Writing in Turkish for Diken, Sevgi Uçan Çubukçu argues that when political language runs on fear, threat and punishment, remembering ordinary goodness becomes a political act. She starts with strangers giving up metro seats and recalls Gezi Park in 2013, when young protesters threw back tear-gas canisters to shield older people they did not know. Authoritarianism, she says, changes not only institutions but how people see each other, turning difference into danger.

She is clear that kindness cannot replace rights or democratic institutions. Her point is that believing in a better shared life is an ethical choice, not naivety. For freethinkers living under pressure, it is a reminder that resisting fear also means refusing to see neighbours as enemies.

Source: Sevgi Uçan Çubukçu, Diken (Turkish) (2026-11-07)
https://www.diken.com.tr/hatirlayalim-kotuluk-tek-gerceklik-degil/

Summarised by the FTI newsdesk.