Recently, cases of measles and whooping cough among children in Armenia have increased. Unfortunately, there are also cases of death. The reason is very simple: propaganda against vaccination has been intensified, parents have started believing in this propaganda and refuse to vaccinate their children. Earlier there were rumors about the dangers of vaccination as well, mothers and grandmothers were actively discussing those in their kitchens. But 20-30 years ago the ignorance was in the place where it deserved to be: out of the margin. Though accessing information has become considerably easier nowadays, ignorance has become more widespread and aggressive.
I do not think that the number of literate people has declined within these decades. They simply do not dare to oppose the ignorant aggression, do not want to attract the attention of those masses. Moreover, there are people who understand that vaccines have saved millions of people since the middle decades of last century, but deliberately leaving the clothes of the civilized people of the 21st century, they put on fur clothes of the medieval people to please the ignorant crowd. It is more important for them to post two “oppositional” lines on Facebook than to care about children’s health. Indeed, we live in perilous times in terms of “the triumph of ignorance”.
Checking information, let me repeat, is a matter of minutes. But people do not want to do it and are inclined to believe in misinformation, which is more in line with their sentiments. For a few weeks, the Armenian Facebook was delighted that the United States will no longer provide Armenia with any kind of assistance. “Profound analyses” were being built based on that “fact”. When someone dared to say that such a thing was impossible, he immediately was labeled to be “a slave to the power”. Finally, when the US Congress Committee on External Financial Aid suggested that the financial assistance provided to Armenia in 2019 would amount to 6 million 40,000 dollars (and it is highly likely that the Congress will approve that sum of money), all of those “analysts” forgot about that topic. Although as a “consolation” I can tell them that it is for 760 thousand dollars less than it was in 2018. I do not know, maybe the users will have a little joy that Georgia will receive 31 million 100 thousand dollars (and Azerbaijan will receive 4 million).
But before mourning or rejoicing, you need to know the truth, not too long to hear what you want to hear. Ignorance is our worst enemy.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
