Being law-abiding and civilized in Armenia is a very condemnable phenomenon. And what can make a person law-abiding? Of course, the strictness of the law. But there is always a fierce propaganda against it. Speedometers, prescriptions, penalties for smoking and crossing the street from an unallowed place are the main enemies of the Armenian people.
Why do people want to take antibiotics without prescription, drive at speeds of 100 kilometers/hour, and smoke in public places, throw litter from the car window, deceive and cheat one another, and finally, why are they so fond of blowing their noses and spitting on the street? “It turns out” that the reason is that they live poorly, get low salaries and cannot take care of their family. Well, when good conditions for life are created for them, when they receive higher salaries, have a legitimate and caring government, when there is social justice, they will “stop”. Our citizens do not behave as citizens because of the “illegitimacy” of the authorities.
But wait a minute. In the 70’s, people lived well (financially) and received at least 120 rubles salary. Why did then the majority of Armenia’s population steal the 2 copecks costing electricity, which would cost them only 50 copecks monthly? Was it because of the Communists’ illegitimacy? Or maybe they saw how good the secretaries, and warden-keepers were living, and stealing the electricity was their protest against social injustice?
To tell the truth, I think the problem lies in somewhere else. There is some irrational hatred towards the state in Armenia, both Soviet and independent. We love our land, our homeland, we are ready to die for those, but we do not only not love the state but we are also hostile towards it. People saw the justification of their antisocial behavior in the “injustice” based on Kochinyan’s, Demirchyan’s, and other Armenian governors’ “success” and their “unsuccessfulness”. This “trend” is reinforced by people who know very well what is going on: earlier it was done in the kitchen, now in social networks.
Knowing the truth and uttering it are two totally different phenomena. Going against the flow has always been difficult.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
