Society

I am Armenian and I am surprised to know that the game “The Weakest Link” is not played in Armenia. This is a game where democracy is played Armenian style-Everyone moans and groans. I don’t know whether historians Movses Khorenatsi or Yeghish have the word “munat” (groan) in their works, but the fact remains that everyone today, starting from the president to newborns, moan and groan. I can not say for sure how much of that is connected with our mentality, but what I can surely say is that moaning and groaning is divided into different categories. Let’s list some of them:

1. Family groans

Relations between “Father and Son” have changed within the past few years. The so-called “children of the generation of the independent Armenia” demand such things from their parents which seem impossible. In addition, if the parents do not fulfill the child’s requirements, he or she says the following sentence as a comeback: “Why did you have me in the first place if you can’t fulfill my needs?”

2. Daily groans

These groans can be heard everywhere, in any store where the female clerk smiles her American smile (the owners of the store have told her to do this) but at the same time shows her Armenian gesticulation (she has seen this since the day she was born) and talks with the customers. “This is all we have. If you don’t like it, I really don’t care”. Let’s not forget the popular Armenian phrase: “What, do you think it’s your birthday?”

3. TV groans

This is something that refers to all closed and existing Armenian television networks. The viewer gets the impression that the anchors have still kept the half-gangster, commanding tone that they have learned from the Political Party High School in Baku or the years spent in one of Russia’s north-eastern reformatories. Let’s not even start with the commercials.

4. Political moans and groans

Everyone knows that groaning is considered holiness for political interpreters and that talking in a different tone is considered a foreign language. We all understand the fact that the Armenian traditional political party had to be named the “Armenian Revolutionary Moaning and Groaning Party”. It can be seen from some of the members’ faces (except two or three people).

But wait just a minute. Dear first and second presidents, you must not talk like that with the people. Please try to be more sincere with the people, the journalists, political figures and oligarchs, the authorities and opposition. After all, that used to be our mentality-the mentality that we wish we had nowadays. However, I must say that even though we consider that as incorrect and something in the past, we all have that same mentality and it was nice to see our friends and relatives communicate the Armenian way by saying “tsavt tanem” (you mean so much to me) rather than showing dull American smiles or obeying the laws of the European Union. I really hope that we will go back to those days. This is not a longing, but rather faith in a brighter future. I have the right.

Optimistic for Armenia’s future,
A.K.