By Skeptik Sinikian

When I was first asked to write a guest column for Haytoug that addressed the issue of a “white genocide” and the perceived evils of assimilation, I was tempted to write this entire piece in Kra’par (Classical Armenian).  After all, it is my humble opinion that if you do not know how to read Kra’par, then you’re not a “real Armenian.”  Then I thought to write it in Armenian but I couldn’t decide what language to water our mother tongue down with – Turkish? Arabic? Russian? Farsi perhaps?  But then I thought, “The one language that we all can or should understand is English .” – plus, I don’t know how to use an Armenian keyboard or anything that resembles one.  So using the King’s English, let’s address the issue of Armenian assimilation and the “jermag chart.” (I hope I’m not the only one who sees the irony in that.)

I find myself growing increasingly perturbed by the term “white genocide.” First of all, we can’t use the word genocide to describe a trend where Armenians living in the United States are losing their sense of ethnic identity because nobody held a yatağan to your neck and forced you to name your child a non-Armenian name or forced you to stop speaking Armenian.  Not to mention that comparing it to an actual genocide is not only disgusting but insulting to the memory of countless Armenians who perished or the thousands who survived the Turkish persecutions.  Let’s call it what it is – cultural suicide.  We can try to blame television, music, cross-cultural dating or marriage, the cultural vacuum created by capitalism or other theories but the reality is that we have no one to blame but ourselves – or as the comic strip Pogo once wrote – we have met the enemy and he is us.

We are our own catalyst of assimilation because we not only set the bar very high for being a “real Armenian” but we also fail to reach our own markers.  For instance, many Armenians consider the speaking of Armenian as being a critical element to staving off assimilation, yet who do you consider to be more Armenian – a person who doesn’t speak the language but sends money to Armenian charitable organizations, calls their member of Congress to urge support of Armenian issues, and patronizes Armenian-owned businesses or the person who does none of the stuff the first guy did but instead listens to Armenian music, speaks Armenian and associates only with other Armenians.  Popular opinion would label the first person as assimilated and the latter as Armenian. But who is doing more to advance the Armenian Cause? If you said the first guy, then move up to the head of the class.  We agree on that.  Also, of those who said the second person is more Armenian, I would want to know how extensive your own knowledge is of core topics of Armenian competency – literature, art, political history, grammar, spelling, amongst other issues and topics.  I would guess that even the kids who go to Armenian schools in America and learn to read and write the language have a reading proficiency and vocabulary that does not go beyond the 5th grade level.  But let’s move on.

Why should I care if a person speaks fluent Armenian but won’t take the time to make one phone call to a politician who can vote to contribute tens of millions of dollars for foreign aid to rebuild Armenia and Artsakh?  This question may sound tired and redundant but it’s necessary to ask and understand the answer.  After all, this discussion is important but the people who would benefit the most from participating in it, probably would never pick up an issue of Haytoug unless there was a picture of the Kardashian sisters on it.  The answer is, that we shouldn’t.  I’d rather have 1000 Armenians who are informed on American issues and process and are engaged in making a difference than 100,000 who don’t care about anything other than expanding the ghettos of their mind.

So if we can agree that a person’s true Armenian identity is defined by their commitment to preserving the culture and society of the Armenian people in Armenia and worldwide, then all the other preconditions (spoken and written fluency in Armenian, listening to only Armenian music, eating only Zankou Chicken) are irrelevant.

Having said that, I understand that an appreciation for all things Armenian isn’t exclusive from the efforts to preserve them or be an advocate for all things Armenian.  But we can’t deny a path to either by being overly judgmental of people who are trying to return to their ancestral roots or labeling people on the peripheries of our community as “white washed” or “assimilated.”  I’ve seen it happen on more than once, where a person who knew very little of their Armenian ancestry began to explore his or her roots and this led eventually to a trip to Armenia and eventually a desire to learn how to speak Armenian.  In fact, one person I’m thinking about actually moved back to Armenia to help the country develop and improve.

So what term do we use to describe this phenomenon?  Definitely not “white genocide.”  And there isn’t a term that’s familiar to us because we are too focused on the negative aspects of our community than on the positives.  Don’t worry, it’s in our nature to focus on the negative. Spending 4000 years as history’s punching bag will drive that emotional trigger deep into your DNA.  The good news is that it’s not permanent.  And just by reading Haytoug, you’ve already committed yourself to a struggle whose outcome accepts nothing less than success for Armenians worldwide.

