Turkish Protesters Turn Erdogan Insult To Their Favor
Some of Istanbul's Taksim Square reporters have reacted with humor to being called "bums" by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (file photo)
Turkish Protesters Turn Erdogan Insult To Their Favor
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been accused by Taksim Square protesters of attempting to resurrect a brand of social conservatism not seen since the days before Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded modern Turkey.
But few expected him to bring an ancient -- in Internet terms anyway -- meme back to life.
In dismissing demonstrators earlier this week, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader called the protesters "capulcu," a Turkish word, pronounced cha-put-DZHU that translates loosely as “bums” or "layabouts."
Unbeknown to Erdogan, who may not be up on the memes of the day, when the letters “ing” are added to capulcu, and the "cu" is deleted, a new word that can be loosely described as rhyming with “shuffling” is created. (Thanks to Arzu Geybulla, a blogger, for the explanation.)
This obviously created ample room for a remake of “Everyday I’m shufflin',” the catchphrase from the 2011 video by hip hop group LMFAO.
One video version of the “Every Day I’m Capulling” meme includes a moonwalker in a gas mask, a successful crowd "wave," a man cooling off, apparently under the force of police water cannons, the obligatory penguin, and a drum circle.
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