When politicians, publicists, and reporters exaggerate or give pompous evaluations of reality, it doesn’t mean that they’re in favor of extremes on the inside. Those people simply know that the people who use their “products” like it.
It’s one thing if I write “hail damaged property in several communities in the Armavir region,” and another thing entirely if I write “hail destroyed all the harvest on the Ararat plain.” Or “Alexander Sargsyan, using an administrative lever, illegally was able to become the partial owner of several businesses,” and “Half of all large businesses in Armenia belong to Sashik.” Which of these statements is worded more attractively and more dramatically? Which one brings out more emotions and passion? But, on the other hand, which is closer to reality?
The same announcements with “pompous logic” are still made today. If there was once a group of people who thought that Armenia is a “despotic” and “tyrannical” regime, now there’s a group of people who thinks that Armenia is a “fascist dictatorship.” The basis for this is particularly the prime minister’s emotional speech at the gathering, or the popular opinion that officials need to only voice their thoughts that are in harmony with the government. The reality is that Armenia has never been a despotic country, and especially not a totalitarian regime. It will also never be a fascist nation, regardless of what people understand when they use that word. There are no internal or external preconditions for such a pompous approach, whether the former, current, or future authorities want it or not. The revolutionary pathos, which, naturally, is of a strictly temporary nature, should not be confused with fascism.
Now environmentalists say that since the government is going to take an additional 40 million cubic meters of water from Sevan, Sevan will be destroyed. First, the word “destroyed,” of course, needs to be used very carefully. There has been destruction in the history of nations, but usually, terrible events can be described as failures, since they’re usually reparable. Of course, taking more water from Sevan is worrisome. And that won’t be necessary when the problem of the “water mafia” is solved.
Aram Abrahamyan
