literature

[arabaliozian]

Thursday,June 5, 2008
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WHAT I KNOW ABOUT FASCISTS
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In his memoirs, Elia Kazan writes that ordinary Turkish citizens don't just shake the hand of a political leader, they go down on their knees and kiss it. Our political leaders are different. They prefer to have another part of their anatomy kissed.
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I have yet to meet an Armenian with political ambitions was not a fascist.
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As a long-time observer of the Armenian scene, I can recognize a fascist by the fact that he doesn't just criticize, analyze, attack, or insult anyone who dares to disagree with him, he goes further. He adopts the role of commissar and issues guidelines.
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Hitler was proud of German culture. So are we of ours. Even Armenians who know little or nothing and care even less about culture, like to brag about it.
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The best argument for an Armeno-Turkish alliance is that most Turks are not Turks, neither are most Armenians Armenians. The only thing that separates them is an incompatible educational system – that is to say, two different sets of brainwashers.
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An Armenian who hates Turks and a Turk who hates Armenians: take away the direction of their hatred and they might as well be two interchangeable units. I speak from experience. I have received hate-mail from both and I see no difference between them.
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Fascists excel in solving problems, even if in the process they create many more.
#
June 6, 2008
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A QUESTION OF EMPHASIS
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I should like to read an autobiography in which the emphasis is on prejudices, blind spots, and defects. I should also like to read a nationalist historian who stresses not military victories but moral failures. Sartre's autobiography comes close to my ideal. So does Spengler's treatment of the West in his DECLINE OF THE WEST, and Toynbee's treatment of British history in his STUDY OF HISTORY.
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What propels us to greater knowledge is awareness of ignorance. Some of the most asinine opinions I have been exposed to issued from the mouths of individuals who believed they knew everything they needed to know.
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To emphasize the negative: that is to me the true meaning of patriotism. All our pseudo-patriots want flattery – first nation this, first nation that – and the more they brag, the more of their backside they expose, and they lack the decency and common sense to see this.
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Saturday, June 7, 2008
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LITERATURE
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When our bishops, bosses, and benefactors (or rather, their flunkies) get involved in literature, they do so not to promote it, but to control it. A bishop once asked me to prepare an anthology of Armenian literature. “We have the money,” he said, using the royal pronoun. When I asked if I would have complete freedom of selection, I never heard from him again. In his obituary I read that he had subsidized the publication of over fifty books. “They” had the money, all right.
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Whenever I am verbally abused by one of our ubiquitous hooligans parading as superpatriots, my first thought: “He must be a bishop or the son of one.”
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I once asked one of our Turcocentric ghazetajis if he had read a single Armenian writer, he said he hadn't and he seemed proud of the fact.
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Our Turcocentric ghazetajis have their counterparts among the Turks who blame everything on the degenerate and corrupt West and on Armenian criminal conduct, and whenever a Turkish intellectual dares to think for himself, he is imprisoned or forced into exile. If I am not the inmate of a gulag today it's because we don't have gulags in the diaspora.
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[jgk3]

Re: literature

Nations can't be understood or appreciated through the arts, but people can be.

[jgk3]

Re: literature

You can criticize the hierarchies that are in place to service some of the basic needs of our nation (or any nation for that matter). It is understood that there are gangsters, liars, users... We could obviously do well with people who aren't out to fill their own pockets. It would always be better if they devote their efforts to achieving excellence in life (both personal and for their people), not just seeking to sit on stolen wealth. A Renaissance, an Age of Enlightenment has never been a bad thing for any nation that was able to experience it, and we could well do with one.

Why is it that throughout history, the political leaders who inspire the people in artistic high culture are so rare? Why is it all to common to have instead, leaders who are out to seek their own advancement in power? What does this have to do with Armenians? Yes, we are subject to this too, but so is everyone else. As I said, we could all do well with a Renaissance of some sort, but it has to come from the bottom up. It has to come from people like you and me.

I think this is very necessary, and I'd appreciate it if you gave some basic suggestions on what could inspire more of us (especially the younger generations) to engage and explore high culture from all around the world, appreciate what this life is at an individual level. If we all did this, we'd create a powerful artistic movement that is independent of geopolitics, and we'd become happier, stronger and more open-minded, without sacrificing our national integrity.

I feel that your constant criticism can be useful to some extent, in some areas of discussion more than others, but we need more than that ara, and I could hear you in my head replying "what more could I give you, I've answered everything already", well, maybe you have, but maybe cataloguing your answers are not what we want to do. Maybe you need to actually talk to us? Why don't you join in our discussions more often? What do you have to lose? Isn't there something you could gain through an exchange in ideas with the rest of the members here? Tell us more about your favorite artists for example.