But being involved in the Armenian Youth Federation or any other youth group doesn’t immediately absolve one of responsibility of preserving and caring for the Armenian people and land. Instead, of those who have great power and organizing tools, much is expected.  And living in a society in America which emphasizes consumer conformity more than individuality and portrays ethnicity as a liability makes it hard to adopt the aspects of American culture, which will translate into success for the Armenian people of the United States and abroad.  But it is necessary.

Yes, some assimilation or “acculturation” is necessary for success. The most important things in life are usually the hardest to do and act upon.  Preserving our passion for Armenian causes and mastering the English language and American customs are equally important tasks for success.  Let’s be honest with ourselves.  If an Armenian-American is ever going to get elected to Congress from anywhere in the United States – I guarantee you that it won’t be a garlic breathed someone who wears a lot of jewelry and listens only to Tata.  It will be someone who is articulate and acculturated and who can speak about John Adams and Abraham Lincoln with as much ease and comfort as they can talk about Gomidas or Simon Vratsian.

So rather than worrying about how we can create a society where we sell out barahanteses and Armen(chik) concerts week after week after week, let us instead think about how we, ourselves, can engage our adopted homeland on its own terms and perhaps in the process, get it to see things our way and maybe adopt or absorb the best that our culture has to offer as well.

Skeptik Sinikian is the property of Asbarez Newspaper. He is on loan to Haytoug and will be promptly returned upon the completion of this issue. Skeptik  loves baseball and baklavah.  His life mission is to educate and inform as many non-Armenians about the medicinal benefits of soujoukh sausage as he can. You can reach him for comments or questions at  SkeptikSinikian@gmail.com

Cofounder of Reddit.com discusses his start-up, his experience in Armenia with Kiva, and his endeavor: TEDxYerevan

By Nyree  Abrahamian

“Wake up. Get ready. Go to work. Tea. Reddit. Chitchat. Reddit… Start work.  This is how I start my average workday. Reddit.com is an addiction, for me and for thousands of people around the world. It’s a social media website where users (Redditors) post interesting links and other users can vote and comment on them. The links that get the most “upvotes” make up the front page of interesting, witty, insightful and comical articles, photos and videos.”

Reddit is the brainchild of Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, who started the site fresh out of college in 2005. When I first googled Reddit and read this, like any good Armenian, my eye was immediately drawn to the –ian, and I felt proud that I could add another name to my list of brainy Armenians. So when I found out that Alexis Ohanian would be in Yerevan (where I live) for a few months, I knew I had to track him down and talk to him.

Alexis is here on a three-month fellowship with Kiva (kiva.org), an organization that allows people to lend money via the internet to microfinance institutions in developing countries, which in turn lend the money to small businesses. After selling Reddit to Condé Nast in 2006, he has been keeping busy with several projects, his recent connection to Kiva being one of them. He has also founded a new website, www.breadpig.com, “an uncorporation that’s responsible for bringing geeky things into the world”, and in December 2009, gave a TED Talk about the power of social media.

If you haven’t come across it yet, TED.com (another of my online addictions) is a non-profit foundation that holds conferences all over the world in which some of the world’s leading thinkers share “ideas worth spreading,” as the TED motto goes, through short lectures which are broadcast online.

After spending only a few weeks here, Alexis quickly realized that Armenia is a place filled with “ideas worth spreading,” and is now helping organize Armenia’s very own TEDx conference (www.tedxyerevan.com – an independently organized TED event), to be held on September 15, 2010 in Yerevan.

We met, and discussed a range of topics from social media to Armenia-diaspora relations, over hot bowls of spas (yogurt soup).

Nyree Abrahamian: What is Reddit?

Alexis Ohanian: Reddit is basically a news website where readers, not editors, determine the front page. It’s a place where interesting links from anywhere on the internet get submitted by people, and other people vote on them. If they like them, they vote them up, if they don’t like them, they vote them down. The end result is this evolving front page of interesting links.

N.A.: How did Reddit come about?

A.O.: My cofounder, Steve Huffman, and I were trying to solve the problem of not being entertained enough in the morning when we woke up. There wasn’t a good destination to find all the best stuff on the web. And it seemed like there were two possible solutions. One, we get a bunch of people to curate and figure out what the best stuff is, and that was going to be costly and time consuming. Or, we just let all of our readers do that work for us. And in the end, it turns out that all these people (we get about 7 million unique visitors a month) spread out all over the world, can help to find all of the best stuff on the web… certainly better than we could.

N.A.: Why did you decide to volunteer with Kiva? And why in Armenia?

