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GOVERNMENT IS FUNNY
Interview with Aghassi Tadevosyan, cultural anthropologist
Why does the society misunderstand humorous actions? Officials also
treat them inadequately.
I don't think so. Criticizing the government by means of irony seems
to be something new in the fight against the authorities. At least,
I can't remember earlier actions that were comic in nature. Something
similar was done in 1988-1989 against the Soviet regime and its
army but not staged events. I suppose the reason is the new forces
that have stood up against the government. For a long time, about
20 years, criticism and protest against the government was staged
by the political forces. Meanwhile, the Armenian political forces,
both opposition and government, perceived themselves too seriously,
almost perfect. Meanwhile, the craving for perfection has nothing to
do with humor. Especially, for the Armenian men suffering from the
complex of power. The perfect ones are serious. Too serious. Therefore,
their faces are like sculptures. They are afraid of appearing to the
public with an unserious face. Cynicism is the only unserious thing
they can afford. Cynicism is the only unserious state when they do
not lose the status of one in power for themselves.
These officials who are striving for statue perfection have established
such practices of power that are repressive and suppose a hierarchic
structure. And different layers of the society even those who were
disappointed, mostly accepted those practices and applied them.
Without alternative practices of power it is hard to mock the
government. Mockery was enabled by emergence of forces which started
using other practices.
The first comic action headlined "storming" was performed in front
of the City Hall. How did the public echo? Some people said it was
not serious, others said the government is not serious to be treated
seriously. What targets did this action hit?
The first humorous action of the sit-in displayed how unserious is the
government whose actions are not adequate to the existing situation in
place. One of the expressions of lack of adequacy is the deployment
of considerable number of policemen to guard the City Hall. Notably,
this very fact was mocked in the first staged action.
The effects can be evaluated by the reactions and actions o the
government. One of them was the cowardly attitude of the City Hall to
the next comic action, the staged performance entitled "The Story of
One Rise In Price", namely deployment of a great number of policemen
and preventing the performance. Fear was so strong that the sons of
employees of municipalities and ruffians were involved to assist the
police. They are surprisingly evasive for the police. They assault
the participants of the sit-in at night, around the corners of the
City Hall shouting "are you acting against our fathers?" The City
Hall appears is funny, it has actually mobilized its relatives and
friends to handle the sit-in. Any attempt to counteract the attempts
of the young people to criticize the government through comics further
intensifies the comic situation in which the government has appeared.
Why is the government afraid?
They are afraid that their non-adequacy will be revealed. Let's judge
by the facts. One of the first expressions of irony was the simulated
150 dram banknotes with Taron Margaryans' portrait. The banknotes
displayed lack of adequacy of the City Hall.
A series of cartoons were posted on Facebook picturing boats sailing
near the municipality, pictures of flood, mocking the abundant watering
of the lawn near the City Hall making it impossible to walk along
the pavement. The young people even sang a song, "My little boat,
when will you sail to Taron's room?"
Recently the regime has resorted to violence, namely at 5 Komitas
Street and at the City Hall? What is their message to the government?
So far the government has not discerned big danger to its interests.
The regime's violent reactions are determined by the fear that the
citizens may again denounce its mistakes. And if it goes on, they
will have to limit their striving to grab the country's resources
without any control. Apparently, they think they cannot cede.
When will they cede, in what cases will they cede?
They will cede if pressure on the government grows. I think the
society has the necessary resources. And there is a high level of
disappointment. I tend to think that people will achieve victory at
5 Komitas Street. If the government uses force, reaction may occur,
creating prospects for boosting the number of people at that spot. In
that case they may retreat.
Tehmineh Yenokyan 22:05 26/08/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/interview/view/30735
Interview with Aghassi Tadevosyan, cultural anthropologist
Why does the society misunderstand humorous actions? Officials also
treat them inadequately.
I don't think so. Criticizing the government by means of irony seems
to be something new in the fight against the authorities. At least,
I can't remember earlier actions that were comic in nature. Something
similar was done in 1988-1989 against the Soviet regime and its
army but not staged events. I suppose the reason is the new forces
that have stood up against the government. For a long time, about
20 years, criticism and protest against the government was staged
by the political forces. Meanwhile, the Armenian political forces,
both opposition and government, perceived themselves too seriously,
almost perfect. Meanwhile, the craving for perfection has nothing to
do with humor. Especially, for the Armenian men suffering from the
complex of power. The perfect ones are serious. Too serious. Therefore,
their faces are like sculptures. They are afraid of appearing to the
public with an unserious face. Cynicism is the only unserious thing
they can afford. Cynicism is the only unserious state when they do
not lose the status of one in power for themselves.
These officials who are striving for statue perfection have established
such practices of power that are repressive and suppose a hierarchic
structure. And different layers of the society even those who were
disappointed, mostly accepted those practices and applied them.
Without alternative practices of power it is hard to mock the
government. Mockery was enabled by emergence of forces which started
using other practices.
The first comic action headlined "storming" was performed in front
of the City Hall. How did the public echo? Some people said it was
not serious, others said the government is not serious to be treated
seriously. What targets did this action hit?
The first humorous action of the sit-in displayed how unserious is the
government whose actions are not adequate to the existing situation in
place. One of the expressions of lack of adequacy is the deployment
of considerable number of policemen to guard the City Hall. Notably,
this very fact was mocked in the first staged action.
The effects can be evaluated by the reactions and actions o the
government. One of them was the cowardly attitude of the City Hall to
the next comic action, the staged performance entitled "The Story of
One Rise In Price", namely deployment of a great number of policemen
and preventing the performance. Fear was so strong that the sons of
employees of municipalities and ruffians were involved to assist the
police. They are surprisingly evasive for the police. They assault
the participants of the sit-in at night, around the corners of the
City Hall shouting "are you acting against our fathers?" The City
Hall appears is funny, it has actually mobilized its relatives and
friends to handle the sit-in. Any attempt to counteract the attempts
of the young people to criticize the government through comics further
intensifies the comic situation in which the government has appeared.
Why is the government afraid?
They are afraid that their non-adequacy will be revealed. Let's judge
by the facts. One of the first expressions of irony was the simulated
150 dram banknotes with Taron Margaryans' portrait. The banknotes
displayed lack of adequacy of the City Hall.
A series of cartoons were posted on Facebook picturing boats sailing
near the municipality, pictures of flood, mocking the abundant watering
of the lawn near the City Hall making it impossible to walk along
the pavement. The young people even sang a song, "My little boat,
when will you sail to Taron's room?"
Recently the regime has resorted to violence, namely at 5 Komitas
Street and at the City Hall? What is their message to the government?
So far the government has not discerned big danger to its interests.
The regime's violent reactions are determined by the fear that the
citizens may again denounce its mistakes. And if it goes on, they
will have to limit their striving to grab the country's resources
without any control. Apparently, they think they cannot cede.
When will they cede, in what cases will they cede?
They will cede if pressure on the government grows. I think the
society has the necessary resources. And there is a high level of
disappointment. I tend to think that people will achieve victory at
5 Komitas Street. If the government uses force, reaction may occur,
creating prospects for boosting the number of people at that spot. In
that case they may retreat.
Tehmineh Yenokyan 22:05 26/08/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/interview/view/30735