Au contraire, Turkey isn't as extreme as China (the short list of places off the top of my head that are is Burma, North Korea, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo) but it's a matter of degrees. A choice between a military government that puts you in the proverbial "Turkish prison" for criticizing government past or present, or a fundamentalist one that simply wants to execute you as an infidel. A quick pass by Wikipedia seems to indicate "First World" and "Industrialized World" are nearly synonymous in modern parlance (while claiming that, in essence, a "First World" nation was originally no more nor less than a NATO ally) so maybe that's not the right term. "Free world" then, or "civilized world" if you prefer. Places that don't imprison or execute you because they don't like what you say (which is what makes defending this programs airing on the grounds of free speech so absurd. ) Turkey, China or the indigenous people of Charon, they shouldn't be allowed participation in free democratic international communities while rejecting trivial details like freedom and democracy out of hand. Whether it's Turkeys terrorist sympathizing genocide denying junta seeking EU admission or Chinas "Dickens meets Assyria" membership in the WTO it amounts to the degrees of the same thing. When they demonstrate themselves to be the kind of civilized forward looking states that have the economic and diplomatic benefits of a France or Japan they should receive them, but not encouraged to have their economic and political cake and eat it, too. "We want in the WTO but rarely enforce our minimum wage (which, last I checked, was about $0.20/hr)!" "We want to join the EU that criminalized Holocaust denial but jail people for saying we committed genocide!" People in hell want ice water.
Jeez, you sure like to pack all your pet hates in to one post, rather than staying on topic.
1) Turkey has a democratically elected government, not a military government.
2) My understanding, going on memory, is that the industrialized nations were split into two groups - essentially us (NATO plus others like New Zealand, Australia etc) and them (the Commies). We got to be called the First World, they got the Second World and every one else was Third World because they didn't count.
Now the the Eastern block has opened up and had elections, it means everyone is pretty much First World by default - plus people only really use the term Third World and don't get why.
3) As far as I can understand your on topic point in there it seems to be that Turkey should have free speech, except when it doesn't suit us for them to have it. That seems a really shaky argument, no matter how well it is buried in an overall rant.
4) "Turkeys terrorist sympathizing genocide denying junta" Really? You seem to be losing factual argument through sheer weight of hyperbole.
5) "We want to join the EU that criminalized Holocaust denial but jail people for saying we committed genocide!" - actually, Holocaust denial is not criminalised in the EU. Over the last 5-10 years, the Turkish courts have dismissed several cases where private citizens (and this is a point that you need to note, as it isn't the government bringing the cases) have attempted to have people prosecuted for referring to the genocide. You are somewhat behind the times.
Have I? I'm saying if a private citizen did it would still be libelous and inflammatory, but perhaps not deserving of censorship (a libel suit would still be very much on the table, IMHO. ) On the basis of that view, which I admit is just my opinion, a government organ doing it is just that much worse. It's in line with calling Germans "Huns" during the Great War, with the key differences that 1) Turkey isn't at war with either country and is nominally allied with one of them, and 2) this is 2010, not 1910.
You have, it seems, suddenly switched from calling for Government censorship of independent TV networks.
I have no problem with people taking the TV networks to court. I would hope they would be laughed out of it, for trying to sue over a fictional TV programme.
Bottom line: A country that imprisons people in conditions infamous throughout the world for the great crime of calling genocide genocide didn't allow their state TV station to air this program for the sake of free speech. They have no problem with unreasonable censorship, they just didn't WANT to censor this, and that's a real problem, one in which I hope the EU can avoid becoming involved or even complicit.
*MySmiley*
Robert Graves "There is no money in poetry, but then there is no poetry in money, either."
Henning Mankell "We must defend the open society, because if we start locking our doors, if we let fear decide, the person who committed the act of terror will win"
Robert Graves "There is no money in poetry, but then there is no poetry in money, either."
Henning Mankell "We must defend the open society, because if we start locking our doors, if we let fear decide, the person who committed the act of terror will win"
Turkish Anti-Israel TV show angers Palestinians
- 06/04/2010 02:56:43 PM
559 Views
That is odd when the occupied is outraged at a movie made to look the occupier look bad *NM*
- 06/04/2010 04:50:05 PM
187 Views
I think it is a TV series, not a movie? Not a major point but still...
- 06/04/2010 05:03:08 PM
219 Views
Got to love the Saudis.
- 06/04/2010 05:05:31 PM
240 Views
And Turkey should be an EU member again because... why...?
- 06/04/2010 11:51:05 PM
200 Views
Yeah, damn them for letting the media say what it likes...
- 06/04/2010 11:57:37 PM
215 Views
"The drama, which was first broadcast on Turkey’s state television last October.... "
- 07/04/2010 12:46:35 AM
382 Views
TRT is like the BBC and many other public broadcasting channels...
- 07/04/2010 01:05:08 AM
318 Views
As I said, can you picture this on the BBC?
- 07/04/2010 01:17:10 AM
413 Views
No but better to not censor than censor seems a good rule
- 07/04/2010 10:03:52 AM
209 Views
Not when it's false, inflammatory and violent propaganda masquerading as "entertainment. "
- 07/04/2010 11:10:41 AM
199 Views
were you a medieval king, would you not censor blood libel ?
- 07/04/2010 12:31:44 PM
212 Views
As long as they don't criticize any nationalist politicians or the army. *NM*
- 07/04/2010 02:00:19 AM
81 Views
Well yes, that is what happens when you have a country with a constant threat of an army coup
- 07/04/2010 10:02:00 AM
208 Views
I could accept the latter on the condition of the former.
- 13/04/2010 10:12:01 AM
312 Views
You might need to have another look at your definitions
- 14/04/2010 11:34:01 AM
315 Views
It's hard for me to view a nation with a military government as "First World. "
- 14/04/2010 01:29:33 PM
314 Views
You do know Oklahoma isn't a country, right?
- 14/04/2010 09:51:21 PM
303 Views
- 14/04/2010 09:51:21 PM
303 Views
I'm a Texan; yes, I do. 
- 15/04/2010 02:42:45 PM
320 Views
- 15/04/2010 02:42:45 PM
320 Views
Fair point, I was forgetting that
- 15/04/2010 03:07:25 PM
341 Views
- 15/04/2010 03:07:25 PM
341 Views
I've been known to refer to OK as "North TX" but they don't like that. 
- 20/04/2010 01:42:21 PM
343 Views
- 20/04/2010 01:42:21 PM
343 Views
As snoop says, your ridiculous hyperbole makes it hard to take the rest serious as well.
- 20/04/2010 06:45:40 PM
373 Views
Re: As snoop says, your ridiculous hyperbole makes it hard to take the rest serious as well.
- 21/04/2010 02:28:26 PM
347 Views
What am I talking to here, a wall?
- 21/04/2010 10:18:41 PM
341 Views
Just seems like every story I hear out of Turkey is something like this.
- 28/04/2010 02:33:31 AM
370 Views
Turkey shouldn't be in the EU.
- 07/04/2010 01:23:31 AM
216 Views
For the most part I agree.
- 07/04/2010 02:18:37 AM
388 Views
At least they chose a nice/accurate vacation spot for the fake Palestinians 
*NM*
- 07/04/2010 12:56:31 AM
84 Views
*NM*
- 07/04/2010 12:56:31 AM
84 Views