Brain fog

I open the newspapers and listen to the commentators: the most dominant emotion is anxiety . Politics, the economy, or daily life… Whatever the topic, it seems we're always talking about anxiety. For a long time, politics, both globally and in Turkey, has entered a period of uncertainty that's hard to grasp rationally. Things are happening, but no one can fully see or predict what's happening. One reason for this is the end of the technocratic politics established after World War II. The goal of that era was to minimize risks; that's why development plans were made. Today, technocratic politics no longer appeals to the masses. In its place has been a politics based on character, emotion, a sense of belonging, and often false promises. Even the old totalitarian regimes relied on an ideology. But for today's authoritarian leaders, ideology is a burden. Instead, they control information sources and spread a "brain fog" through censorship, distortion, lies, and conspiracy theories.

THE POWER OF ANXIETY

The lack of an ideological framework for today's authoritarian leaders allows them to act more freely. Thus, the old political approach, which focused on risk management, has been replaced by anxiety management. While risk was more about reason, with anxiety, politics has become more emotionally driven. Popular leaders, whether right-wing or left-wing, are able to sway the masses by appealing to emotion rather than reason. In particular, mass movements and terrorism have been used as pretexts, leading to widespread mass surveillance and the abolition of human rights, and therefore political freedoms, across the world. Peaceful protesters in support of Palestine in Germany can be easily deported. The entire world can stand by and watch the events in Gaza. This has transformed anxiety into the most significant force shaping today's society, politics, and economy.

OVERWARDING FEAR

So why is anxiety so functional? In her book "Fear: A Cultural History," Joanna Bourke speaks of anxiety as a form of anesthesia. If you want to change time, people, and society, you must inject anxiety into every pore of social and political life. Because the higher the anxiety, the more thinking is canceled; the simple codes of survival instinct begin to work. Anxiety paralyzes the individual. As a management practice, anxiety, as seen in a society of fear , cancels political futures. It replaces reassuring visions of the future with panic or doomsday scenarios driven by overwhelming fear. This can even be seen in the headlines of content on social media: "Apocalypse is Coming, New Shock Beneath." Traffic accidents, murders, narrow escapes… Every piece of content seems programmed to raise the anxiety levels of individuals. Exposing people and masses to large, unknown, and unpredictable dangers makes them more susceptible to guidance and control. The unpredictability of leaders like Trump or Putin is quite different from the ideological consistency of previous authoritarian leaders.

DREAM OF THE FUTURE

We are trapped in a world of possibilities that influence, shape, and produce the socio-political landscape every day. There are constantly developments, large and small, that cause concern. But anxiety, just as it serves as a tool for authoritarian regimes, can also become a threatening force. In this respect, anxiety as resistance is a dual movement. If anxiety and anxiety are embraced by the masses, as in the occupation movements, it can pave the way for a libertarian politics.

Instead of the anxiety that freezes time, there's an anxiety that rewinds it. The ability of individuals and societies to dream about the future anew is also a source of confidence. Solidarity networks, women's movements, young people fighting for the climate... Like a tree blooming when it receives water, these movements make it possible to imagine the future. Because only societies that dream of the future can dispel the fog of fear.