(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
with environmental problems. Composed of newspaper writing types like news stories,
interviews and columns, these examples could be said to involve some certain stereotypic
perceptions and representations. These stereotypic perceptions and representations are
reflected in the discourse of newspaper writings via assessments of news actors and
columnists. Discourses of actors in the newspaper writings, in turn, contain these actors’
perspectives about environmentalists, or explanations about the characteristics of social
perceptions relating to environmentalists.
In four of these writings, perceptions relating to environmentalists are described and it is seen
that these descriptions indicate to a perception and stereotype of “marginality.” Two of these
examples are about a letter written by the Nature Observers Society to the prime minister. In
the letter, attention is drawn to evaluations by the prime minister relating to environmentalists
such as “people who have nothing to do”, “who do this as a recreation”, “unemployed”, and
these people are criticized. Despite the use of a discourse that affirms environmentalists, the
story writer also makes an evaluation that there are some marginal groups within
environmentalists. In another news site where the same letter is used in a news story, the
demand for not to be equated with marginal groups is both given in heading and also
emphasized within the story. In another words, there is an indication about the wrongness of
stereotyping environmentalists as “idlers”, while at the same time a reference is made which,
though only in the basis of some certain groups, supports the perception of marginality. In
specific, an environmentalist association acknowledges the existence of marginal groups
within environmentalists. In another example, a columnist is citing perceptions about
environmentalist as examples. In this writing, the change of perspectives about
environmentalists within historical process is given as an example of marginality perception.
In the last example, again, there are assessments by a columnist on environmentalism and
environmentalists. Here, too, it is ascertained, by the columnist’s own perspective, that
environmentalism is regarded as a marginal work in Turkey. This designation, however, is not
in a criticizing tone towards this perception of “marginality” but draws attention to the fact
that there are some justifications about the forming of such image. Some factors about
environmentalists are set forth about the forming of “marginality” image in environmentalism
and an indirect contribution is provided for the reproduction of such stereotypic perception
and representation. Examples in question:
“In one sense, you have categorized those struggling for environmental protection as
unemployed-worthless people ‘who have nothing valuable to practice, and do this as a
recreation”... We would like to say, first of all, that environmentalists are too diverse and
heterogeneous to fit into a single categorization...Although there exists some marginal groups
within environmentalists whom you mention by negation, environmentalists are generally
known as knowledgeable and far-sighted individuals in the civilized world and their views are
important and respected so as to be taken into consideration in the governing of a country.
We regard the efforts towards protective utilization of nature as a sacred duty and perform
this not because of unemployment but along with our very intense works.”
(www.ucansupurge.org/arşiv, an open letter from environmentalists to the prime minister,
28.08.2008).
“An Open Letter from the Environmentalist Professor to the Prime Minister: “Do not equate
us with marginal groups” (Heading, www.haberler.com, 28.09.2008).
“If you get angry at marginal groups and then equate and disregard all environmentalists, if
you indiscriminately characterize them all as idlers, you would be wronging a huge mass who
have unified the love of country with love of nature...” (www.haberler.com, 28.09.2008).
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