# Is it racist to call someone from Turkey a Turk? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358 "2022-07-03T22:31:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/21 "2022-07-04T02:05:38Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > But in a satirical political piece describing a Turkish-American poitical candidate as “the Turk,” that sounds a bit iffy I did just suggest they change it to “The Doc” but I don’t think they’ll go for it. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/22 "2022-07-04T02:14:00Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I did just suggest they change it to “The Doc” I suspect their motivation might be for the rhyme? But aside from the dubious racist overtones, unless people are very familiar with him and his show, would they know he’s ethnically Turkish? I mean, I guess when I think about I knew his first name, so if you asked me to guess his ethnicity I’d probably get there. But if you just said “name a famous Turkish American” I’d have been struggling to think of Oz. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/23 "2022-07-04T02:25:20Z")
“The Quack” would be wholly accurate and also not sound racist. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/24 "2022-07-04T02:37:25Z")
They’re trying to rhyme it with jerk, aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/25 "2022-07-04T02:59:03Z")
My mother’s husband (technically, my stepfather) was Turk. Only he was born in Finland. 😉 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/26 "2022-07-04T03:17:25Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “The Quack” would be wholly accurate Yup, this is much better. If you said “name a prominent quack”, he’d be the first name that came to mind. And easy to find rhymes. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/27 "2022-07-04T03:37:34Z")
In the Leeward Islands are Turks and Caicos, the former named after cactuses that look like they’re wearing funny Morocco Mole hats. That’s downright insensitive and needs changing …right after we go over to the Windwards and speak with the Grenadians about that Jew Bay. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/28 "2022-07-04T04:07:24Z")
What do the people of that country prefer to be called? That’s what we should use. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/29 "2022-07-04T04:36:05Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > What do the people of that country prefer to be called? When his race is irrelevant, the question is why it’s being mentioned at all. It depends on exactly what is said and the context, but it may be taken to imply some kind of racist generalization about people of that race. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/30 "2022-07-04T04:48:35Z")
Especially given that he’s American, rather than a Turk - or even (presumably) Turk-ish. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/31 "2022-07-04T05:26:48Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “The Quack” would be wholly accurate and also not sound racist. Insulting to [_Anatidae_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/32 "2022-07-04T05:57:51Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > But in a satirical political piece describing a Turkish-American poitical candidate as “the Turk,” that sounds a bit iffy. Agree. If the point of the reference is to subtly remind the audience that he’s an untrustworthy furriner from a distant country with mysterious ways and should be discouraged from office on those grounds, then that’s over the line. National origin is (with very, very narrow and limited exceptions) irrelevant as far as qualification for elected office and public service. Unless it’s supposed to be tongue in cheek and there is _also_ an equivalent swipe at his opponent, calling him The Redneck or something. Then it _might_ be defensible. But this still feels like a bit of a reach. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/33 "2022-07-04T06:49:36Z")
The Dr Oz who was born in Cleveland? Surely he’s Turkish-American, not a Turk. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/34 "2022-07-04T08:19:10Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > And if someone referred to a particular celebrity or public figure as “The Jew,” I’d at least suspect some antisemitism. Agree. I think a lot of the time people would like it to be absolutely defined that word X is a slur and Word Y is not, but it just doesn’t work like that - context, intent and effect of phrasing are important, because prejudice doesn’t happen on the page, it happens in behaviours and thoughts and intentions. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/35 "2022-07-04T09:15:11Z")
Is his opponent similarly being called ‘The Scotsman’ [Irishman, Spaniard etc] in reference to the origin of their family? If not, then its Oz’s ethnicity being used to delegitimise him as not being as authentically American as his opponent. Its racist and dog-whistling. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/36 "2022-07-04T12:11:49Z")
I believe he spent a significant part of his childhood resident in Turkiye. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/37 "2022-07-04T12:14:14Z")
Is that relevant to the rest of the sentence? Or to the rest of the song? I’m a Jew. I’m happy to be called a Jew when that’s relevant. But if you wrote a satirical song about my political candidacy, and referred to me as “the Jew”, yeah, I’d think you were anti-Semitic. And I’d probably be right. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/38 "2022-07-04T12:15:04Z")
I don’t think that matters, for his nationality. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/39 "2022-07-04T12:16:21Z")
He has Turkish citizenship and he apparently did the National Service. ETA: I don’t doubt the [person quoted in the OP had less than honorable intentions. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358/40 "2022-07-04T12:17:30Z")
Neither do I. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-to-call-someone-from-turkey-a-turk/967358.md?page=3)