The most prominent characteristics of a Kemal are his latent, albeit habitual, recourse to employ double standards and to rarely benefit from empathy. We Kemals want many good things for ourselves, but we are not too concerned about what others want. When we are deprived of our democratic and human rights, we rightly keep complaining about them, but when others suffer, we justify -- consciously or subconsciously -- whatever happens to them, if we are not totally turning a blind eye to their problems in the first place, that is. Prophetic hadith firmly express that people are ruled according to who they are. With a few honorable exceptions, citizen Kemals are usually ruled by ruler Kemals in this country. Citizen Kemal complains about the injustices, intolerance and thin skin of ruler Kemal, but as soon as citizen Kemal is elected to be a ruler Kemal, he becomes a ruler Kemal. If ruler Kemal encounters problems in the way of his democratic rights he will hastily work toward required changes for more democratization, but he will always fall short of democratizing the country for everyone, paving the way for a country where everybody regardless of their class, color, religion, creed, ideology, orientation and preference are equal citizens. Ruler Kemal will tell them that conditions are not right for these changes as there are still barriers to full democracy and that there are things that ordinary Kemal could not possibly know and comprehend.
Ruler Kemal does not say it directly, but his actions speak louder than words. He thinks democracy means elections. Before the elections he will be accountable before the people and answer their criticism, but after he wins the elections he gets immunity from criticism. Those who criticize him are either traitors or his enemies. Ruler Kemal espouses a worldview which teaches that loyal friends, companions, fellow travelers, supporters and voters agree with him in all aspects of his rhetoric, work, manner, behavior and actions. For ruler Kemal, what good is a newspaper if it does not constantly criticize the opposition Kemal and constantly cover all the good things that the ruler Kemal has done for the country? Ruler Kemal will be pleased if some critical journalists are silenced by their bosses.
Ruler Kemal is not pleased with civil society. In his political dream world, ruler Kemal wants to be left alone with the atomic individual citizen Kemal. If citizen Kemals get organized around a civil society entity, ruler Kemal gets upset and challenges them to form a political party and confront him. This is the democratic standard of ruler Kemal. Of course ruler Kemal does not say much of this, but as I said his actions speak on his behalf. In most cases, in addition to his actions, his organic so-called intellectual Kemals in a Gramscian sense are more loyal than him and challenge the ordinary Kemals on behalf of ruler Kemal.
Unless all us Kemals, which of course includes me, have a full democratic repentance and detox from our “Kemalistani” cultural authoritarian genes, we will always deserve our beloved ruler Kemals.
