Friday, July 24, 2009

Sargsyan's Screw and the AAA

Two things caught my eye these past few days - they're not major, but at least one of them was amusing...

Alik Arzumanyan has given get another press conference that is extremely well spoken, and to the point. Among other things he says, he refers to Nalbandyan as just one small part of a larger mechanism, basically saying that calling for Nalbandyan's resignation does not get to the source, and it is Sargsyan's resignation that is necessary.
He refers to an idiomatic expression/analogy that was often used in Soviet times, with use of the term Vintik in Russian, meaning a small screw, as in, a screw in a larger machine or mechanism. However, the english equivalent of this is more like "a cog in the wheel." The literal translation is "screw," which, in English, has other connotations.
The title of the A1+ english article is: Nalbandyan is Serzh Sargsyan’s screw
Watch the video here.
(By the way, this is in no way a comment on the A1+ translators, whom I think do an excellent and very important job.)

The second observation comes from the Armenian Assembly of America's statement regarding NK. The entire statement is in line with their usual stance (read the whole thing here), and I won't go into it, but note that the first six paragraphs are only about NK.
Here is the last paragraph:
The Assembly stands united with all Armenians to protect the freedom and security of the Nagorno Karabakh people in the face of these most serious external threats. The suffering endured and the sacrifices made by Armenians since the Armenian Genocide deserves nothing less.

How did Genocide get mixed into this? Why did Genocide get mixed into this?
Presenting the Genocide as an afterthought cheapens Genocide, and weakens the statement which is supposed to be about NK. Not to mention - what about the lives lost in the 1890's - weren't they important?
Is this just an obsession with the Genocide that infiltrates into everything?
Or do they think bringing up Genocide as an afterthought reminds the audience of some
thing which will then help in the NK issue? I'm not sure what that would be, but there are those who feel that Obama went back on a promise of Genocide recognition (that's a whole separate discussion), so maybe they feel the US 'owes them one.'

I don't know what they were thinking. All I know is I was captivated enough to read through it the first time, but got to the last statement and just got annoyed.

I'm honestly open to hearing about why that last sentence was appropriate. Someone, please tell me why.

7 comments:

Free Ashot Manukyan said...

its appropriate for AAA because that's all they are - and American lobby on their grandparents behalf. They are not Armenian in anyway (outside of their ancestory), thus it would be foolish to expect them to speak on Armenian affairs. Their only 'in' to do so is to link everything to the Genocide.

HH said...

It would have been funny if wasn't so tragic. Squeezing genocide in every single remark, regardless of the topic, makes that very remark less credible and sick. And, what is even worse, it makes the very essence of the genocide cheap and degraded. It seems that these people have no other knowledge of anything else, so when they need to speak, everything concludes with the same matter. Sick!

Anonymous said...

remember alik playing computer games all day in nyc when he was the ambassador in the united nations?

doesn't that just drive his credibility to zero without a second thought?

Harutyun said...

Աշխարհում 2 տեսակի աշխատողներ կան միշտ. մի մասը անպետք է ու ծույլ և խիստ զբաղված աշխատել ձևացնելով և ինքնահաստատվելով ոչ թե սեփական աշխատանքի, այլ ուրիշներին վարկաբեկելու հաշվին: Սրանք այն մարդիկ են, որ հենց լսում են իրենց աշխատասենյակին մոտեցող ոտնաձայներ, անմիջապես մի կտոր թուղթ են առնում ձեռքներն ու խիստ մտահոգ տեսքով նայում վրան, իբր աշխարհիս հարցերն են լուծում: Միայն թե, բոլորս ենք տեսել, թուղթը հաճախ թարս են բռնում...

Մյուսն այն տեսակն է, որ անմնացորդ աշխատում է, նվիրվում իր աշխատանքին, որի արժեքն ակնհայտ է և ապացուցման կարիք չունի: Սրանք կարիք չունեն ձևացնելու և չեն վախենում կոմպյուտերային խաղեր խաղալուց ոչ միայն պարապ պահերին, այլ նաև ահավոր ծանր աշխատելու միջոցին մի պահ ցրվելու և ապա ավելի արդյունավետ դառնալու նպատակով:

Եթե կոմպյուտեր խաղալն օգնում է, բոլորդ խաղացեք, կարող է մի օր վերջապես կարողանաք Ալիկի պես տրամաբանված խոսել, ոչ թե ով ասի՝ ինչ լավ եղանակ է, ձեր պարտքը համարեք պատասխանելու՝ գենոցիդ... կամ՝ "բա լա՞վ ա որ Լևոնի ժամանակ լույս չկար"...

HH said...

I didn't get it: how are Alik and his habits responsible for the AAA statement?

Ankakh_Hayastan said...

HH, the anonymous idiot posts about the same thing on my blog, too. I think she thinks that she is discrediting Mr. Arzumanian.

HH said...

I am sure she does, Nazarian. She probably thinks that killing people, playing "trial games" and violating all that can and cannot be violated in Armenia is OK, but playing computer game, oh, what a sin, what a crime! I don’t know if Alik plays or ever played a comp. game or not. But I don’t care who plays what and does what if does not damage others. If Alik played openly in his office, I respect him more. Who did not play computer games (if ever saw a computer for longer than 15 minutes), which Armenian? But they pretend not to be playing and Alik doesn’t.

So, Anonymous, if your intention is not making Alik more respected, then you better stop going around with the same nonsense.