Market relations are not possible without competition. Its purport is that the producers of goods or service providers are striving to do their job in better quality and at a lower cost, and thereby, obtain gain as many buyers and customers as possible. As you know, this very economic stimulus is almost missing in Armenia for the simple reason that the business has been intertwined with public service, and the officials are practicing administrative levers for the prosperity of their families and them. Competition in our country and there was no problem and, as you know, is a political one.
But sometimes, the notion of competition is gaining an overly personalized and, I would say, inadequate character. When at my conscious age (16 years old) I attended the Tchaikovsky music school, I was surprised at the manifestations of “artistic competition”. The first grader girl could break into tears and whimper, “If Hrushik plays better at the concert than me, I’m going to throw myself from the third floor.” I do not know whether it is strongly recommended to educate such a psychology in the child for him to become a famous musician-performer.
Journalistic competition, certainly, does not fall behind it. Still before the era of websites and Facebook, the newspapers were writing “materials” over each other to diminish the competitors. Well, now, it has become almost a law to “push up” by opening a way with the help of elbows to the Parnassus of “clicks” and “likes”. When I am said that a certain material or a website has a certain number of views, or a certain journalist receives a certain wages, my answer is unchanged, “Let one becomes a thousand”. Again, I do not know, maybe this is in contrast to market approaches.
Likewise, the titles of the artists. I have already had the opportunity of writing that I am principally against them. The state should not determine who sings good and who sings bad. Of course, if the state determines that rabis music is good, then it is a very sad fact. But when Armenchik’s matter is being discussed from morning till night and for weeks, I begin doubting whether the competing spirit does not speak on the artists who express fiery complaints. Now, appetites are rising around granting honorary title of Yerevan and apartments as a gift by the City Hall. The competitors give a good thrashing of the nominees. But I think if something good, something pleasant happens to people, you need only to rejoice. Let everyone have everything: houses, money, titles, clicks, everything that they need. And this applies not only to specific people but to all 7 billion humans.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
