_I actually thought a lot about what to call it: “Social Consensus” or “Unsigned Agreement”?_ _I admit it! I couldn’t make up my mind about the name, but the name doesn’t really matter!_ _What matters at this point is the action._ _After all, you do it all the time too!_ In our daily lives, we encounter many things that societies seem to act on and/or interpret as if there were an agreement about them. We aren’t aware of this! In fact, there isn’t much reason for us to be aware of it! We bring these things into our lives as if they were reflexes. No one teaches us to do this; these are things we learn unconsciously as part of the flow of life…
Such as what?
Let me explain…
When you’re driving along and someone by the side of the road gives you a thumbs-up, you immediately understand that they need help; that they’re going in the same direction as you and, if possible, would like you to give them a ride. You’re free to help or not. If you like, you can let them into your car and drop them off somewhere along the way. Aside from that freedom, another important point here is that you understand what the person showing you their thumb means. In other words, when you see this gesture, your brain immediately interprets it. And yet nobody taught you this; you learned it somehow. If you ask yourself, “Where did I learn this?” you won’t find an answer. The action is very simple, though, and it matters to the person showing you their thumb. At that moment, a process that would take a long time to explain begins in your life with a simple gesture, but you don’t even notice it then. It lasts only a few seconds, and afterward you don’t remember it; it has come and gone from your daily life.
In many areas of your life, you encounter things you act on or interpret in this way, without realizing it and without making any agreement on the subject—a kind of social consensus. And, without your noticing, these experiences remain tucked away in a corner of your memory, perhaps never to be recalled…
Yet a way of behaving that you bring into your life through the same reflex carries another meaning, again without your noticing. This very simple action, which you perform by mutual agreement, also undermines an important source of income for the country you live in.
With this action, the radar checks that have recently been carried out on the Lefkoşa-Girne main road—and that you could encounter at any moment—don’t cause much of a problem for those using the road. That’s because, with a simple gesture, again without any written agreement, and through mutual understanding and interpretation, we can understand what the drivers traveling in the opposite lane mean when they flash their headlights at us. The only thing we have to do as a result of this interpretation is slow down. As you pass the police officer holding the speed radar, a slight smile on your face, I can guess the sentence that comes to mind: “Hehehe, I knew you were here!”
The other day, as I passed the police officer holding a radar gun and waiting for me to speed, I said the same thing to myself… Then I started wondering, “Could any of my very esteemed fellow drivers who flash their headlights to let me know the police are there be members of CTP or ÖRP?” “Considering their vote shares and the fact that everyone flashes their headlights, there must be,” I thought. Then I remembered the government accusing opposition parties of wanting to put it in financial difficulty by supporting civil society organizations protesting the price hikes. Following the same logic, I reached the following conclusion, and I think it would be useful to explain it to the honorable members of the government: The opposition is on the roads, flashing its headlights at you! Hope to see you on Thursday…
Please pay attention to your surroundings, and please be respectful in traffic.