Hrant Gadarigian, the English-language editor for Hetq, posted a note on Facebook earlier today that read, “The Armenian communities of the Diaspora are dominated by shopkeepers, pseudo-intellectuals, and clergymen. A miscellaneous crew of rascals with fat bellies and swollen egos.”
The full text is in the image below.
The post was subsequently deleted.
Hey, good non-pseudo-intellectual take on Diasporan Armenians!
I forgot to mention that Gadarigian himself is an ex-Diasporan. But, like many who have moved to Armenia, is all too ready to disparage the Diaspora when the opportunity arises.
If an editor at Hetq is writing something like this publicly, might it be safe to assume that there are others who feel similarly but who aren’t as brash as Gadarigian? Might we assume that Gadarigian’s mentality has influenced his work or those who have come in contact with it?
Fortunately, Gadarigian seems to represents the remnants of a fading need – nagging urge even – to blindly undercut fellow Armenians. Unfortunately, he has a soapbox in Hetq where he is able to publish content skewed by his vision. Indeed, his mentality is echoed by some much younger than him who are anxious to continue such libelous rhetoric instead of being builders and leaders. Then there are those – and I like to believe they are more numerous – who reject the poisonous and corrosive mentality put on display by him.
Thus, Armenian youth, behold this example set for you by a member of a generation past. Know that you must be better and know that when you are, so too is your nation.
By: William Bairamian
[twitter-follow screen_name=’bairamian’]
Great catch!
“Know that you must be better and know that when you are, so too is your nation.” So true.
Thank you for keeping the optimism alive when so many jump at any opportunity to stay rotten.
Those are the words of the famous Armenian writer Gostan Zarian.
If those are the words by famous Armenian writer Gostan Zarian’s, and you stand by them, why did you subsequently remove _your_ post. There are lots of words by many famous Armenian writers and public figures: why didn’t you choose any one of those ? The fact that you chose that particular one is because that’s what you believe also.
So don’t try to slough it off on somebody else: You, YOU, posted it.
Again: if you so strongly believe in what Zarian wrote, why did you subsequently remove _your_ post ?