A.O.: I decided to do it because when I first discovered Kiva in 2008, the very first thing I did when I went to their website was search for Armenia, and we weren’t there, and that made me sad. I thought, ‘I know this diaspora pretty well, I mean, I’m a part of it, and they seem to be very keen on the future of Armenia… ‘ And the Kiva model is one that I do believe in, and I thought, ‘Why are they not in Armenia? It’s a no-brainer.’

So I was eventually able to get a hold of the president of Kiva through a friend, and annoyed him, basically, until he finally relented. So long story short, six months ago, Kiva started work here.

N.A.: What are your impressions of Armenia so far?

A.O.:What has really struck me is that… it’s not a country that seems to want help. I don’t know if that sounds right. The perspective from the States is that, here is a country that needs help, and fair enough, that could be true. But there is this… I don’t know if it’s stubbornness, or pride… but everyone I meet seems to be interested in helping Armenia, but doing it in ways in which Armenians help themselves. And that’s valid.

I think it’s given me some good perspective, because now I’m going to go back and probably be more engaged with the diaspora from this experience, but doing it with I guess a more Armenian perspective…

I was always proud of being Armenian but it was just like, that was it. I was proud to be Armenian, but not in connection to present-day Armenia. Now, I would like to be able to keep the relationships I made here, thanks to the internet, and perhaps be a more attuned voice for Armenia.

N.A.: You gave a Ted Talk in December. How did this opportunity come about?

A.O.: I was invited to my first TED (TED Global – Oxford) just under a year before and was hooked.  Heard about TED in India at TED Global and almost immediately started checking my calendar.  When I arrived, they were doing a (routine, I believe) open call from TEDsters (attendees) for anyone interested in giving a talk.  The big TED mantra is that the attendees are all as interesting as the speakers, so why not let some of them just spontaneously come up and share something.

They asked for a brief pitch and a video of a past talk, I believe, which I had thanks to YouTube, and I told them something they liked, so they asked me to give a TED Talk.  I only had a couple days’ notice to get slides and a talk together, but thankfully it was only supposed to be about four minutes.  I’ve never rehearsed more for a talk in my life. And my rehearsal time to talk time ratio was absurd, but I think it all paid off.

N.A.: What did you gain from the experience?

A.O.: I was ‘sighted’ for the first time in my life by a busboy in San Francisco who’d seen my TED Talk, which was pretty awesome.  Most importantly, I’ve gotten plugged into the TED network, which has allowed me to host the TEDx we’re having in Yerevan this September.

N.A.: TEDx Yerevan – why did you decide to go for this? What can we expect?

A.O.: Because I kept meeting so many potential TEDsters, basically, a lot of motivated and smart people with ideas worth spreading.  We – and I should stress the we because I’m only one of a team of about 6 people bringing TEDx to Yerevan – are aiming to make this a premier event for anyone interested in world-changing ideas and implementing them.  We’re assembling the best speakers to talk on topics suggested by visitors to the TEDxYerevan website (version 2 is on the way) and want to invite attendees who are themselves full of ideas worth sharing.

I hope this conference is a starting point for countless great Armenian innovations, projects, and partnerships.

It is not uncommon to hear certain pundits sound off about how Armenians are too ‘hung up’  on the Genocide. It is said that 1915 has become the sole ‘obsession’ of Armenians, especially in the Diaspora.

Whether discussing genocide resolutions or the recent Turkey-Armenia Protocols, Armenians are told they need to “move beyond” the Genocide issue and put more emphasis on things like culture or helping the homeland. Sadly, at times, it is fellow Armenians pontificating these notions.

The underlying assumption here is that commemorating and working on attaining justice for the Genocide somehow takes away from other aspects of Armenian identity; we are supposed to believe that we must focus less on the Genocide in order to highlight other aspects of our history and culture.

But the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, strengthening and advancing our culture is part of the resistance against the Genocidal process itself.

After all, the motivation behind the Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish government was to erase all trace of Armenian identity from the face of the earth. Fighting against this means not only bearing witness to these crimes and demanding real justice, but also bolstering and reviving our rich heritage and culture.

With over 2/3 of our people dispersed outside of the homeland, we face the constant threat of acculturation and assimilation within our host countries. The loss of our native language, cultural traditions, and eventually our identity as Armenians is a very real challenge we must deal with everyday.

We can choose to confront this challenge in one of two ways: hold on to conventional practices and strictly defined notions of Armenian identity or carve a new path which embraces modern influences and seeks to reinvigorate our traditions in the context of the 21st century.

