Three upbeat things about a bad year

"Noooo," I told my editor over the phone. "Noooo. It is not fair to ask me to deliver what Turkey's most upbeat writers have failed to do. There is nothing, absolutely nothing good about 2016, which the BBC called the most turbulent year of modern Turkish political history."

But then, my editor, who has known me since we both wore shoulder pads and drank cheap wine, uttered the magic words: "Have a glass of hot wine… or two." Given the power of the wine for putting things in a positive light, it defies logic on why autocratic leaders are not out rooting for it. Anyway, after two glasses, here is my list of three great things about 2016:

1. The Turkish sense of humor, though wounded, it survived and got even stronger. This is no small accomplishment. After all, it has been tested by everything, from bombs to a coup attempt and a series of deaths, Turkish jokers; from brave professionals, who work in satirical newspapers, to prolific amateurs on social media, managed a smart, scathing and apt turn of phrase for one ordeal after another. I remember a cartoon published on the cover of a satirical magazine that showed the president posing cheek-to-cheek with a rugged-looking muhtar (village head) saying "Come on, snap, snap, Muhtar, let's show the world what a selfie is," - a wicked reference to the Turkish president's rage against European consul-generals who took a "solidarity selfie" with journalist Can Dündar. Zaytung, a satirical website which consists of ironic made-up news, had some memorable headlines with more than a ring of truth: "The EU, which is in dilemma over refugees and the free movement of Turks, decided to cast an unprejudiced eye over refugees," and, finally; "The New Year tradition of harassing women at Taksim Square is over due to...