Creating a Generation

We constantly debate what kind of youth is intended to be created through education policies, and especially through the curriculum. 

We do this because, unfortunately, we do not think of education policies outside the scope of the curriculum and schools. 

When the USA fell behind the Soviets in the space race, it intervened in the situation from all sides. The school curriculum, the film industry, museology, the cultural industry... They all took action in unison, and the youth turned their attention to space. We saw one of the rarest examples of this effort at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. 

The young Republic of Turkey set modernization as its goal. People's Houses (Halkevleri), Turkish Hearths (Türk Ocakları), schools, textiles, tourism, museology... They all worked together and shaped the Turkish identity and the goal of the Turkish nation. 

The Atatürkist generation, the religious generation, the Özal generation... So many things were tried. Instead of curriculum wars, life and the needs of life, consumer culture, and the consumption habits of capitalism came out on top. In the end, a passive, submissive, opportunistic, and egoistic youth emerged. 

A generation of people who are rebellious in appearance but obedient, submissive, reactive but quick to give up, has come to dominate our country. Moreover, it is not just the youth... With the complete change in consumption habits, a population has formed that has an incredibly shortened attention span, is pessimistic, submissive, and reactive. When polarization is added to this, our human material has completely decayed. 

Perhaps our greatest security risk now is this state of our human material. You might say it is natural for these things to happen as we approach the age of dehumanization. However, such a rapid decay cannot be explained by dehumanization alone. 

A mass that is completely indifferent or entirely unconscious of the circumstances and conditions it is in is harmful to both its environment and itself. We are part of a zombie population that has lost its connection with reality, its potential, and the needs of today. When digital and chemical drugs and numbing practices are added to this, the picture darkens even further. 

I do not know if there is a way out of this. But I am of the opinion that searching for a way out is essential. Otherwise, while the right blames the left, we will all hit rock bottom together. 

We must abandon the education policy wars based on convincing each other of templates and put our minds to real education policies that will save us from this decay we are in. Yes, we must create a generation. But we will not be able to create this generation with the simplicity and superficiality of curriculum debates.