Turks Are "hospitable"?

[Dave]

There is the idea in the Western world, that Turks are a "hospitable" people. Even the pope said it after his visit to Turkey.

 

Why? Where does this idea come from?

Edited December 6, 2006 by Dave

[Boghos]

The idea comes from the fact that Turks are hospitable.It is high time we abandon the stupid stereotypes about Turks, among other things.Generally speaking, Turks are as hospitable as Armenians and Arabs. Edited December 6, 2006 by Boghos

[Yervant1]

The idea comes from the fact that Turks are hospitable.It is high time we abandon the stupid stereotypes about Turks, among other things.generally speaking, Turks are as hospitable as Armenians and Arabs.

Well said Boghos Jan.

[aSoldier]

Yep, I only know one Turk that fits the image of what we Armenians 'hate'.

[Dave]

The idea comes from the fact that Turks are hospitable.It is high time we abandon the stupid stereotypes about Turks, among other things.Generally speaking, Turks are as hospitable as Armenians and Arabs.

 

I don't know enough Turks to know whether or not they're hospitable, and I never said that they're not. I think that this is a stereotype and a generalization too. Why would Turks be characterized as hospitable in all articles I read about Turks? Are the Swiss, the Canadians, or the Poles any different?

 

In many anti-Armenian websites, however, Turks complain that people in the West have a negative perception of Turks because of the fact that they are Muslims or that they often invaded Europe.

Edited December 6, 2006 by Dave

[Yervant1]

I don't know enough Turks to know whether or not they're hospitable, and I never said that they're not. I think that this is a stereotype and a generalization too. Why would Turks be characterized as hospitable in all articles I read about Turks? Are the Swiss, the Canadians, or the Poles any different?

 

In many anti-Armenian websites, however, Turks complain that people in the West have a negative perception of Turks because of the fact that they are Muslims or that they often invaded Europe.

West's negative perception of Turkey is because of their dismal human rights, honour killings, women rights, minority rights, lack of freedom of speech, cultural differences, religious rights. I'm sure others can add more to it but their hospitality is not any different than others as Boghos mentioned.

[Dave]

dismal human rights, honour killings, women rights, minority rights, lack of freedom of speech, cultural differences, religious rights

 

Of course, how could I have forgotten those.

[Boghos]

Why would Turks be characterized as hospitable in all articles I read about Turks? Are the Swiss, the Canadians, or the Poles any different?

 

You are kidding right? The Swiss will call the police if you sleep with the TV on. I am not kidding, I have seen it.Canadians are usually polite and nice but hospitality is something else.

[irlandahay]

There is the idea in the Western world, that Turks are a "hospitable" people. Even the pope said it after his visit to Turkey.

 

Why? Where does this idea come from?

 

well in order to understand this problem we have to think at the begginning.

 

turks...showing their infinate hospitality and generosity...rode down on their glorious white stallions to share the lands with armenians greeks and assyrians.

 

then, the so hospitably let some armenian children in their homes while their parents were off on death marches.

 

then, they so hospitably deny these heroic gestures and proof of bravery.

 

then, just to top it all off, they so hospitably form a welcoming party for the leader of the christian world...im talking of course of the "pope go away" protests.

 

so yes dave, turks are very hospitable people

[Error 404]

Turks are hospitable I agree. But sometimes they will stub your back during the hospitality.

[SanVal]

There are various types of hospitality.

 

There's the superficial type: inviting someone home (because the owner feels obliged to) without expecting any gifts or anything in return, greeting a stranger, bestowing token gifts on him, etc.

 

There's also the less superficial type. That type of hospitality refers to how a country treats its minorities, refugees who settle there, whether it genuinely opens its borders to people who differ from the majority, etc.

 

Western travelers generally refer to the former type when describing "earnerners." The reason is very simple: that's the only kind of hospitality they care about. I've read travel books on Turkey, and the hospitality the writers describe is invariably in reference to how a westerner would feel in the streets of Istanbul.

 

Determining whether a people is hospitable in the latter sense is much more difficult, and a traveler who stays in a country for a week or two is ill-equipped to evaluate it.

 

I treat statements about the hospitality of Armenians with the same degree of skepticism.

[Dave]

then, just to top it all off, they so hospitably form a welcoming party for the leader of the christian world...im talking of course of the "pope go away" protests.

 

Oh, I guess I didn't catch the pope's irony.

[kakachik77]

whoever started this post

 

"have you ever been to Turkey?"

 

they are a very hospitable culture, unless you want to investigate something there about Armenians...then they want to put you in jail "Midnight Express" style.

[Boghos]

hos·pi·tal·i·ty (hsp-tl-t)

n. pl. hos·pi·tal·i·ties

1. Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.

2. An instance of cordial and generous treatment of guests

[Stormig]

hos·pi·tal·i·ty (hsp-tl-t)

n. pl. hos·pi·tal·i·ties

1. Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.

