In the Name of the Power of Role Models

Many ideas have been put forward about what has governed the world and humanity until now. I think that one of the first questions the human mind seeks when it engages in the act of thinking is this: What governs us? And again, I think that although much has been written and said on this subject, no one has stated that what truly governs us are “role models.” I am not sure if I am the first person to propose this theory. However, the result of my intensive intellectual labor consistently points me in this direction.

Think about it; in every period of our lives, we have had role models, whether small or large, with a slight or intense influence. The role model for boys, often without even realizing it, is usually their fathers, and for girls, their mothers. We unconsciously imitate their ideas and perspectives on life. Over time, this mimicry evolves from being unconscious to being shaped directly around the people we want to become. Whoever we want to be, we copy our outlook on life from them as much as possible. This person can sometimes be a celebrity, a fictional character, a peer, or an elder. Ultimately, we need to be influenced by them and deem them worthy of imitation due to one or several of their traits. As a result, we try to copy almost all of the characteristics of the person we have chosen.

I have been thinking and striving for a long time about humans finding and revealing their true freedom and authentic self. I see that when there is a role model, the self cannot fully emerge. Because in such a case, we are building another character’s identity on top of our own. Moreover, putting aside the fact that this situation means we are not free, while it can sometimes be harmless or even beneficial for the welfare of society, the point we have reached today generally positions it as harmful.

There have been periods when characters prominent for their traits like hard work, being a gentleman/lady, and intellectuality occasionally had an impact and made a splash on society, particularly the youth. Although I do not approve of this either, I can position it as harmless and beneficial in terms of societal welfare. However, I can say that in our time, the presentation of character traits such as vulgarity, delinquency, and a propensity for violence to people’s subconscious as “alpha” and as desirable, ideal personas to aspire to be is extremely problematic both in terms of freedom and authentic self, and in terms of societal welfare. In this case, the supposed perfection of the role model and the inherent inability of human nature to achieve this perfection not only builds self-esteem problems but also creates very serious societal problems beyond that.

It is noteworthy that highly-watched TV series/movie characters are handsome or beautiful, charismatic, perfect (according to whom, by what standard?), likewise, much-read book characters or, nowadays, social media figures, singers, or any highly popular person who publishes their inner world for speculation possess the same or similar traits. The fact that these are favored by society clearly shows that human interest in all this is directly proportional to the adoption of the character as a role model. For example, in films or series, rather than the plot, the audience prefers to watch productions consisting of characters they deem worthy of imitation. This is why productions aimed at youth are followed more by young people.

The most-watched productions in Turkey in recent years actually reveal the current state of affairs:

· Kuruluş Osman and Diriliş Ertuğrul: Productions in the “historical series” format where characters prone to violence are presented with the attributes of “proper, exemplary,” and killing is normalized.

· Çukur, Kurtlar Vadisi, Eşkıya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz, Sıfır Bir: Productions where the main perpetrators of violence, who use guns as accessories, are shown as “right, proper” role models.

Again, when we look at the most listened-to singers in Turkey in recent years from a role model perspective, we coincidentally encounter the same result:

· Uzi, Ezhel, Çakal, Lvbel C5, Blok 3: Individuals who have songs glorifying violence, drugs, and crime; and who project a similar profile outside of their songs.

All of this is also related to a phenomenon I frequently mention independently of this topic, which I have named the “Fast Food Dopamine Age,” due to our era’s habit of rapidly consuming dopamine. An individual trying to consume dopamine rapidly will seek action. Producers, by nature, will continue to make things that are inherently interesting. It is evident that what attracts interest these days are these things. As these gain interest, the industry will continue to evolve in this direction. As the industry evolves in this direction, the degeneration will also progress accordingly. Consequently, rates of violence and crime will continue to increase. The phenomenon I mentioned at the beginning of the text, “Role models govern the world,” will unfortunately continue to realize itself to the detriment of society. Furthermore, when the issue is examined in terms of personal harms rather than societal detriment, there is a danger beyond phenomena that everyone sees as harmful, like violence and drugs. The establishment of a certain perception of beauty or handsomeness by these role models, and the subconscious imposition of the material possessions these role models have, are just small examples of this. It is also an undeniable truth that as the desired person or persons become more artificial and supposedly perfect, the individual who cannot reach them will be psychologically harmed, and problems such as anxiety and self-esteem will peak.

We have all been embarrassed by our past ideas with our current minds. Now, think about those ideas you were embarrassed by and whom you took as a role model during that period. In this case, you will see the harm of role modeling, and that the truly intelligent thing is yourself, and the truly beneficial thing is your complete freedom. Anyone who builds an identity on top of their own self is not free. How happy is the person who struggles to find their true self and self-actualize on the path to freedom.