It is a topic of debate that comes up spontaneously in every conversation and that we can no longer help bringing up: what kind of society are we?
Although we may each see society differently, for some reason there is a “form” we agree on at the end of every debate.
That is the interesting part...
“We Turks really love to do ....”, “As a society, we always behave in a ..... way”, “Actually, as a society, we are ....-minded”, “Since our society is a society with a .... structure,” and so on...
Generally, these statements are used to reinforce proposals put forward in discussion forums to address the problems identified there.
Unfortunately, minds absorbed in the topic of discussion overlook these statements that categorize society as a whole. Inevitably, we hear a debater who makes what they consider to be sound arguments on every aspect of the issue say something about society in support of their position, and we find ourselves responding, “Hmm, yes, we are that kind of society,” and accepting it.
But perhaps we are not that kind of society!
The things politicians who have appeared on discussion programs in recent days have said about our society’s patterns of behavior strike me as very interesting... I should point out that I pay particular attention to the contradictions in their remarks.
When you set aside these observations, which I have been trying to describe as supportive remarks, and compare them outside the context of the issue being discussed, you encounter a comical situation! There is a strong chance you will witness a politician change their opinion about an observation they made on the same program when the topic changes.
For example, in comments on our society’s understanding of democracy, you might hear a politician say: “The understanding of democracy has not yet fully taken root in our society. As a society, we must believe in democracy.” A short while later, they might say: “We trust our people’s faith in democracy. We know they will make the right choice on election day, when they exercise their democratic right to vote.”
Please don’t be surprised; this kind of thing happens on almost every program you watch or listen to.
Just pay attention, and you’ll notice it too.
I should add that I have a lot of fun catching these things.
It is only natural for everyone to pontificate about what kind of society we are—and that includes me; I do it from time to time too. But the reason this issue has particularly caught my attention in recent days is that we judge ourselves excessively harshly. I don’t think categorizing our society with words such as indifferent, insensitive, lacking in self-confidence, and so on, will do anyone any good.
A society should of course engage in self-criticism, but, as with everything, going too far and overdoing it in this regard can lead to a dangerous situation.
We should realize that by reinforcing with our words the situation we describe as a problem in society, we are making the problem even worse.
Until Tuesday, I hope...
Pay attention to your surroundings, keep them clean, and be respectful in traffic!