“If you do not turn off the computer right now and do not sit down to do your lessons, you will stay without an ice cream for 5 days.” A familiar expression, isn’t it? We, the adults, refer to our children with such threats so that the latter would display the behavior, which, in our opinion, is useful to them, the children. On this condition, we want to evoke a certain feeling of fear in children (and not only in children), with the aim that they comply with our notion of “good” and “right”.
This approach underlies the not-so-reasonable desire to control others. There exists such a human temperament, I would even say, something like a mental illness to try to control your family members, your colleagues, some of the party members and so on. Such people would not sleep well at nights if they do not know that they have some control over this or that group of people.
How is it possible to achieve? Naturally, by setting conditions, more simply to say, by blackmail. “If you do not do it, I will not love you,” it seems that love is a remuneration for something and it can be conditional. For example, “he who is an atheist, he is not Armenian.” In other words, if you do not share my belief, I will reject your right to be Armenian. Once such a statements is made, I, not being an atheist at all, have a great desire to become such. It is natural, any blackmail (which is a form of violence) causes resistance. If you blackmail me, then you do not respect me, and your sole desire is to control over me.
Or, “He who is not an ARF member, he is not Armenian.” This was how the members of this party blackmailing people in the 90s. Now, fortunately, they gave up this madcap idea, can you imagine having 10 million Dashnak in the world. Or, do you remember the activists piling grass at the doors of the “wrong voting” deputies during the 1988-1990 movement? In other words, if you do not vote the way we want, then you are an animal.
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Now, the question has been posed in the same way. “If you do not fight against the Constitutional amendments, then you want a Nazi regime be established in Armenia.” I will say one more time, I’m for “no”, truly not for the reasons that are usually mentioned. But when they try to blackmail me, it causes an internal resistance inside me. No need to scare people by various labeling, it gives the opposite effect.
… “Well, you might say, and what we should do for the child to turn off the computer and begin doing the lesson.” I do not know, everyone must decide on its own how to hint the opposite person, in your opinion, the right way. Personally, I think that I should explain what I have achieved void of being engaged in stupid things and using my time efficiently. But the solution, of course, is individual. It is important to realize that you will achieve nothing by blackmailing.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
