There are two issues that I take with Lerner\u2019s interpretation of the intricacies of social life in Balgat. Firstly, speaking to his methodology, it was very clear that Lerner came into his observations with a bias\u2014wanting to paint the grocer as his hero. He talks about one of the \u201cwiser heads\u201d speaking, \u201cthe words I was seeking\u201d when the man calls the grocer, \u201cthe cleverest of us all\u201d (Lerner, 56). This blatant admittance of preference casts doubts over the entire picture we have just watched Lerner pain for us. However, perhaps the underlying issue of his bias stems from his assumptions about the nature of progress. Lerner portrays the Grocer as a prophet, years ahead of his time, embracing the lifestyle of urban Ankara and attempting to incorporate elements of the more industrial society, like neckties and commercial goods, into the more traditional Balgat life. Lerner glorifies this way of life, asking, \u201cWhat would happen next in Balgat if more people discovered the tingle of wondering what will happen next?\u201d (Lerner, 51). It is clear that Lerner sees commercialism, public transportation, urban labor, and new technology as \u201cprogress\u201d in society, and so he takes the Grocer, the only one in society brave enough to embrace these developments, as a revolutionary and a hero.<\/p>\n
However, this progress came at a great cost, namely conformity to Ankara to the point where Balgat is scheduled to be swallowed up into the greater Ankara region. This will undoubtedly mark a great loss of tradition and identity for the Balgati people as they are now being forced to embrace everything that urbanization brings with it. Perhaps, then, this is not so much progress, but conformity. Perhaps this loss of tradition is more detrimental than the positive effects of embracing Ankara. Perhaps Lerner\u2019s assumptions about change and progress being admirable are misguided, and blind him to the societal harms that might be inflicted on the Balgati with such rapid and compulsory change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are two issues that I take with Lerner\u2019s interpretation of the intricacies of social life in Balgat. Firstly, speaking to his methodology, it was very clear that Lerner came into his observations with a bias\u2014wanting to paint the grocer … Continue reading