[arabaliozian]

a house divided

Sunday, June 8, 2008
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A HOUSE DIVIDED
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The sanctimonious patriotic prick who asserts moral and intellectual superiority is a far greater threat to our survival as a nation than all our enemies combined. This type of individual discusses our problems as if he were the first to do so. That's because he has neither interest nor respect for what has been achieved in the past by far better men than himself. His sole aim in life is to project the image of an individual endowed with unique powers of perception and to silence anyone who dares to question his judgment and integrity. In short, he is that most repellent of all creatures: an Armenian with political ambitions.
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If a problem that has been solved is no longer a problem, it follows we have no problems. What we have instead is a long line of so-called leaders who have consistently obstructed the path of those willing to implement solutions.
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The more a nation is in need of intellectual and moral guidance, the more intolerant it gets. The Soviet Union under Stalin, Germany under Hitler, China under Mao, Italy under Mussolini, Armenia and the Armenian diaspora today.
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If you want to understand your fellow men, begin by asking yourself: “What if, instead of being better or the best, I am the worst?” Naregatsi's LAMENTATIONS may be said to be a long-winded but honest answer to this question, and in that sense it is the most unread and misunderstood masterpiece in our literature.
#

[arabaliozian]

Re: literature

Monday, June 9, 2008
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TRYING TO MAKE SENSE
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If there is someone out there who has the solution to all our problems but refuses to share it with the rest of us, it may be because he doesn't relish the idea of being crucified.
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Collectively we are hidebound and ignorant – all dogmatic people are. There is indeed some truth in the popular adage “People have the leadership they deserve.”
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When a capitalist explains reality or God, he makes sure his explanation will not harm his capital. The same applies to a boss with an ideology and a bishop with an orthodoxy.
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After dividing mankind into them and us, a nationalist, or anyone who subscribes to a belief system, will proceed to divide “us” into yes-men and dissidents as free speech goes down the drain.
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If you make sense, don't expect to be understood by fools.
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[arabaliozian]

Re: literature

Sunday, June 15, 2008
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WHY I AM NOT A PROUD ARMENIAN
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In a world inhabited by proud Greeks, Yanks, Brits, xxxs, Turks, and Kurds, I prefer to be a humble Armenian.
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Greeks are proud of their ancient culture. What they fail to mention or explain is why they squandered their priceless heritage to the point that they are now one of the poorest and most backward nations in Europe.
xxxs are proud of being the Chosen People. But the truly great and progressive xxxs, among them Spinoza, Marx, Freud, and Einstein dismissed all such claims as infantile illusions. And when Jesus taught us the Lord's Prayer that begins with the words “Our Father,” he meant that all men are brothers.
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Pride is for people who lack self-esteem. He who has self-esteem does not feel the need to make himself ridiculous by bragging about who he is.
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Another reason why I prefer to identify myself as a humble Armenian is the proud Armenian who wears his prejudices, ignorance, and arrogance as badges of merit and views criticism and dissent, and by extension, free speech and fundamental human rights, as unpatriotic. Such an Armenian ignores the fact that the function of literature, from Socrates to Sartre, and from Khorenatsi to Zarian, is self-criticism. Take away criticism from Western culture, and the West becomes an extension of Asia.
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Monday, June 16, 2008
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SUMMING UP
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We cannot trust the solution to our problems into the hands of our dividers. That would be like trust the flock to wolves in sheep's clothing.
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Turks are not our greatest problem because nations are not killed, they commit suicide.
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If you are a proud Armenian stay away from Armenian affairs. If you make the mistake of getting involved, you will be tarred, feathered, and dragged through the mud. And if you think the solution to this particular problem is being a humble Armenian, forget it. I have been both and I speak from experience. No matter to who and what you are, if you are honest and mean business, the philistines and commissars will get you and you will curse the day you were born.
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A bad Armenian can be worse than the worst Turk.
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Our propensity to create problems far outstrips our ability to solve them.
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I am fully aware of the fact that discussing our problems may exacerbate them, but it is a temptation I cannot resist. May I also confess that exposing baloney artists is one of the very few pleasures that happen to be within my income bracket.
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No one can be as dumb as an Armenian impressed with his own brilliance.
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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OBSERVATIONS
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To the dupe, reality is not what he sees or experiences but what he is told, especially when what he is told is carefully tailored to flatter his ego.
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Better a deprogrammed enemy than a brainwashed friend.
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In an environment where speechifiers and sermonizers are amply compensated, critics will be seen as nuisances and enemies. The result will be a community swimming in b.s.
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The certainties of my youth are my greatest sources of embarrassment. I shiver and burn whenever I think of them.
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It's no use pretending to know better because no one knows everything and we will never know the truth. The best we can hope to do is expose the transparent lies of vested interests and propaganda.
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The world is a dangerous place where people speak in the name of peace and make war, where they speak in the name of God and do the Devil's work, and where millions of dupes are eager to kill and die in the name of a Big Lie.
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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A ROUTINE EXPERIENCE
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It might as well be a routine experience with me: readers who assume not only to be better but to know better, and based on that self-serving assumption, they proceed to deliver lectures on patriotism, the kind of nonsense I was exposed to when I was ten. They remind me of our heroic revolutionaries at the turn of the last century who were so sure of their final and inevitable victory that they had a Plan B only for themselves. And like all losers throughout history, they now blame their catastrophic blunder on everyone else but themselves. I once heard one of these revolutionaries (may the Good Lord have mercy on his soul) say, “The chezok [neutral or non-partisan] Armenian is the source of all our problems because he refuses to get involved in Armenian affairs. He is neither hot nor cold. He is nothing.” When Hitler lost World War II and shortly before he had the decency to commit suicide, he put the blame on his fellow Germans, the very same people he had classified as belonging to a superior race. Nothing evil ever dies. Hitler may be dead but his racist ideas continue to live in neo-Nazi skinheads, Putin's ultranationlist Stalinists, and Italy's neo-fascists. I could add our own first-nation-this and first-nation-that propagandists and dime-a-dozen Turcocentric ghazetajis who believe they will usher in a new golden age on the day they corner the Turks into assuming full responsibility for the Genocide, to apologize, and to make financial and territorial reparations. In the meantime they go about pretending there is nothing wrong with us and we are beyond criticism because God and Truth are on our side. It is not that I don't believe what they say, I don't think they believe it themselves.
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[Anonymouse]

