The paradigm has shifted: It is time to say new things!

Mainstream media and the mainstream approaches of academia have lost their credibility. 12puntohaber, which publishes my articles, is outperforming many "major" media organizations.

"Doyen" academics have become almost entirely disconnected from reality. People in high positions, both in government and the opposition, wait to see what Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı will say. On the other hand, Emrah Safa Gürkan, who has proven his worth through the winding paths of academia but has accepted from the start that these paths are outdated, has effectively established an alternative school on YouTube. The examples could be multiplied.

Sedat Peker once said: "You will be defeated by a tripod." I don't know what his fate was. But for some time now, Erdem Atay from VeryansınTV has been providing a similar experience for many. Politicians who look down on Erdem Atay's studio are unable to provide proper responses to his broadcasts.

Some names from the mainstream with worn-out faces are also quite active on YouTube. For example, Fatih Altaylı, Serdar Akinan, and Enver Aysever. For my part, I watch them all and learn many things.

Why did I make this long introduction? To build a foundation for myself, of course. Are you aware? These names, even if through precarious paths, are piercing through the superficiality hidden by the "mainstream's" wordiness. Of course, each of them has a different agenda. But what attracts us is this: They offer a narrative for the new era that goes beyond the old ways.

The days we are living through have surely shown us that the "old" is older than we thought. Politics on a global, regional, and national scale is no longer as we know it. I have been writing about this rupture for some time. In all these things I have written, I will summarize what I have expressed sometimes implicitly and sometimes in different contexts in light of current developments, and I will add my justifications (what I wrote in the past) below. Thus, I will save those who are too lazy to read.

The paradigm has shifted!

1) Pitting politics against morality is futile. Deriving politics from morality is meaningless. Politics is literally a manifestation of power relations. Morality, on the other hand, becomes a power factor only to the extent that people accept it. Politics is now completely immoral. Or rather, it is amoral. It is neither good nor evil. It is beyond good and evil.

2) On the other hand, there are large segments that care about morality. Especially in opposition circles. This means you will not tolerate immorality on your own path.

3) International law and international institutions have lost their credibility. In fact, all of them have been hollowed out. Law has become determined by power relations even on a country-by-country basis.

4) We have lost our common reference system on a global, regional, and national scale. The ground for commonality is now much more blurred. There is neither a common cultural canon nor a common system of truths. Instead of looking for commonality in cultural and historical codes, one must look for it in common concerns, common emotions, and common aspirations. It is necessary to focus on much simpler, much clearer problems and facts. Whatever is thought to be "common history" or "common culture" is being transformed not into a reality from the past, but into a narrative shaped by everyone today in proportion to their power.

(While people think they have reached the thoughts they hold as a result of a long reasoning process, they often reach these thoughts as a result of emotions and interests triggered by certain conditions. They rationalize these thoughts afterward. In other words, they justify them retroactively. Then they think they have grounded their thoughts with the assumption that they did this beforehand. However, emotions and cognitive biases are active throughout this entire process.)

5) The tools and representative institutions of politics have lost their credibility. We saw this in the latest protests. Young people at METU (ODTÜ) can fail to recognize deputies who think they are very famous and important and say, "Uncle, you can step aside if you want." Representation has collapsed.

6) Discourses that have shed the old "educated" and "ignorant" clichés, are easy to understand, and most importantly, appeal to emotions are essential. If information is to be conveyed, it should be conveyed through such discourses and methods.

7) There is a system that legitimizes itself through people's moral, financial, social, and psychological weaknesses. Given this, every rigid moralist or rigid righteous outburst creates anxiety in people.

8) There are still things that haven't changed: Hot contact and social networks are still important. Power in politics is not gained through the ballot box or by addressing crowds. It is still necessary to organize people with the principles of producing solutions to real problems according to the concrete situation and mobilizing common emotions.

Unfortunately, there is no easy recipe. The world has changed. Our country has changed. The reason the people I mentioned above are listened to is that this change is felt by everyone. Now these people are trying to intervene in this change according to their own agendas.

In these days when a future without humans is approaching, let us focus on real social relationships, truth, and living humanely.

You can read the old articles I quoted to say "I told you so" below.

On February 10, 2024, I wrote: "As sins increase, the attractiveness of sin increases. This is the case in every camp. Before our very eyes, dirty politics and dirty politicians are winning. We are collapsing morally and politically... It is not easy not to position yourself against a political rival. That is why the tendency to cling to morality and virtue in the face of all kinds of immorality is strengthening. Moreover, this tendency brings with it a moralistic understanding of politics. But politics is the craft of prioritizing problems and their solutions, evaluating friendly and enemy forces, and transforming both the friend and the enemy during the political struggle. In the meantime, if you can multiply friends and reduce enemies, success will appear on the horizon. To do this, you need to prioritize correctly.

