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Daily Sabah (1 June 2021)

Tamer Turkman

Growing up as a Turk in America gave me an opportunity to develop friendships with people of almost all nationalities. The land known as the “melting pot” allows for a multicultural perspective of the world from an early age within multiple scopes.

As I was eager to get to know new people, I learned early on that being friends with two certain nationalities was off-limits: Greeks and Armenians. History would come into play. Given that my last name is Turk-man, my nationality was never much of a mystery.

As a child, the Greek kids generally kept their distance from me. I was frowned upon and ignored. With Armenians, the dislike was at another level. They approached me and told me what they thought. I was pushed and despised. I was told how revenge would one day come. The language was grossly vulgar and the resentment and anger were as clear as day. The hostility was tough to take on as a kid.

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