Chutzpah alla Turca

Saturday, February 4, 2006

  There are some words that change meaning when they pass from one country or culture to another. These changes in meaning are usually not slight, but significant and thought provoking. A concept understood as positive in one culture can have a questionable and even negative meaning. Investigating how the meaning of these words changes as they cross the border can give us certain clues about a culture. Do people have to be the only ones that are stuck with their visas and passports on the borders of nation states? Words can also get stuck, finding it hard to travel to another country. On my way back from the United States, a customs official opened my luggage at Istanbul airport. He found words in the luggage and took one and couldn t make sense of it. He asked me: “What s this?”“Oh that,” I said. “That s a word. Chutzpah. It s pronounced ‘Hutzpa with an emphasis on the ‘h .” “What is it? What does it mean? Is it suitable for it to enter Turkey?” he asked.“It might correspond to ‘obsession (hırs) in Turkish,” I said. “However, it s not exactly that either, because in our lexicon, obsession isn t a positive word. It refers to materialism, greed and worldliness. However, chutzpah could be quite positive. Back in America, chutzpah is used to praise someone. You might say, ‘He has a lot of chutzpah to praise a person. In Turkey, you might say the person is very obsessive to criticize him or her.”“Hmm. This situation is very suspicious. It could be harmful. I can t let it enter the country,” the customs official said, seizing my word. “We don t need this obsession or any other word that might mean that.” He immediately threw chutzpah in the bin. It was only then that I saw the bin full of words that had failed to enter the country.The United States has a social structure that encourages individualism, difference and expertise. There, a person having the courage or obsession to achieve something is viewed as a positive thing. Obsession is needed for one to better him or herself and do something original. The worst thing one can say about a person is “loser.” This produces an incredible boost for making people desire having the necessary courage and initiative. However, there s also the intolerant society that imposes this on the individual. One has to win. There s no room for those who don t. This is a force that encourages and awards artists, but it also has a side effect that confines art. However, on the other hand, there s Turkey, where a culture that frowns upon anything different exists. It provides a huge inspiration to artists, but also wears them out. We see people who produce, think and develop their individuality as “obsessive.” We accuse them of not knowing their place. That s why obsession has a positive meaning in the United States and a negative one in Turkey.