Instead of trying to find the most "moral," the most "leftist," or the "best" first, it is necessary to prioritize organizing mortals like us for the solution of our common problems. If voters and politicians who are locked into determining candidates in local elections can lift their heads from candidate applications and look at life, they will see what great organizational opportunities local governments that cannot provide services, cannot conduct audits, and cannot manage people offer." (https://12punto.com.tr/yazarlar/av-cenk-ozdag/ahlak-vs-siyaset-20985)

On August 31, 2024, I wrote: "Write down on a piece of paper the things you think will not happen, put the paper in an envelope, and let's seal the envelope. Let's meet in 5 years. What do you say? Do you have the heart for it?

Everything happens in this country. People get used to everything." https://12punto.com.tr/yazarlar/cenk-ozdag/olmaz-demeyin-her-sey-olur-49176

On September 21, 2024, I asked: "Does the law still have any meaning?" I continued: "How can you trust the law in a place where almost all institutions have collapsed? In societies where corruption rots the inside of institutions, trusting the law may seem impossible. Corruption weakens the foundation of justice, making citizens cynical and hopeless. Moreover, lawlessness and corruption become the valid currency. The criminal turns into a hero. Both good and evil are expected from outside the law." (https://12punto.com.tr/yazarlar/cenk-ozdag/hukukun-anlami-kaldi-mi-51749 )

In my opinion, opposition is rising against the discourses of media that are globally influential and thought to reflect the discourses of the center of the system. Opposition to the discourses of publications such as CNN, Times, and The Economist is rising. Above all, opposition to the discourse of the EU left is rising. This opposition is turning into racism in some places, rigid egalitarianism in others, and deep scientism in others. Sometimes we can see those who turn to these at the same time.

On January 4, 2025, I greeted the new year. "Explaining this rise with Generation Z is taking the easy way out. The rise of a nationalist, scientistic, and hardline discourse that has risen on a global scale as if in unison against the global central discourse is not limited to youth. The hidden anger that has been tried to be covered up for years with the insistence on 'tolerance' is coming to light. Cultural hostilities, essentialist approaches, and intense love and hatred for certain communities have been spilled out.

Gender conflict, cultural conflicts, ethnic conflicts, class anger, and ultimately intense nihilistic reactions, all covered by masks of 'tolerance' and 'development,' are emerging in a jumble.

It is difficult to theorize this jumble. It is clear that the values presented to society as cement and the discourses established to establish social peace and tranquility have collapsed. But it is difficult to see what will solidify in the future and what will become the dominant discourse. Perhaps the power struggle will emerge when it is close to calming down. We shall see.

2025 will be a year in which these symptoms will be seen more intensely. We shall see. Happy New Year!" (https://12punto.com.tr/yazarlar/cenk-ozdag/yeni-koordinatlar-gerek-67390 )

On January 11, 2025, I wrote: "Scientificity, progressivism, leftism, and egalitarianism were first softened. Then a liberalism labeled 'left' was marketed as the mainstream. The hatred felt for this mainstream was extended to the entire left.

Now, especially in the younger generations, scientificity, the left, egalitarianism, progressivism, and enlightenment have been turned into a 'lie' that disappoints people and causes them pain. In the centers of the USA and Europe, the orthodox left was disciplined and neutralized with anti-Sovietism; the radical left with terrorism; and social democracy with the accusation of taking a share from exploitation. All that remained in the name of 'left' was 'WOKE.' This liberal movement, which is tightly bound to cultural identities and opposition to enlightenment and modernity, and is under the influence of postmodern philosophy, was invaluable for the anger of the masses. After all, Woke was an ideal enemy for large segments who are mostly right-wing, chauvinistic, and conservative due to its cultural stance, and who care more about LGBT rights, women's rights, animal rights, and environmental rights than the power of the working classes. Woke, which also got its share of the radical left's hatred for liberalism, was a magnificent invention that united its opponents with a feeling of disgust." (https://12punto.com.tr/yazarlar/cenk-ozdag/paradigma-degisiyor-ezilene-nefret-ezene-hayranlik-68470)

Finally, on February 22, 2025, I wrote: "Democracy protects human rights, encourages freedom, and provides political participation. But it does not automatically bring economic success.

The best strategy for developing countries is to first establish state capacity, economic development, and power balances correctly. Democracy can only function when it is sufficiently wealthy. Let us not forget that this also has a cost. And one must ask: Why was 'democracy' in the sense we know it operated despite all those costs? Did the need at that time disappear, I wonder? What did we say? The effects of the collapse of the USSR have not disappeared. That is all for now!

One last word before I forget: Casting or having a vote cast in the ballot box is not an economic policy. Perhaps it is a consolation or a mask for some." ( https://12punto.com.tr/yazarlar/cenk-ozdag/demokrasi-ve-refah-yanilsamasi-74538)