Re: literature

You can criticize the hierarchies that are in place to service some of the basic needs of our nation (or any nation for that matter). It is understood that there are gangsters, liars, users... We could obviously do well with people who aren't out to fill their own pockets. It would always be better if they devote their efforts to achieving excellence in life (both personal and for their people), not just seeking to sit on stolen wealth. A Renaissance, an Age of Enlightenment has never been a bad thing for any nation that was able to experience it, and we could well do with one.

Why is it that throughout history, the political leaders who inspire the people in artistic high culture are so rare? Why is it all to common to have instead, leaders who are out to seek their own advancement in power? What does this have to do with Armenians? Yes, we are subject to this too, but so is everyone else. As I said, we could all do well with a Renaissance of some sort, but it has to come from the bottom up. It has to come from people like you and me.

I think this is very necessary, and I'd appreciate it if you gave some basic suggestions on what could inspire more of us (especially the younger generations) to engage and explore high culture from all around the world, appreciate what this life is at an individual level. If we all did this, we'd create a powerful artistic movement that is independent of geopolitics, and we'd become happier, stronger and more open-minded, without sacrificing our national integrity.

I feel that your constant criticism can be useful to some extent, in some areas of discussion more than others, but we need more than that ara, and I could hear you in my head replying "what more could I give you, I've answered everything already", well, maybe you have, but maybe cataloguing your answers are not what we want to do. Maybe you need to actually talk to us? Why don't you join in our discussions more often? What do you have to lose? Isn't there something you could gain through an exchange in ideas with the rest of the members here? Tell us more about your favorite artists for example.

You're wasting your time with him. As usual, Mr. Baliozian never likes to discuss. His is a one way street of just ranting about his tired thoughts because while he accuses everyone else of being closed minded dolts, never willing to engage in dialogue or expose their views to criticism, he too, just mindlessly writes his stuff and suffers from the same sickness and ailment he accuses others of suffering from.

The style and tactic of just posting your own views in a regurgitated and repeated fashion only alienates people because it comes off as snobbish and elitist, "I know everything and I have seen the truth and the light, and just to be humble I will proclaim I know nothing so you don't think I am being elitist."

We have been down this road many times, and as the old saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun. Vanitas vanitatum.

[jgk3]

Re: literature

I guess so

[arabaliozian]

Re: literature

You can criticize the hierarchies that are in place to service some of the basic needs of our nation (or any nation for that matter). It is understood that there are gangsters, liars, users... We could obviously do well with people who aren't out to fill their own pockets. It would always be better if they devote their efforts to achieving excellence in life (both personal and for their people), not just seeking to sit on stolen wealth. A Renaissance, an Age of Enlightenment has never been a bad thing for any nation that was able to experience it, and we could well do with one.

