Any political propaganda has some “mythological” basis. It does not matter if such a myth is based on true or false information. The myth works when the majority believes in it. And that belief has far-reaching consequences.
For example, during one of the most terrible epidemics of the past, the plague of the 14th century, the myth was spread in one part of Italy that the Jews spread the disease through “pogroms,” while in others it was believed that the epidemic was God’s punishment for human sins. Six centuries later, in September 1943, when Germany occupied the northern and central parts of Italy, in the first case the Jews were handed over to the Nazis, and in the second case, people tried to hide them.
So, we can guess what the consequences of this or that myth may be. For example, when a myth about the army is formed with negative accents for political purposes. When the opposition spread rumors during the war in April of 2016 that our tanks were being filled with water instead of fuel, or that Chief of the General Staff Khachaturov was playing billiards during the war, I warned that the propaganda was dangerous. Allegations of “billiards” were denied in court. The rumors about selling fuel, I think, were partly true. But let’s compare how many criminal cases have been filed on this issue after the revolution, how many military units there are in Armenia, and whether it was worth discrediting the army because of, excuse me, 5 or 10 swindlers.
Now I warn you again that inhumane, disrespectful treatment of captured soldiers, and especially linking their problems to domestic and foreign policy, will have far-reaching negative consequences. If we do not have respect for those who are in the service today and if we do not show human sensitivity, it will have a bad impact on the army, society, and the state in 5, 10, 20 years. On the contrary, we need to create a “positive mythology” about the army, as the United States, Israel, and other developed countries have.
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I can understand everything: “arrogance,” expensive “gifts,” “won” tenders, and even silly fights in the parliament. Until 2018, it was time for the “pro-Serzhs” to “have fun,” and now it is time for the “pro-Nikols” to have their fun. But in the midst of that revelry, there must be some sort of awareness of the consequences of talking nonsense. Unless, of course, the dizziness of having power has led to what drug addicts call a “blackout.”
Aram Abrahamyan
