Turkish newspaper columnists, including our contemporary men of letters, are split into two:

1. Those who try to understand and give meaning to others other than themselves and those striving to slander everyone else apart from themselves and their supporters.

2. The former write with empathy, curiosity and in semiotics, the latter with pure ego and self-centeredly. Unfortunately, the former are a minority.

Our age is one in which “the gladiator and arena culture” has been modernized and aestheticized. Those who are “accustomed to being spectators” want to see fights and bloodshed; in fact they derive pleasure from it.

In ancient times, gladiators used to fight just for fun, for entertainment and for death; today some impatiently look forward to watching others fight each other.

This arena culture, the most widely watched TV program, unfortunately, has reached the government level as well. Men of letters think pen is a sword. Isn’t pen supposed to be mightier than the sword?

There are “writers” who can’t live without attacking and without being flattered as they attack.

Today, in various segments of the Turkish media, especially the colorful ones, many columnists view the art of criticism as insulting an individual or as character assassination. They even see it as a craft that can be employed with no respect for the privacy of the individual.

At times, astonishingly enough, even the readers add to the problem by encouraging such war of words: “Such and such a person attacked you in his column; don’t remain silent, strike back!” Such readers’ letters expect the start of polemics, no matter how well-intentioned they may appear to be.

The unscrupulous, offensive columnist is rewarded; so claims the circulation statistics.

Don’t explain, slander! Don’t clarify, resort to mudslinging! Don’t maintain ethical standards, use obscene or profane language!

The more the column foments enmity and wrath, the higher the “ratings” will be.

The number of columnists who can write without resorting to polemics, with modesty, courtesy and quality; without approaching people from different segments of society with prejudice, without losing respect on issues he is dealing with and before readers is very low.

Those who use their columns to blackmail someone and the fans are divided into three categories:

1. Columnists who insult people constantly look for someone to attack because they survive by insulting people; that’s the only way they can earn a living.

2. Those who write with vinegar are in a more pathetic state. These people, by attacking others, write even worse in a bid to recover what they have not been able to accomplish in life. As for those who write with poison…

3. Venomous writers wear themselves out more than anyone else in the end. They can’t live without polemics, because they have nothing to write about other than thrash.

Hence, they almost shop for new enemies and strive for vengeance.

As the only source from which they nourish themselves is cynical aggressiveness, they begin to repeat themselves again and again when they are tired of turning round and round many times.

They later use the same offensive language for others unrelated to the events of the past.

They run out of words, descriptions and comparisons, yet they try to save the day until a fresh idea comes from a reader.

Since the arena culture that enjoys seeing blood, flatters and provokes them, this culture will be their mainstay. Their egos are renewed each and every year, their views are confused and their hearts are blackened. Yet they can’t be rejuvenated nor can they get rid of all these negative aspects. The only person who can respond to such ‘writers’ is not “the other gladiator writer on asters,” but the reader.

07.20.2006