Akif Gurbanov: "It's never too late to learn"

Akif Gurbanov

Akif Gurbanov, the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives (IDI) and the detained speaker of the Third Republic Platform, has written a letter to the public from Kurdakhany pre-trial detention center where he is being held.

US President Abraham Lincoln has a good quote. Democracy is based on the principle that "you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." However, the authoritarian government's control over the media violates Lincoln's logic, because this prevents citizens from discerning the truth. Oligarchic authorities that monopolize the media deflect attention from reality to distant influences and forces by blaming their failures on others. How do they do this?

In prison, the main daily source of information is the existing TV channels within the country. I also receive alternative information from outside through friends. Every day, I follow the domestic news on the menus of 9 local channels. None of them differ from each other. The difference is only in the time allocated to the news. Some dedicate a lot of time, others less. However, all channels share two main characteristics. 1. Any kind of information, data, or news related to the government's policy in any area is presented not as information, but as a product of propaganda and agitation. Just as the newspaper was simply the main tool of propaganda in the Soviet era. Now, TV channels are viewed in the same way. 2. The news on all 9 TV channels I watch is presented in the same way, with the same sentences, and the same message. This means that the TV materials are prepared based on a text originating from a single center, a single hand. The population watching these falls under the influence of such propaganda materials; when they don't have alternative information, they cannot compare. Consequently, they accept the news being thrust upon them as the truth. Just as it was once said: "This information was in Pravda, so it must be true." Similarly, many people now say that if it was shown on TV, it must be true.

I put myself in their place for a moment. How can any person, unaccustomed to questioning, think differently when watching this TV material? Moreover, considering that similar news is shown the same way on 9 TV channels, how can the news consumer not eat the meal provided if no other meal is "served" on the menu?

To avoid eating it, they must possess established habits of alternative thinking, critical approach, and questioning. Where do we gain these habits? 1. In the family - the idea instilled in them is, "one must listen to the elders' words." Otherwise, it is considered talking back to an elder. The word "elder" is understood as a teacher/parent in the family, a teacher/director in kindergarten/school, a boss/manager at work, a leader in politics, and so on. 2. In educational institutions - there is neither academic freedom (for the teacher, student, and pupil alike), nor freedom of initiative, nor critical thinking, nor openness. In societal life and public administration, there is neither free election nor a free discussion environment, nor opportunities for initiatives, and so on. Against the backdrop of all this, when some people, taking risks, try to break the dictated conditions in an environment where freedom is not created, they are punished. People who grow up in such an environment cannot avoid being affected by propaganda materials. Propaganda materials affect people through the same mechanism as advertisements. This is based on the working mechanism of the human brain. Scientific research clearly confirms this effect. Therefore, it is beneficial to start from the beginning.

If changing the entire system, society, and country at once seems difficult, we must at least start with ourselves, our families, and our immediate circle. We must teach our children and youth to question, think critically, think independently, and be proactive. We should not be afraid of stereotypes such as: "Their morals will be ruined," "The mentality will be lost," "They will be without elders," and so on. On the contrary, a self-confident person who can distinguish truth from lies, and evil from good, will better understand what dignity, honor, conscience, and justice are. A person who knows these and lives by them will behave with more respect, compassion, goodwill, honesty, and fairness towards both elders and youngsters. A person who can express himself well and as he wishes will also be full of love. As long as he is not given the opportunity to express himself, he will not be able to share his feelings. He will not be able to reflect his love or his protest. Accumulated protests will turn into anger and push him toward rebellion and defiance. Thus, let's start the change with ourselves and our surroundings. As Aristotle said, if we want to change our lives, we must change our habits. Let's teach the youth, children, and friends freedom, initiative, critical thinking, and questioning. It is never too late to learn.