About (un)Professionalism

Does anyone wonder how come people who do not have any background in, or understanding of political issues end up writing grandiose opinion pieces and articles explaining things that they can only imagine to understand. in Armenian reality it seems that instead of raising the level of discussion to a more professional setting we have actually allowed issues to be oversimplified and hence based on rhetoric rather than in depth analysis.


So called "activists" and "patriots" who are viewed as "saviors" have constantly brought the level of discourse to such lows that, more often than not, it reflects negatively on the state of Armenian intellectual reality.

These days, the simple mentioning of the “rights of the nation” or any other similar nationalist rhetoric is enough to legitimize any given individual’s position as a “leader of the nation”. One cannot help but to remember the words of Samuel Johnson: “[false] Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”.

The thick headed diasporans!

I find it quite fascinating the mobilization of the diaspora in recent weeks after the announcement of the protocols that would, assumingly, normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia. What amuses me is that after over 18 years of relations between an independent Armenia and the Diaspora, the latter still views itself as a "major player" in Armenian politics. Can't these people they realize that no matter how many rallies or demonstrations are held in the world, and no matter how much recycled rhetoric is used in the diaspora’s media, the government of Armenia has never, and will never, turn back from a decision that they made.


For gods' sake (there is a hint here about my religious views, if you could get it), the Armenian government does not listen to its OWN citizens, what gives the disoriented diasporans the notion that it will listen to them.

I guess at the end of the day, being relevant (even if it is a self-inflicted misconception), is what guides most of us.

Back at blogging

Over two years ago, a friend of mine encouraged me to start a blog based on a serried of travelogues I wrote. Appealing to my ego and to my sense of self promotion she managed to convince me and I started this blog. As you can see nothing this blog has been as empty as the heads of some of our “leaders” (be those in Armenia or in the diaspora). Recent developments in Armenian and diasporan life and encounters with “interesting” characters (“interesting” is usually another way of saying “weird”) has motivated me to restart populating this blog. Let’s see how far this motivation would take me.