If Davutoğlu had a TV show, it would be canceled in two weeks

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu spoke in a joint live broadcast on ATV and A Haber the other day. The time of the live broadcast was between 6.50 p.m. and 8 p.m.; in other words, the prime time slot when newscasts are broadcast. 

What he was competing with in that time slot were not popular serials or contests, they were only other main news broadcasts of the day. 

I looked at the ratings. In general, the audience for Davutoğlu was 40th; in the AB group, he was 41st.  
The main newscast of the day at ATV Haber in the same time slot received twice the rating and share.  
If Davutoğlu were someone who made weekly television programs, with these results, his program would be canceled before its third week. 

However, these bad results are not related to Davutoğlu’s television performance. Whichever politician goes on live television, the result is more or less the same. The reason is that the Turkish audience does not watch any program now, from politics to football and women’s programs, if it does not have a quarrel or fighting in it. 

The Turkish audience does not have any tolerance for a person on television explaining something calmly to them. They want action; they want excitement. 

The morning shows for women are criticized, but even political programs are similar. The mentality is the same: Let there be fighting, so that it will be watched more.

This is the reason why only three of every 100 people watching television at that time tuned in to Davutoğlu. But if a scenario had played out where he was fighting with the hosts, you would have seen what would have happened… 

Put your garbage to the container  

For years, this city’s street corners have been covered in writing: “Whoever puts garbage here is a donkey.” 
Garbage containers were not as ubiquitous in those days and neither were the municipal cleaning facilities. Now, there is a garbage container on every corner. Most municipalities collect garbage twice a day.  

But despite this, the common guy or gal still leaves their garbage in front of their door instead of putting it in a container. Or, because they do not want garbage at their door, they leave it in front of their neighbor’s door. 

You must have seen the garbage truck, sometimes stuck on a narrow street… The garbage men step out of the truck every 10 meters collecting bags left everywhere.

The guy does not walk to the container 50 meters away; he leaves his garbage on the street. Believe me, there is no such nonsense anywhere else in the world. 

There are still people in this city who throw their garbage out their window. I’m not lying. The other day a bag was about to land on my head in Cihangir. They threw a large garbage bag to the street from the third floor. 

Well, before this, in the old days, we did not know how to use a garbage bag either. Everybody would take their garbage and empty it on the nearest corner. Now, at least we have learned how to use a garbage bag. If they cannot afford a bag, then we use market bags, tie them and leave them. 

But now it is time we learn to take the garbage to the container. Municipalities should help raise awareness… There should be “Leave your garbage in a container” campaigns. 

If we have finally learned how to put garbage in a bag after 20 years, I guess we can learn to put it in a container also…