introspective thinking because all you have done is replaced one fear with another. Your fear of the GC has turned to an over exaggerated fear of Turkey and maybe your little "swallow" of the flightless bird and interaction with one of its members has left you feeling a little disgruntled.

SO basically Zan you're accussing him of having the same paranoia as yourself but targetted at different objects?

[Viewpoint]

Have you heard the expression "One swallow does not make summer",Shahmaran???
Have you considered that perhaps you walked into the wrong shop,or the GC shopkeeper had a bad night or a fight with his wife or something?

That you are prepare to dismiss the whole GC community on the basis of one experience,does not make your arguments very credible. In fact it shows that you had your prejudices,and you jumped on the first negative experience to justify them in your mind.

At age 26 you say you are,one ought to be more openminded and open hearted about these matters,No?

I wonder how many GCs had negative experiences similar to yours when they visited the North? And i wonder if they all went back cursing all TCs and vowing never to go back?

You are talking (plural you) about our motherland,for God's sake.And you are talking about our GC brothers and sisters.Sure some of them are prejudiced and bigoted and chauvinistic,whatever,just like some TCs.But don't you all think we owe it to our country,our motherland,to give each other as many chances as necessary to put all this bitterness behind us,and reunite our Cyprus? I know that the fears of people like VP and Zan for their safety are very real to them,because I used to feel the same fears myself. Until I got the opportunity to get rid of them. I now know those fears were greatly exaggerated,partly being the direct result of a well orchestrated misinformation campaign by the TMT and Denktash and Co...Does that mean massacres did not happen in Cyprus by one side against the other? No,they did happen.Most of us here acknowledge that fact. But to insist in 2007 that those fears are as realistic now as they were in the 60s and early 70s,can only be described as pure cognitive distortion (all or nothing thinking,magnifying,overgeneralisation,catastrophising-take your pick).
Or they are deliberate,superficial excuses to justify the desire for partition.
Either way we need to go past them,to come anywhere near a just and lasting solution which will bring permanent peace to our troubled homeland.
I urge you all to keep talking with an open mind and an open heart.We owe it to Cyprus,our beloved,long-suffering country...

Pure utopia bir, come back down to earth where the realities kick in.

[BirKibrisli]

You make it sound as if you are the enlightened one and we are still to reach this pinnacle of life. What you need to do is even more introspective thinking because all you have done is replaced one fear with another. Your fear of the GC has turned to an over exaggerated fear of Turkey and maybe your little "swallow" of the flightless bird and interaction with one of its members has left you feeling a little disgruntled.

I have no claim to being enlightened,Zan...In fact the more I live and learn the more I realise how little I know.

My fear of being assimilated into the Turkish society and culture is very real. In fact it is not a fear at all but a fact,a reality taking place infront of our eyes,for those who want to see that is.

Your fear for your physical safety once the Turkish army withdraws from Cyprus is pathological. It is based of events long in the past and totally irrelevant today,and fueled by
three cognitive distortions :All or nothing thinking(we cannot survive as a community without our own separate state),fortune telling error(if the Turkish army leaves the GCs will drink our blood in no time),and self-labeling (we are nothing without Turkey)...

And for your information the phrase you are looking for is not "flightless bird" but "songless bird (otmeyen kush),in Turkish spoken by Turks.
Better get it right before your Turkish brothers call you a British bastard who cannot speak Turkish properly...

[Viewpoint]

You make it sound as if you are the enlightened one and we are still to reach this pinnacle of life. What you need to do is even more introspective thinking because all you have done is replaced one fear with another. Your fear of the GC has turned to an over exaggerated fear of Turkey and maybe your little "swallow" of the flightless bird and interaction with one of its members has left you feeling a little disgruntled.

I have no claim to being enlightened,Zan...In fact the more I live and learn the more I realise how little I know.

My fear of being assimilated into the Turkish society and culture is very real. In fact it is not a fear at all but a fact,a reality taking place infront of our eyes,for those who want to see that is.

Your fear for your physical safety once the Turkish army withdraws from Cyprus is pathological. It is based of events long in the past and totally irrelevant today,and fueled by
three cognitive distortions :All or nothing thinking(we cannot survive as a community without our own separate state),fortune telling error(if the Turkish army leaves the GCs will drink our blood in no time),and self-labeling (we are nothing without Turkey)...

And for your information the phrase you are looking for is not "flightless bird" but "songless bird (otmeyen kush),in Turkish spoken by Turks.
Better get it right before your Turkish brothers call you a British bastard who cannot speak Turkish properly...

You are the one who has lost the plot, from thousands of miles away. You try to close your eyes the the GC state next door where they have no intention of sharing the air we breath let alone a state. Wake up bir and realize that you have become dissolved in a mentality that will only bring harm to your people if certain safeguards are not agreed, its those safeguards that GCs do not want to put in place so they may use every trick in the book to manipulate and control the whole island reducing us to the just another minority which we will never accept. If you want to live with your "brothers" then go live south of the divide and work as manual labour for the minimum wage and enjoy your utopia. Leave us alone to live in what ever shit you try to paint the north, that's our problem and we can deal with it.

[shahmaran]

Well blind optimizm is just as naive as blind pessimism, but due to the nature of humans i guess optimizm sells better, because it looks better...

[DT.]

You make it sound as if you are the enlightened one and we are still to reach this pinnacle of life. What you need to do is even more introspective thinking because all you have done is replaced one fear with another. Your fear of the GC has turned to an over exaggerated fear of Turkey and maybe your little "swallow" of the flightless bird and interaction with one of its members has left you feeling a little disgruntled.

I have no claim to being enlightened,Zan...In fact the more I live and learn the more I realise how little I know.

My fear of being assimilated into the Turkish society and culture is very real. In fact it is not a fear at all but a fact,a reality taking place infront of our eyes,for those who want to see that is.

Your fear for your physical safety once the Turkish army withdraws from Cyprus is pathological. It is based of events long in the past and totally irrelevant today,and fueled by
three cognitive distortions :All or nothing thinking(we cannot survive as a community without our own separate state),fortune telling error(if the Turkish army leaves the GCs will drink our blood in no time),and self-labeling (we are nothing without Turkey)...

And for your information the phrase you are looking for is not "flightless bird" but "songless bird (otmeyen kush),in Turkish spoken by Turks.
Better get it right before your Turkish brothers call you a British bastard who cannot speak Turkish properly...

You are the one who has lost the plot, from thousands of miles away. You try to close your eyes the the GC state next door where they have no intention of sharing the air we breath let alone a state. Wake up bir and realize that you have become dissolved in a mentality that will only bring harm to your people if certain safeguards are not agreed, its those safeguards that GCs do not want to put in place so they may use every trick in the book to manipulate and control the whole island reducing us to the just another minority which we will never accept. If you want to live with your "brothers" then go live south of the divide and work as manual labour for the minimum wage and enjoy your utopia. Leave us alone to live in what ever shit you try to paint the north, that's our problem and we can deal with it.

VP..at the stroke of midnight we also grow another head of horns out of our neck.

strange how you make out to be more afraid about us when the last time their was violence it was 40,000 Turkish troops attacking our towns. Or where turkish grenades exploding rose petals and tanks firing cute little bunnies at us?