2. An instance of cordial and generous treatment of guests

That's what I call bringing things back into context. So far as the flow of "ideas" is concerned, hospitality and table manners are to be considered side by side with the Geneva Convention.

[Johannes]

Հեյ՛ թուրքեր,

Դուք աշխարհի ամենալաւ ամէնազնիւ մարդիկն եք:

Դուք սուրբեր, հրեշտակներ եւ քրիստոսներ եք:

Այս ամէնով հանդերձ, փաստը կը մնայ փաստ, որ դուք ոչնչացուցիք ամբողջ երկիր մը, իր մշակոյթով իր ժողովուրդով, անասելի տառապանք պատճառելով սերունդներուն:

Դուք այժմ նստած կը վայելէք այս ոչնչացման որպէս յետեւանք ձեր գողացած երկրի բարիքը: Դուք լաւ հիւրասէր մարդիկ եք, բայց նաեւ գող եւ ՑԵՂԱՍՊԱՆ եք:

[Arpa]

Ձուկն ու հիւրը կը նեխին երեք օր վերջ.

Fish and guests begin to smell after three days.

In-laws, zoqanch/զոքանչ begin to smell after three hours.

How many days does Turkish hospitality last?

Shall we ask the Pope?

Speaking of hospitality, here are two topics where we spoke about it.

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=13...;hl=hospitality

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=13...;hl=hospitality

 

When one speaks about hospitality one is often reminded of the legendary hospitality of the desert Arabs, it probably goes beyond Islam. It is true in some sense. See the story I have told in the other threads. We have also heard legends about that same Arab/Islamic hospitality that they will take in a stranger, feed them, honor them and lavish them with hospitality, but once the stranger departs there will bandits and assassins with their daggers drawn waiting for them just outside the limits of the tribe.

[Arpa]

Հեյ՛ թուրքեր,

Դուք աշխարհի ամենալաւ ամէնազնիւ մարդիկն եք:

Դուք սուրբեր, հրեշտակներ եւ քրիստոսներ եք:

Այս ամէնով հանդերձ, փաստը կը մնայ փաստ, որ դուք ոչնչացուցիք ամբողջ երկիր մը, իր մշակոյթով իր ժողովուրդով, անասելի տառապանք պատճառելով սերունդներուն:

Դուք այժմ նստած կը վայելէք այս ոչնչացման որպէս յետեւանք ձեր գողացած երկրի բարիքը: Դուք լաւ հիւրասէր մարդիկ եք, բայց նաեւ գող եւ ՑԵՂԱՍՊԱՆ եք:

Այո, Հովաննէս Թուրքին հիւրասիրման եւ ապնջանքի փաստ եւ վկայ են 1.5 միլիոն խողխողուած Հայերը:

Edited December 7, 2006 by Arpa

[Arpa]

We are the most hospitable.

Yeah right!

If we only knew how and when to be hospitable towards whom.

I did not say stupid people, even if at times our hospitality may be misplaced and it comes back to kick us in the vorik.

Look what our so called hospitality did after we let those katsordi/sonofabitches to even set one foot in our Homeland.

[SanVal]

hos·pi·tal·i·ty (hsp-tl-t)

n. pl. hos·pi·tal·i·ties

1. Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.

2. An instance of cordial and generous treatment of guests

 

 

You're right. I did look it up on dictionary.com, and it says something similar. However, it also says that "hospitality" is synonymous with warmth. I think warmth does encompass the less superficial type of "hospitality" I was referring to.

 

But if we use the definition you cited above, then what the Turks did to the Armenians has no bearing whatsoever on how hospitable the Turks are. That's because Armenians weren't guests of the Turks; they had been there for centuries before the Turks arrived.

[Boghos]

You're right. I did look it up on dictionary.com, and it says something similar. However, it also says that "hospitality" is synonymous with warmth. I think warmth does encompass the less superficial type of "hospitality" I was referring to.

 

But if we use the definition you cited above, then what the Turks did to the Armenians has no bearing whatsoever on how hospitable the Turks are. That's because Armenians weren't guests of the Turks; they had been there for centuries before the Turks arrived.

 

Exactly, it has no bearing because they are unrelated.

[Armenak]

Հա... ի՞նչ հիւրասէր մարդիկ են Թուրքերը... որոշ արեւմտա-եւրոպացիներուն:

[DominO123]

They are indeed very hospitable, there is no question about that.

 

They will only kick you out if you critic Ataturk, or his Turkey.

[Aubépine]

You forgot the most important reason.

[Dave]

Quebecer, their veneration of Ataturk is almost funny, even.

 

It is said that Suleiman "the Magnificent" accepted thousands of Jewish refugees that were escaping from the Spanish Inquisition by sending hundreds of boats to Spain to rescue them. Perhaps this idea comes from that?

Edited December 9, 2006 by Dave