Enes Kanter's Family Disowned Him Because Of His Political Views

LBS- “I apologize to the Turkish people and the president for having such a son,” Mehmet wrote. “His statements and behavior trouble our family. I told Enes that we would disown him should he not change his course. He did not care. … I would not have taken Enes to the U.S. for the basketball camp where his talent was discovered had I known that it would come to this point.”

Mehmet believes Enes has been “hypnotized” by the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ). Mehmet’s cousin Bilal expressed the same opinion.

“We had warned (Enes) previously about his ties with the FETÖ,” Bilal said. “We have not been able to reach out to Enes for a long time.”

Kanter spoke out against Ergodan following a terrorist bombing that killed 37 people in Turkey back in March. He criticized the nation for blocking access to social media and filtering the information people receive, and Kanter’s tweets led to death threats. Last year, Kanter said he believed he was left off Turkey’s 2015 Eurobasket team because of his political views.



If there is one thing I am absolutely sure of it's that I will never be confused as an overly political person. I have just never really paid enough attention to the goings on of the government to staunchly support any of the bird brained assholes that are largely responsible for running it. I would say a huge part of that reason is because I grew up getting driven around by a father that acted as if Sean Hannity were Jesus Christ and treated public interactions with family like they were the perfect place to spread the word of the Lord. You hear enough Limbaugh on the radio and you would Rush to distance yourself from the field in which he operates too. So trust me when I say that I am not totally unfamiliar with what Enes Kanter is going through. My family hasn't exactly disowned me, but a couple diatribes delivered from atop soap boxes have forced me to leave the Thanksgiving dinner table early. You can be the judge, but - depending how much you love mashed potatoes and company while binge drinking - you can certainly make the argument that I faced harsher circumstances than a professional basketball player that has a few less phone calls to suffer through per year. 

And you know what? In a weird way I respect Enes Kanter's parents. Not because they are just ex-communicating a child every time he/she implies that there might be a reason to question the leader of a war torn country, but because they have conviction. I wouldn't even skip a meal for something I believe in, and they are ousting their kids from the family on behalf of a President that could probably stand to benefit from a policy change or two? Hell, maybe if my Dad threatened to lose my number then he would have had a better chance of getting me to blindly join a political party without any knowledge of what they represent just like the vast majority of society. Too bad my parents encouraged free thought or the Republicans would probably have another voter come November. You know what I call a politically active father that values parenting over campaigning? A shitty fucking activist!  Way to go Dad, you basically lost this critically flawed, three ring circus of an election yourself. The Kanter's might be sitting back sternly shaking their head in agreement with the Turkish version of Fox News as the world burns around them, but as they do so they are thumbing their nose up at all the American daddy's and mommy's that don't use coercion and stare tactics to intimidate their youth into agreeing with what they find important.