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Comment by qwerta | Hacker News Reader

I spend lot of time in Athens, and I would say Istanbul is more european than Athens. Not sure about rest of the country.

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İstanbul is where I call "home" but I still don't think it is European at all. Not when compared to Athens or anywhere I've visited outside Turkey. İstanbul is... İstanbul. Everyone living there has a strong love/hate relationship with it.

What could have happened to Athens in the last five years that I haven't been there that makes you say that? You mean in terms of freedom of speech? If so, I seriously doubt that.

Mainly driving and attitude of people. Greece is different... Freedom of speech is problematic in entire Europe.

That seems a weird claim to make. What is problematic about freedom of speech in Europe?

I've spent time both in Athens and in Istanbul. Neither of them are European nowadays. Unorganized dirty jungles... Istanbul has a difference though, it's an unorganized mega jungle.

I don't understand how this is being downvoted without any reasonable explanation.

Didn't downvote, but if you write something like that, provide examples. It doesn't really address the parent comment, either. If they're both dirty jungles, what does that say about whether Istanbul is more or less European than Athens? Wouldn't the culture have something to do with that, also?

You made a racist statement. "Unorganized dirty jungles" of Asia in contrast to, presumably, tip-top, spotlessly clean, perfectly organized European cities...

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