Someone really wanted to go somewhere: to space. Tolstoy, Camus were packed in the suitcase. Reading, thinking, deepening... The preparations seemed complete. But that's where the glow of the digital screen came in. Filtered “good morning”the mystique of coffee and “şarj %10” their excuses closed the spacecraft doors. So we chose not to ascend into the sky, but to sink into the depths of their screens.
It would be incomplete to reduce these to the habits of generations. The youth in Turkey today is not only “avocados and the TikTok generation” It is not a simple phenomenon to be minimized as a generation that has been victimized by politics, economics and cultural discourses.
The youth debate in Turkey is wrongly constructed from the beginning.
The question is not:
“Why didn't this generation go to space?”
The real question is this: Has this country left its youth a direction, a route, a future?
Today's youth with TikTok, with coffee photos, “avocado generation” It is a political, class and moral escape. Because blaming the youth is the cheapest way to whitewash the state, the regime, political preferences and the conformism of past generations. This language is not a coincidence; it is a strategy to blame the failures of the government on the character of the youth. Youth is not the subject here, but the scapegoat.
Yes, there was a period when books were packed in suitcases. It was necessary to think, to read, to deepen. But those suitcases never went on a real journey. Because the paths to rise through intellectual labor have been systematically closed in this country. Loyalty, obedience, submission and silence were substituted. Academia was made barren, thought was discredited, criticism was criminalized. And then we turn to the young “Why don't you produce?” It was called.
This is not a contradiction; it is a conscious, planned and sustained political choice.
From the Perception of “Youth-Boutique” in Politics to Reality
Are Generation Z apolitical? From a distance it may seem so. They don't vote, they don't seem to be interested in political parties. But this is not laziness; instead we see a new form of participation that takes their political demands from the street to the internet: digital activism, online debates, forums, politics with memes. This generation is politicized not in the debate arenas of classical party politics, but in hashtags, TikTok posts and online campaigns.
The state's and media's image of youth “rigid, lazy and selfish” role does not reflect reality. On the contrary, young people are trying to generate a systemic awareness and response to the economic crisis, the collapse of the education system, climate disasters and social injustices. The active participation of Generation Z in some of İmamoğlu's city projects shows that young people are not invisible in the political agenda. However, this participation is often “ignored” or “generation of dissent” labeled as.
Generation Z builds politics not on the streets, but in the digital space. With hashtags, campaigns, ironic language and symbolic forms of resistance. Those who underestimate these methods do so not because they do not understand the transformation of politics, but because they fear this transformation. Because this form of politics resists centralized control; it does not recognize hierarchy; it is based on ideas, not leaders.
Generation Y The Generation that holds Generation Z in the mirror it ran away from
On the other hand, millennials are turning their backs on their own history, their own unfinished dreams. They refuse to bear witness to their own failures. They get rid of their sense of responsibility when they make it someone else's fault that their dreams were left unfinished. As if it was not the Millennials who ruined this country, but a few young people walking in front of them; as if Generation Z made all the decisions; as if all the burden should fall on their shoulders. Thus, they have the luxury of ignoring their own share.
This is where the hard and uncomfortable question begins:
What did millennials do, what did they not do and why did they remain silent?
Instead of questioning why the promises of their youth have not materialized, millennials have largely chosen silence. While institutions are being dismantled, merit is being liquidated, law is being suspended, and cultural space is being narrowed, a large segment of the population “it's okay”, “now is not the time”, “it could be worse” and preferred to preserve his comfort. Now he does not want to pay the price for this historical silence.
Instead of answering for his own unfinished dreams, “These young people are too lazy” it's easier to say. Thus, he places his own political and moral responsibility on the backs of Generation Z. This is not only a political evasion; it is a moral collapse.
Generation Z did not rule this country.
Generation Z did not build this economic model.
Generation Z did not collapse this education system.
But all the consequences are imposed on Generation Z.
