The pseudo-reality that bows to those with fake diplomas

Can inquiries about real life be made through fictional artistic productions like films and novels?

Fiction is a reflection of an artist's individual perspective on life, reinterpreted and designed within a certain logic, inspired by real life. Viewed from this angle, interpreting through an artist's work rather than directly through real life might seem limiting. However, in the age of hyper-communication where the "real human" has disappeared, individual differences have been lost; a herd has emerged that repeats the same content but appears different in form, defining its existence through fake metrics like shares, likes, and followers on social media. In this environment, an artist who offers an original perspective is valuable.

Last week in the Adalar, I went to the wedding of the son of a family I have known for 20 years. I had met him when he was in middle school; now he had become a doctor. I hadn't seen his mother for a long time and didn't recognize her, but I remembered her when I heard her voice. A voice is truly unique. Just think: if everyone spoke with the same voice... That alone is enough for a dystopia. Today, even if the forms look different, the content is the same: people suppress their own voices and mistake the voices of others for their own selves.

It is in this environment that it is important to question the world through the works of artists who have an original voice. I remember an argument I had with a film critic. He had said:

“I see some articles about films. If the director read them, he would say, ‘I didn’t tell such a story.’”

And I replied:

“Art is subjective. As Jacques Tati said, the film begins after you leave the cinema. Art exists not for consumption, but for transformation. The critic's duty is not to reduce the work to the director's intention, but to open new areas of inquiry with their own perspective. This difference eliminates the danger of the audience becoming uniform. Even a flawed or incorrect idea is valuable because it triggers inquiry. The claim of absolute truth, however, forces the audience to bow to authority. If we wanted artists to do what you say, it would be enough for them to write a three-page explanation after their films. Thus, there would be no need for criticism.”

Now, imagine that the works in all museums were replaced with fake copies. Most visitors wouldn't notice. Art has turned into an object of consumption under the guarantee of the authorities who established the museums. It no longer functions to transform the interlocutor, but to align them with the gaze of authority. Thus, art turns into a shackle that does not liberate the individual, but forces submission by providing a superficial sense of elitism.

The purpose of my articles in 12 Punto will be in this direction: sincere, having its own voice, a voice for the betterment of society... And most importantly, making inquiries about “reality” based on works of art. Because art, writing, or film can ultimately be a tool for an individual to change their own life. And we can never contribute to the formation of a solid and healthy society without forming the individual.

How does the individual emerge? By questioning, starting with the patterns they are accustomed to, of course! The intellectual state of our country is obvious: someone with a fake diploma can exist for years without being noticed, and can even become popular. Doesn't this also mean that the “essence” has been lost? Otherwise, how can the fake and the real be equated to such an extent?

Aleksey German Jr.’s film Dovlatov offers a perspective on Russia of the period through the six days leading up to the escape of the author's close friend from the Soviets in 1971. Dovlatov is someone who writes about the problems of his society living in difficult conditions. In this state, he is oppressed and marginalized. Still, he tries to become a member of the union so that his writings can reach more people, be published, and he can find financial relief. For this, he finds someone he met through his friends. While that person is reading his writings perfunctorily, he says, “Why are you writing about labor camps? A man of letters should write about subjects that transcend his era; we could write a Greek epic together.”

When Dovlatov refuses, he says, “Then you can come to me for a check-up if you need a prostate exam.” Dovlatov is surprised and asks, “What, is this a new procedure? Is it necessary for membership?” He replies, “Didn't they tell you? I am a urologist, I know many people, and I am interested in ancient Greece.” Dovlatov thanks him and answers, “I will evaluate your offer along with my prostate.”

Is one of the reasons why a fake diploma cannot be distinguished from a real one obtained through labor and sweat not that people who have reached a position through their own efforts do not realize the value of labor and do not respect it? Do our intellectuals who, like the urologist in the film, “do not touch anything” and distance themselves from the realities of their society by calling it “subjects that transcend the era” have no fault at all?

When Atatürk said, “We want generations with free minds, free consciences, and free knowledge” while explaining the purpose of the Republic to young people and intellectuals at the Ankara Turkish Hearth in 1931, was he referring to the point we have reached with those holding fake diplomas and a rector who discusses the worthlessness of a diploma, or was he referring to intellectuals who produce shoddy work according to the hollow ideals of those with fake diplomas? However, in an intellectualism full of people who do not know the value of their own self and the labor that is the expression of that self, nothing has an essence or a real meaning. There is only a pile of symbols that have been hollowed out but whose exterior remains! How else can this noisy intellectual life of ours, which carries no meaning in its essence, be explained!