The Unbearable Lightness of Being Stigmatized
In terms of political sociology, we need to analyze the underlying truth of a child's addressing the leader of the Main Opposition Party, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as "traitor" at the rally. Unfortunately, it has become very easy to be labeled as terrorist, traitor and enemy in Turkey, where politics has become more polarized.
If you do not think the same as those who hold the power, if your political views, ideas, attitudes, life and understandings are different, alas, you are wrong. Now you are a terrorist, a traitor, an enemy and even a seed of discord.
Is there such a democratic understanding?
Can such economic, political and social development take place?
In this way, can the goals of 2023, 2053, 2071 be reached at the level of contemporary civilization?
Terrorist, traitor, discord and enemy-style rhetoric are very heavy accusations. The criterion for being labeled as a terrorist is whether or not you have an illegal weapon. Betrayal, on the other hand, is defined in the dictionary as laying hands on things considered sacred, doing evil or acting against them, being treacherous or treacherous behavior. Traitor means one who knowingly and willingly betrays the holy.
Both the guilt and the plague of these adjectives are heavy.
While this is the case, to think differently, to oppose, to set your heart on the parties that are supported by at least half of the people, such as Cehapeli, İpli, Saadetli, Devalı, Future, Democrat or Hadepeli, not being a member of the AK Party or MeHaPe, and showing a democratic reaction to practices that you think are unfair, Is it enough for you to be labeled with such heavy adjectives?
Of course not, it cannot and should not be.
Similarly, baseless, unproven and unjust claims and accusations made by some extreme opponents against the power holders do not contribute to the democratic development of this society. The existence of different ideas, opinions and suggestions and the mutual understanding towards them are the main indicators of the richness of democracy.
In this mindless othering mentality; The fact that you have actually fought against terrorism for years, the education you have done, the fact that you are a worker, farmer, tradesman, civil servant, student, artist, lecturer, even a civil servant, soldier, policeman, bureaucrat, even your life that you have given for the indivisible integrity of this country, does not matter at all. may not have value.
One of the obvious foreign policy mottos of marginalization, the expression "You are either with us or against us", after the September 11 attacks, US President Bush, son, used it to influence and attract all the states of the world in order to carry out military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This clear example of the policy of marginalizing, consolidating his supporters, turning his opponents into enemies and consolidating his power by creating enemies was initiated by the US Republican President Bush, and Trump fueled it.
What happened after all?
Bush went down in history as a leader who killed thousands of innocent civilians as a result of military operations. This policy, which was not successful in neither Iraq nor Afghanistan, caused the USA to be the most disliked country in the world. Ultimately, Bush lost the election. Continuing similar othering policies inside and outside, Trump received the answer from the US people, "We don't want you anymore" in the 2020 elections. In order not to leave the power, he suppressed the congress for the first time in the history of the USA, through his consolidated supporters, but democracy prevailed and he left without achieving what he wanted.
The political mentality of staying in power through marginalization, which increased its effectiveness not only in the USA but also in some other countries in the first decade of the 21st century, will end in other countries, just as it ended in the USA.
The spirit of the time came into play in the USA. The third decade of the 21st century will continue with the acceleration of these changes. It is impossible to stop in front of this acceleration.
From now on, in elections all over the world, it will be voted whether the policy of winning the election and staying in power will continue, regardless of its sole aim.
The economic situation, the understanding of security, the actions taken and not done, and good-bad-right-wrong are all important issues, but according to those who are marginalized and united all over the world, winners and losers will be determined.
Will those who marginalize or those who unite win? People will decide accordingly from now on.
Differentiating is easy, merging is difficult. The 21st century will be the century of those who unite and succeed with their people. The key to the world's attainment of peace, prosperity and peace lies not in othering, but in uniting.
