we are in war here, revolution will not be televised
To my friends, teachers, co-workers in the states: we are in war here.
Modernity is a particular kind of experience and the social and political worlds will always be in a state of fluxus. Everyone everywhere is in despair, there is anguish in everything –especially in Istanbul. When the first protesters here got woken up with teargas grenades, with their tents on fire at 5 am, more people showed up to support the occupy protest –only to be barricaded inside train stations with the grenades, beaten up, shot at with plastic bullets, and taken away by the cops. I thought, 24 hours ago when it all started going downhill, that even if they overcame the power of the police, and got to keep Gezi Parki (instead of the government building a shopping mall in its place and the replica of an old military barracks), small victories like this don’t win the war. The problem with these, as with modernism itself, is that they assume a certain model of society that is devoid of trouble. We have got to accept that the world has changed as soon as the first stream of steam rushed out of an engine with the industrial revolution. Thinking things can be, in the course of time, made better and better, which seems to be the human condition and illusion, is a false freedom capitalism has us lusting after. Even at its most revolutionary, this idea still tends to linger. Freedom is a romanticized idea –and a hopeless one.
But friends, Istanbul is in war. I feel hypocritical saying all this now, because this romanticized freedom is what I strive for. We are in the midst of a revolution –nothing like this has been seen in many, many years. This is not about wanting to hold on to a couple trees and a bench. This is about our Prime Minister’s neo-liberalist, non-secular agenda taking over our country. None of our national TV channels are broadcasting what’s going on. We can only get a sense of what’s happening through the social media, and our internet’s been slowed down. There are no ambulances helping those in need. People have been aiding others on the streets; doctors have left their hospitals to be a part of it. Some policemen have resigned, and this shows that you can’t just follow orders. Those who still fight against their own citizens are no different than German soldiers during WW2, our PM no different than the one in charge of Germany at the time. He is still asking the protesters to stop hurting the people and destroying the buildings.
There is a saying in Turkish that goes something like “to lick your own spit”. It means to step back and do or accept something you were initially against. I’ve always looked down upon Facebook posts about political subject matters. Who cares if my best friend shares a link I’ve posted, what difference does it make? Being here at this time has made all the difference and there is no way of describing the atmosphere, the emotional aspects of this. Please help spread the word, even if it doesn’t seem to make a difference to us that people in the states know about it. Asking you all this, makes me feel like, in a very, very insignificant way, I’m saying “that some of the powers of this world have got to go.” Help us finally overcome what’s been sickening and poisoning and destructing our own country. Support us in standing against the powers that have been doing all they can with all their might, to take us back to the Ottoman days.
add meds, check
emergen-c, check
painkillers, check
anti-anxiety meds, check
ready to work
I won’t tell you not to leave. But you’re cold, take my jacket. These are the most beautiful hours of the day. Stay with me.
maybe everything i do is about love
sky’s color block
2012
rest
2012
All we ever did was to judge people, subtly give them a hard time, make them feel uncomfortable for being such vain human beings. We were just kids.
2010, thanksgiving
2010
2011
they were kind enough to select one of my photographs to be in their 3rd issue, gedditt
WE DID IT AGAIN!
Pre-orders are now officially open for our third issue, Echo.
After sifting through another batch of submissions, we are thrilled to feature 26 awesome creators who took the theme ‘echo’ and brought their own spark to it. Once again, we have a beautiful group of art and writing that will leave you inspired.
Echo won’t officially ship out until May 31st, but get your order in soon. They cost $5 for domestic orders, $7 for Canada and $10 for all other international orders. This includes shipping!
As always, thank you so much for your overwhelming support and general enthusiasm over this project. You guys are the best!
(Source: onthecuspzine)
2012, istanbul
forgotten gif
