Here and There

My vote on whether to allow Turkey into the EU is now officially, and resoundingly, “No.”

A few weeks ago, I read this first-person essay in The New Yorker by Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish writer on trial for “insulting” his country.

Now, another Turkish writer, journalist Hrant Dink, faces a “trial” similar to the ordeal Pamuk has been going through for years.

Now, I know my own county isn’t doing too much better lately, but really. Freedom of the press, freedom of dissent…they are part of the bedrock of any democracy. What are Turkish officials afraid of? That something these men publish will strike a chord with the public, thereby possibly turning the people against their rulers?

Freedom of speech and press can lead to an informed citizenry, which in turn can lead to great things we’re unable to imagine. The free flow of truthful information should be a given considering where we are in human history. Sure, it’s Euro-centric of me to suggest, but there are societies outside the realm of “The West” that have tried freedoms such as these, and they have mostly thrived.

Shame on Turkey’s ruling party for moving that country backward. It has nothing to do with a culture adopting the ways of the West, and everything to do with letting that culture actually progress.

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