Why is it that throughout history, the political leaders who inspire the people in artistic high culture are so rare? Why is it all to common to have instead, leaders who are out to seek their own advancement in power? What does this have to do with Armenians? Yes, we are subject to this too, but so is everyone else. As I said, we could all do well with a Renaissance of some sort, but it has to come from the bottom up. It has to come from people like you and me.

I think this is very necessary, and I'd appreciate it if you gave some basic suggestions on what could inspire more of us (especially the younger generations) to engage and explore high culture from all around the world, appreciate what this life is at an individual level. If we all did this, we'd create a powerful artistic movement that is independent of geopolitics, and we'd become happier, stronger and more open-minded, without sacrificing our national integrity.

I feel that your constant criticism can be useful to some extent, in some areas of discussion more than others, but we need more than that ara, and I could hear you in my head replying "what more could I give you, I've answered everything already", well, maybe you have, but maybe cataloguing your answers are not what we want to do. Maybe you need to actually talk to us? Why don't you join in our discussions more often? What do you have to lose? Isn't there something you could gain through an exchange in ideas with the rest of the members here? Tell us more about your favorite artists for example.

literature and criticism are one.
yes, we need a renaissance.
but what we need even more is a miracle!
and now let us pray:
Our Father, Who art in heaven...

[arabaliozian]

Re: literature

Thursday, June 19, 2008
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CROCODILES
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Politics and literature don't mix. Politics, power, and propaganda are inseparable. Where goes one, the others are sure to follow. By contrast, the aim of literature is to understand reality by exposing the inconvenient facts that have been swept under the carpet. Hence Hemingway's definition of a writer as one with “a built-in sh*t detector.”
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It is a serious blunder to identify a regime with the people and its culture. To do so amounts to saying Hitler is an extension of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, or Chekhov and Stalin share similar aims. Speaking of Chekhov: in one of his letters to a friend (Suvorin, I think) and in an eerily prescient passage, he refers to the next generation of Russian leaders as “crocodiles.” which may suggest that, you don't need supernatural powers to predict the future. (In this connection, see also Dostoevsky's THE DEMONS, sometimes also translated as THE POSSESSED.)
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“You can't criticize the Homeland if you have never been there,” I am told. With the advent of the computer, I don't feel the need to go anywhere because I receive a veritable avalanche of e-mails by fellow Armenians who have been there, done that, and now sport the T-shirt. Once I even received two books by a retired bishop in which he exposed the corruption within the hierarchy.
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I have noticed that only Armenians who are in the business – and it is a business – of fund-raising that ascribe all our problems on the war, the earthquake, and the blockade and completely ignore the contribution of our crocodiles and “mi kich pogh” panchoonies to our present malaise.
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Whenever I run into a smart-ass, loud-mouth, cowardly bully who insults me anonymously and from a safe distance, I have no trouble predicting a brilliant future in politics.
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Friday, June 20, 2008
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BULLIES AND YES-MEN
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When the men at the top are bullies, the result will be a society of cowardly yes-men.
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After they convince us we are smart, perhaps even the smartest people on earth, they treat us like idiots. Patriotism, that is to say flattery (“chosen people,” “superior race,” “it takes seven xxxs to fool an Armenian”) is one of the oldest and most effective instruments of mass persuasion.
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The honesty of dupes, like the faith of the brainwashed: what is it worth?
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Once, at the beginning of my career (if you want to call it that) one of our elder statesmen called me a genius. Shortly thereafter when I wrote something with which he disagreed, he called me an idiot. Easy come, easy go. Sic transit gloria mundi. Or, as the French say, “He who can kiss, can bite.”
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If our literature were a person, he would be a beggar in rags on the verge of starvation. We treat our literature the way we were treated at the turn of the century in the Ottoman Empire. Now then, tell me: In what way are we different from them?
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People who know and understand, search for more knowledge and understanding. By contrast, the ignoramus is satisfied with his own ignorance.
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Saturday, June 21, 2008
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SPEAKING WITH A FORKED TONGUE
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In a land of instant coffee
they want instant solutions.
Instead of doing what they can do,
they demand that others to
what they don't want to do.
Instead of reforming themselves
they want to reform the nation.
Even as they engage in cannibalism
they speak of solidarity, unity, and brotherhood.
They think of our writers as some species of song birds
who did nothing but serenade the moon.
Gentle reader, if you are one of them
my advice to you is:
Don't believe everything you are told
by those who pretend to know better
because they are better.
Don't be afraid to raise your voice and say
you refuse to be taken in by baloney artists
who speak with a forked tongue.
Beyond that there isn't much you
or anyone else can do.