Why I think US and Turkey have similarities (Part 4)

Turkey and the US both invest huge sums of money in their armies and have large numbers of recruits every year. In Turkey military service is compulsory, in the US it’s like a ‘voluntary’ obligation: when your country ‘needs you’ you join the army. On the other hand, the army gives good career perspectives. In contrast to European countries, being a soldier is something you are respected for and certainly not something to be ashamed of. As a result of this, the army has much more power than it has in Europe. Both in Turkey and in the US, the army directly or indirectly influences politics, economy and even everyday life. It is very normal to see soldiers walking to get their coffee in Starbucks, or to see them driving in a Turkish bus to go home.

Big Spenders

The Turkish attitude towards money very much resembles the American mentality of “keeping the money moving”. Turks love to spend money as much as Americans do, and just like them they know that when you don’t have enough money to fulfill your wishes, it’s much more gratifying to buy on credit than to cut your coat according to your cloth. I think Turks and Americans are the only people in the world who will go on vacation with borrowed money. A few years ago, when I saw advertisements in Turkish newspapers to encourage people to book a vacation trip on credit and pay for it in monthly installments, I just couldn’t believe my eyes. But here in America, I see the same thing happening. It is as though people’s wealth doesn’t depend on how much money they have, but on how much money they can borrow (although we all know where this ends…).
In many Western European countries it’s quite the opposite and most people have an aversion towards risk, to such extent that they’d rather spend their vacation bonus on “something useful” like a new kitchen or a bathroom. Or they’d even put it in a savings account “for a rainy day” instead of flying to the sun! Such cowards, those Europeans…
Another resemblance between the US and Turkey is that in both countries money makes the mans: the wealthier you are, the bigger your house, the more expensive your car, the more esteem you get. When you’re wealthy, you’ve got to show it instead of hiding it. And if you’re not so well off, you can always pretend – on credit! In Turkey and America rich people get respected. In Europe you'd better not show that you have money.