Posted by Ellen on August 02, 2001 at 05:31:46:
In Reply to: The Best Greeks are the Turks. (?) posted by Akis on August 01, 2001 at 13:06:42:
I don't know what is the context of the statement "The Best Greeks are the Turks".
Is it supposed to be serious, ironic, provocative, and what aspect of the Greeks are
the Turks supposed to be best at? Without more info all I can do is take the
sentence at face value, leaving it rather meaningless to me. What I can say is that I
wholly disagree with your discussion.
Why do you imply that Greece *should* be expected to play any role in Asia minor?
Let's face it: the Turks conclusively beat the Byzantines more than 500 years ago,
so just as the Greeks may be seen as the inheritors of the Eastern Roman Empire,
so the Turks are the inheritors of the Byzantine power. Ever since 1453 (and even
before) the Turks are the major local power, and Greece has been a bit player. It's
like claiming that the Spanish should really be expected to play the role of global
super power, as Spain was the most powerful nation on earth in the 15th & 16th
centuries. Don't have any illusions that outside of Greece anybody sees the Greeks
as heirs to asia minor influence: you have to move on, the rest of the world does.
And now the really good part: Do you honestly believe that *most* Turks are
descendent from Greeks? I guess this is a case of: "if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em."
Get real.