Does anyone know what is the U.S.equivalent for the use of the nickname(?) 'Arab' in the context of these Turkish men?
Would you also plse help me understand the prevalence of drinking or not drinking alcohol in the Muslim countries of the Middle East?
Thanks much for your help.
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Is to share what we have.
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tommy, what i am asking is: The subtitles said they were calling the guy "Arab". Were they really calling him some other word that was a slur, a defamation? In America we usually don't call people things that refer to their nationality except as a negative thing, a racist thing.And then, people use defamatory words, not factual words like 'arab' or 'italian' or 'irish' or 'african american'.
If they really were calling him 'arab', a neutral factual name rather than a racist name, why were they doing that? why didn't they just call him his real name? Were they joking around slightly(with affection)?
The way to have what we want
Is to share what we have.
In small towns or villages in Turkey, people sometimes call others by their nickname. This nicknames are usually due to a physical or personality attribute. He was called "Arap" because that was his nickname. People called him that because they thought he looked like an Arab. It's not a racial slur.
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Late but I will still go for it.
Turks usually call darker people Arab. In fact most elderly even call Africans(a.k.a black people) Arabs. This is mostly due to the fact that there is not much racial diversity (although lots of ethnic diversity) in Anatolia, and the darkest people they 'traditionally' know are Arabs.
On the other hand, Turks, historically speaking, don't like Arabs (Not being harsh at all). It is not necessarily 'hate 'and it is mostly because of political issues dating back to WW1. So Arab as an adjective (although not hateful as it is the case with the N word) is not always that innocent. It is a perfect example of subtle racism.
The response of both you and tommy tan seem very authentic to me, and shows me that there are always more ways than one to understand a given social situation. It would not surprise me if the filmmaker's intention reflected a bit of what each of you has said about the use of "Arab".
The way to have what we want
Is to share what we have.
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Hello people
When I watched the film this point also stood out for me and to reiterate what was mentioned before, in Turkish culture many people are known by their nicknames made from their characteristics etc..for example I know a Sari Esra and a Kara Esra (one blonde one brunette)and as Ali is a pretty common name its not unusual for the character to have a nickname.
But while watching in English subtitles the word Arab really did seemed to stick out, (which to a Turkish audience most probably would not), so I was wondering is this a political thing? or something personal the director wanted to add? then after a while it got to me.. in the Turkish language the word "ARABALI" means "the one with a car" and the character Arab Ali was the driver throughout the whole film, so it was more of an ironic name or a play on words which is very common with Turkish nicknames, but in the context of this film it is only something a Turkish person would understand.
Hope this brought some insight :)
ha! that's terrific to know. a good joke; thanks much!
The way to have what we want
Is to share what we have.
Modern Greek has many words borrowed from Turkish. I remember that my Greek mother-in-law used to frighten my daughter with the threat that the "Arapa" (=Arab woman) would come to kidnap her if she did not behave. Later I found out that the word "Arapa" translates as the "n" word into English! This makes me think that maybe the name was a bit derogatory to the Arab Ali person. It also fits in with the fact that Turks and Arabs are not the best of friends. Remember that the Ottomans ruled the now liberated Arabic countries for hundreds of years. However, as with many derogatory sounding nicknames, it is usually good natured among friends and no one thinks twice about it. The British especially have silly nicknames like "Stinky," "Piggie," etc.
PS: I had written the word "Arapa" in Greek script in my original post and it was censored. That proves that the word does indeed translate as the "n" word into English. This to me is very strange since the "n" word, minus one "g," simply means "black" in Latin. Note that no one censors the name of the country of Niger.
I was wondering this myself, as I know that Turks generally feel some racism toward Arabs. I was thinking that maybe the guy's actual name was Arab, the same way someone in the US might have a last name like Green that could seem odd to a foreigner.
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it reminded me of Laswrence of Arabia
Sharif: "English! Engliiiiiiiiiiish!!!"
Who cares about stairs? The main thing is ice cream.
(Ali the Arab), In the film, the use of the term Arap (Arab) is not an insult, it is likely that his family lived among Turks for a long time, then were referred to as the Arab family, then this became a surname, this is common the in middle east, in the Arab world there are families with the surnames Turk, Egyptian, or Algerian,sometimes their surnames were originated from cities they immigrated from.
it does not mean an insult in anyway.
In Islam, everything can cause intoxication considered to be Haram (forbidden), whether it is alcohol, drugs or anything else. however, some drugs can be used for medical reasons, therefore different roles will apply. My advice is for you to refer to a reliable internet source for Islam to know more about this matter ,islamweb in English is good.
They are many Arabs living in Central Anatolia you know specially on Iraq and Syria border he is called Arab probably because he was coming from a Arab family.In Turkey this color racism thing don't exist and people most of time don't give a them about being sensitive like relatives outright call each other "Fat Ahmet" not as an insult its what it is "he is fat after all".
shareIn my country innocuous nicknames referring to place of origin is often used on citizens of that country who are in some way "foreign" to another group of people. It could be something simple as being the only person from another town, then you get called by that towns name. Same goes if somebody has immigrant roots, or appear so, then you might get called by that nationality/race name. I guess you could call it friendly racism.
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