Letter from Political Prisoner İsmail Yılmaz from Turkey
We hereby share an unofficial translation of a letter written by the political prisoner İsmail Yılmaz, which was published by Yeni Demokrasi on November 5.
Understanding the New as the Old Order Falters
We are witnessing the deepening and entrenchment of economic and social problems across Europe, most notably in France, as well as in the United States, Latin American nations, and India, alongside the growing pursuit of an alternatives to the existing system. This manifests primarily as a loss of status, a decline in income, and a deterioration in living conditions.
The fact that small and medium-sized enterprises, tradespeople, and producers – strained by an unregulated market system and unbridled inflation – have fallen for the promises of bourgeois right-wing and left-wing parties claiming, “We will save you,” leading to the alternating rise of the right and the left, demonstrates that the masses are not acting based on class-driven motives.
The fallacy of the argument propagated by neoliberalism, that “classes are dead, and an era of peace and freedom has begun,” is now much better understood. We see that hundreds of thousands of lives are being lost in regional conflicts, and that these wars are becoming both entrenched and more widespread. There is even talk of the potential use of nuclear weapons.
On a global scale, there is profound income inequality and the resulting impoverishment. The living conditions of the masses are becoming increasingly dire; significant disparities persist between different societies in areas such as healthcare, education, housing, and nutrition – all of which serve as benchmarks for human development, both in the last century and today. Furthermore, inequality within each individual society is also deepening. This so-called “neoliberal order,” driven by giant monopolies, poses a threat to the peoples of the world at every level.
The ruling classes are wielding the State apparatus at their disposal to sow terror. Beyond this, they unleash a form of “media terror” that molds free thought into a shape of their own choosing. They dim the hopes that the masses, especially the youth, hold for the future. In the name of exalting the individual, they effectively destroy the individual; meanwhile, they corrupt and eradicate social diversity and cultural richness.
Figures like US President D. Trump, who foster a system devoid of oversight and rules, rise to power, or are brought to power in countries where such an order did not previously exist.
Across the globe, the masses are largely subject to the manipulations of media monopolies. While the widespread use and efficacy of communication tools offer advantages in terms of accessing news, information, and data, they simultaneously create significant disadvantages. Through television, computer, and mobile screens, these entities project only the news they wish to be heard or information they have manipulated. In short, the masses today are exposed to media terror to a far greater extent than in the past. Those who lack media literacy are particularly and profoundly affected by this situation.
Subdued by tabloid-style entertainment and films centered on fear and murder, the masses find themselves searching for a refuge or feeling a desperate need for a powerful State. We witnessed this, for instance, in the actions taken by the US and Israel against Iran.
My intention in making these generalizations is to highlight the urgent need for a thorough analysis of global developments – an analysis that is not only sound but, more importantly, capable of yielding revolutionary conclusions. It is essential to examine the mass movements that emerge – at various times – in Europe, the US, Latin America, India, and Turkey from a multidimensional perspective, and to carefully interpret the ideological and philosophical foundations that underpin them. It is impossible not to sense that the coming years are pregnant with monumental developments.
We are faced with a new type of demographic – one deeply immersed in technology. To truly understand and recognize this group, we must analyze the system itself. This should be embraced as a revolutionary responsibility.
*This text was written by imprisoned Partizan İsmail Yılmaz from the Kandıra No. 1 F-Type Prison.
