Being human is not just a state of being, but a matter of backbone, conscience and consistency. Our cultural, political and ideological differences are the richness of our humanity. However, these differences only gain meaning when they are combined with the will to remain human. As long as a person does not claim his or her own truth, nothing he or she says, what he or she defends, what he or she claims to represent is real.
Today, especially in digital media, we are in an age of manipulation carried out under the name of journalism. One of the visible figures of this era is Levent Gültekin. He describes himself as “A journalist who loves his country” While presenting it as such, the fact that it constantly places social fault lines at the center of its discourse calls into question the sincerity of this claim. Love for the country only gains meaning through a sense of justice, equality and loyalty to the truth, not through emotional abuse and identity manipulation.
L. Gültekin's discourse practice has been following a certain line for a long time. He cannot refrain from using an exclusionary and accusatory language targeting the opposition, belittling the Kurdish people, the Kizilbash-Alevis, the Revolutionary-Socialist circles. This language goes beyond criticism and becomes a tool to scratch social wounds. This approach is not a sign of journalism, but of benefiting from the power that exploits social sensitivities. Of course, individuals from all professions can defend the government and the opposition, but not by being ugly and unfair to others.
Moreover, this discourse is often used on digital platforms “Short Video”, “Hard Exit”, “Reactionary Commentary” reproduced in the format of the "algorithm economy" makes it clear that the issue is not only a political position, but also an algorithm economy. Manipulating the values of the masses for a digital profit model based on views, likes and comments means denying one's own identity as a human being, let alone practicing any profession. The transformation of social tensions, identity conflicts and emotional vulnerabilities into a kind of content raw material are tendencies that reset the values of being human. Is it worth it to be so vulgar for the sake of self-interest?
This is incompatible with the most basic principles of journalism. This is not emphasizing a fact, but seeking to create a separate pollution by influencing people's emotions. This approach, instead of enlightening the society, is racism and sectarianism by provoking the society. No social group living in this country, including the Kurdish people, can be made a stepping stone for personal career calculations. Identities cannot be bent and twisted according to someone's daily political positions. Especially communities that have historically paid a heavy price cannot be turned into the material for the daily polemics of a media figure. Levent Gültekin's relationship with his past, identity and political orientation is part of this contradiction.
The fact that he once stood within religious structures and today denies his true national identity and adopts a completely different position does not, of course, negate the fact that everyone has the right to change. But change requires consistency and confrontation. Asserting moral superiority over others without coming to terms with one's own past, without understanding one's own identity, without resolving one's own contradictions, is just an empty rhetoric.
What we need today is a voice of conscience that can stand against manipulation, identity abuse and unprincipled behavior. Those who truly love their country contribute to society not by dividing it, but by enhancing common values. The difference between being human and being a turncoat should be questioned at this point.
Man bears the burden of truth, while the apostate cannot even tolerate the shadow of truth.