Pop to Replace Intelligentsia
Naira Hayrumyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society25409.html
Published: 15:56:58 - 12/03/2012
The traditional intelligentsia is not useful anymore and the ruling
party has decided to pick up pop stars.
During the local election of Yerevan in 2009 the ruling party used the
traditional method of political strategy, namely the involvement of
the national intelligentsia - eminent and respectable people - in the
election campaign. In Yerevan, posters appeared with the portraits of
Martin Vardazaryan and other charismatic and good people of culture,
and even criticism from their lips was perceived as support to the
ruling party.
As a result the government was unable to make a respectable
intelligent face for itself because one could discern oligarchs behind
them, with sly eyes and tough looks. Instead, the intelligentsia was
fully discredited. Some of them had been discredited earlier but after
the elections the intelligentsia stopped being the image resource for
the government.
After Tata Simonyan's concert to mark the youth congress of the
Republicans another image resource - rabiz or city folk - was crossed
out. The concert got a strong backlash. Prime Minister Sargsyan known
as a rock fan, who made a drunk speech in the concert, was criticized
for upholding the city folk style - rabiz.
New resources are needed now which have not been discredited yet but
are ready to stake their reputation to support the ruling party. Noted
journalists, singers, maybe a whole party of people are standing in
line for this role to be crossed out of the government resource after
the election.
Naira Hayrumyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society25409.html
Published: 15:56:58 - 12/03/2012
The traditional intelligentsia is not useful anymore and the ruling
party has decided to pick up pop stars.
During the local election of Yerevan in 2009 the ruling party used the
traditional method of political strategy, namely the involvement of
the national intelligentsia - eminent and respectable people - in the
election campaign. In Yerevan, posters appeared with the portraits of
Martin Vardazaryan and other charismatic and good people of culture,
and even criticism from their lips was perceived as support to the
ruling party.
As a result the government was unable to make a respectable
intelligent face for itself because one could discern oligarchs behind
them, with sly eyes and tough looks. Instead, the intelligentsia was
fully discredited. Some of them had been discredited earlier but after
the elections the intelligentsia stopped being the image resource for
the government.
After Tata Simonyan's concert to mark the youth congress of the
Republicans another image resource - rabiz or city folk - was crossed
out. The concert got a strong backlash. Prime Minister Sargsyan known
as a rock fan, who made a drunk speech in the concert, was criticized
for upholding the city folk style - rabiz.
New resources are needed now which have not been discredited yet but
are ready to stake their reputation to support the ruling party. Noted
journalists, singers, maybe a whole party of people are standing in
line for this role to be crossed out of the government resource after
the election.