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Turkey’s Dialogue Deficit: Less Schadenfreude, More Ubuntu

Turkish culture and society would benefit from a shift from schadenfreude to ubuntu.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul (C), Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel (L) attend a ceremony marking the 91st anniversary of Victory Day at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - RTX131E3

No, you are not confused, the title of this article is not a secret code that only Tom Cruise can decipher in a "Mission Impossible" movie to save Turkey, let alone the world. Still, these possibly unfamiliar terms represent very important concepts related to Turkey's political culture. Whereas the first one is excessively present, the latter is painfully lacking.

Official explanation of the German word schadenfreude in English is “pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.” Basically, when a person or a particular group make a mistake, the opponents gloat with glory if they are the beneficiary.

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