Turkey's 3Ds and violence

Are screenwriters, producers, actors, TV executives, and advertisers not citizens of this country? Are they not aware that there is a child watching them behind every scene of violence displayed?

The famous 3 Fs! Football, Fiesta, Fado; this was the method found by the Portuguese dictator Salazar to prevent the public from rebelling against his oppressive rule! In literature, it is known as the 3 F formula used by oppressive regimes to numb the public.

Unfortunately, this method has always worked on unconscious individuals and communities with low levels of education. Societies that spend their time with the 3 Fs have always served the interests of oppressive regimes.

The same method has been applied in Turkey for 25 years. Ours is not the 3 Fs, but the 3 D method!

Diziler (TV Series), Derbiler (Derbies), and Din (Religion)!  

Today, I want to touch upon the TV series component of the 3 D method, which has been successfully implemented by those governing the country for 25 years.

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Recently, a very important study was published revealing that there is a significant relationship between the violence displayed in TV series and the increasing violence in society. The study was conducted by the Turkish Association of University Women (Antalya branch).

33 academics analyzed Turkey's 11 highest-rated domestic TV series over the course of one month.

By watching only 4 episodes of these 11 series broadcast in May 2023, the academics identified 597 scenes of violence. Considering there are 30 series on TV screens in a season, a TV series viewer is exposed to over 20 thousand scenes of violence throughout a year.

The research revealed that counter-violence is shown as the solution to violence in these series, that main female characters are portrayed in roles that feed negative prejudices about women (the evil mother, the ambitious, ruthless, devilish woman, or the oppressed, downtrodden woman dependent on a man), that violence against women is normalized, that it especially affects children in their developmental stages negatively, and that it traps women in their traditional social roles.

It shows that the vast majority of these series, under the guise of reflecting social problems, also normalize polygamy, infidelity, the learned helplessness of female characters, dirty competition and intrigue between men and women, cultural bigotry and social pressure, the patriarchal mindset and male-dominated culture, and the acceptance that violence is in a man's nature.

It is even supported by expert opinions from psychologists that some series legitimize these negative events as required by their scripts, support them with curiosity-inducing events by increasing the tension, and make the audience addicted by ending episodes with exciting cliffhangers and dragging out the script with unbelievable plot twists.

Emphasizing that the phenomenon of "social violence" is normalized by repeatedly reenacting it within plot lines, the research lays bare the reality of Turkey through the 11 most-watched series.

The research highlights that the main characters idealized in these series are prone to violence, that scenes of violence negatively affect children, and that children who take violence-prone characters as role models are more inclined toward violence at home and at school.

Prof. Dr. Fulya Sarvan, President of the Turkish Association of University Women (Antalya), who prepared the report titled "The Gender and Violence Report Card of Domestic Television Series," stated that we are in an undeniable spiral of violence and that the violence displayed in TV series plays a role in the increase of daily femicides. Together with 27 NGO representatives, she issued a call through a press release presenting the results of the research.

"Stop using TV series scripts that normalize and spread violence! Turn toward TV series projects that include more positive role models with a sense of social responsibility!"

Unfortunately, we are going through a period today where violence is being normalized. TV series are a part of this. What I cannot understand is this;

Are screenwriters, producers, actors, TV executives, and advertisers not citizens of this country? Are they not aware that there is a child watching them behind every scene of violence displayed? Do they not see that femicides have reached a frightening level of increase? Do they not know that there is a 100 percent increase in murders committed with firearms? If they don't know, let us remind them... And let us repeat the call.

No to Violence!