Economy: The Stay-at-Home Generation and the “They're Not Looking for Work” Myth
In Turkey “home boy” The debate is common in the pro-government media and political discourse. Some accuse young people of being unproductive. But the picture is much more complex: millions of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are not in education, not in employment, not even looking for work - in other words, NEET (neither in education, employment nor looking for work). This is not individual idleness, but a serious failure of the economic structure and the education-work nexus.
Young people are turning to the digital world because they cannot find qualified jobs. Social media and internet platforms are both an economic and cultural refuge. Therefore, young people “consumer” or “lazy” is unfair to label the real culprit. The real culprits are gaps in strategic planning and policy making.
Inflation, rising rent prices and unemployment severely limit the economic independence of young people. Creating a generation of young people who cannot leave the house and build their own lives is not just an economic failure; it is also a reflection of a lack of political and social responsibility.
Culture and Politics: Moral Decline or Impossibility?
Critics “moral collapse”the lack of cultural production, the young generation's “not taking responsibility” he speaks of. But this is not the result of a deeper cultural vacuum, but of a lack of savings, a skewed education system and serious socio-economic problems. Youth in Turkey are now struggling not only with entertainment culture but also with digital sensationalism - because they have never been given enough space to be absorbed into the system.
Cultural events are disappearing in the shadow of digital phenomena. Cinema, theater and the music scene are getting quieter. University campuses have turned into influencer parties instead of generating ideas. Young people's artistic and intellectual production is becoming invisible under digital agendas.
This is the legacy of generations that did not fulfill their duty to preserve social memory and roots. We, the millennials, have created a vacuum by remaining silent in the cultural and intellectual spheres. Generation Z is trying to fill this void in creative ways in the digital world. But the media and political discourse belittle this effort.
Who is Guilty?
The culprit in this article is a “other” Instead, we need to look at how domestic politics, economic strategies and social discourses shape our own youth:
- Young people “to take responsibility” Is it fair to ask, if they have not been given real opportunities?
- Is it wise to underestimate digital activism, or should we recognize it as a new form of political participation?
- Is it right to limit cultural production only to heavy intellectual work, or is this generation building its own ways of production?
Space, Books and Maps: Missed Opportunities
We couldn't go into space, yes. But the reason was not the lack of Wi-Fi; it was because a generation that had lost its sense of direction set the map on fire. Not only technology, but also values, virtues, social memory and responsibility are disappearing.
The space metaphor here represents not only a disappointment but also a loss of vision for the future. The book metaphor symbolizes the replacement of knowledge, thought and intellectual depth with digital consumption habits.
Responsibility is Shared across Generations
This article is a call: Responsibility is passed on to generations, not only technology but also values. Riding a spacecraft, reading a deep book or solving a social problem is not just the job of young people; past generations need to set the right direction and lay a solid foundation. Otherwise, neither the spacecraft will lift off, nor the books will be read; all that will be left is a lost future and a history that is blamed on others.
And perhaps the most painful truth is that if we remain silent about this loss, the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of only one generation. The steps to be taken in the fields of space, thought and culture will only be possible with decisions taken together. Otherwise, we will be left with Tolstoy and Camus in a suitcase, and we will continue to TikTok with coffee and avocado.
We couldn't go to space not because there was no Wi-Fi; we burned the map.
The books stayed in the suitcase because those who obeyed were rewarded, not those who read.
Young people looked at the screen because they were not shown a future they could turn to.
Anyone who blames the youth today should ask:
What has this country offered its youth and what does it expect in return?
Responsibility is not a burden for young people alone. Responsibility belongs first to those who set the direction. It belongs to those who draw the map, those who break the compass, those who block the road. Conflict between generations is the favorite game of the powers that be. Because as long as this conflict continues, no one looks at the real perpetrators.
If a future is to be built in this country, it will not be built on nostalgia, nor on advice to the youth. This future can only be possible through open confrontation, open responsibility and open political reconstruction.
Otherwise this is what happens:
Each generation leaves less for the next.
Every silence normalizes a breakdown.
And every “youth problem” discourse hides the country's own problem.
So let's repeat it again:
This is not a youth issue.
This is a matter of Turkey's inability to face itself.