Our history is analogous to the life of an old wise tree. It has been through much: it has seen drought, it has withstood torrential rain, it has been cut with every imaginable ax, it has been burnt and wounded…but its strong, unwavering roots will ensure a new spring, and a new rebirth.

Invigorated by our roots, a new generation will grow and develop itself to bear the fruits of our future.

Arthur Mgrditchyan (1959-1992)

Very few people can be said to have had as large an impact on the liberation movement of Artsakh as Arthur Mgrditchyan. He was a model Tashnaktsagan who internalized his ideological oath and served his people with integrity and conviction.

Born in the Etilou village of Hatrout on February 16, 1959, Mgrditchyan was a humble activist and sterling intellectual. He received his PhD in history from Yerevan State University in 1980 and went on to be appointed as principle of the Hatrout National Museum.

Mgrditchyan later joined the ARF and became a central figure in the defense and organization of his native region of Hatrout. He went on to be elected as the local representative of Hatrout to the newly formed Artsakh National Assembly. Following the official proclamation of the Artsakh Republic, the National Assembly voted overwhelmingly for Mgrditchyan to become the first President of the country on January 8, 1992.

During his term as President, Artsakh faced one of the most difficult periods in the liberation struggle. It was blockaded on all sides, prices for basic goods were sky high, Stepanakert was being bombed daily, and the government of Armenia exhibited a neglectful stance toward their struggle. Nevertheless, Mgrditchyan succeeded in unifying the people and leading Artsakh to various military victories. It was also during his term that the world’s attention began to focus more intently on the war for survival being waged by Armenians.

On the evening of April 14, 1992—only 97 days into his presidency—Mgrditchyan tragically passed away in Stepanakert. His central role in the formation of the Republic of Artsakh and his unwavering dedication to its victorious struggle made him a national hero for Armenians worldwide.

Mher Choulhajian (1967-1993)

Born in Beirut in 1967, Choulhajian was steeped in ARF community life at a very young age. During the Lebanese Civil War, he took part in the self-defense of the Armenian community as a member of the Lebanese Armenian Youth Association (LEM). Serving on executive and leadership positions, he took on various responsibilities and helped create a spirit of unity among all of his fellow ungers.

In 1989, Choulhajian earned a Bachelor’s degree in science from the American University in Beirut. His goal was to continue his studies and utilize his talents for the betterment of his homeland. Soon after joining the ARF in 1990, he went to Armenia to further his education at Yerevan State University.

However, the struggle of his people in Artsakh kept calling him. As a firm believer in the ideology of Tebi Yergir, he felt that the first step in the process of rebuilding his homeland was the liberation of Artsakh. On August 23, 1993, while surveying the recently recaptured border regions of the Marzili village in Marduni, his vehicle exploded from a land mine.

Choulhajian is one of the many Diasporan volunteers that went to fight in Artsakh. He personified the pan-Armenian ideology of the ARF which does not recognize the differences created by geography among Armenians.  He reconnected the links between Armenians that had been broken for over 70 years and sacrificed his young life for the just cause of his people.

Ashod “Pegor” Ghoulyan (1959-1992)

There are some names which, when uttered, conjure up emotions of pride, patriotism and undying heroism. One of those names is Ashod Ghoulyan.

Born in Baku in 1959, he soon moved to his native village of Khentsrisdan (Asgerani region). He became involved in the Artsakh struggle from the very beginning, starting in 1987 with the gathering of signatures and petitions. By the time the mass protests started, he was already questioning the effectiveness of demonstrations and contemplating the necessity of armed struggle.

He joined the ARF in 1990 and went on to become a legendary commander who took part in most of Artsakh’s major heroic battles: Askeran, Shahoumian, Lachin, Mardagerd, Grgjan, Arkhavend, and Malibeili to name a few. It was also the first Artsakh battalion, under Pegor’s command, which was the first to enter Shoushi on the morning of May 8, 1992, during the city’s decisive recapturing.

Ghoulyan received his nickname “Pegor” (meaning fragment) due to the fact that he was wounded 11 times, with the shrapnel of mines, bullets and rockets lodged within his body. On August 24, 1992, he received his final fatal bullet while fighting to liberate the Trmpon village in Mardagerd.

Pegor is remembered as saying, “Patriotism is nothing else than the wholehearted fulfillment of the responsibilities which have been put on our shoulders.” It was with this faith that he took on the many responsibilities of his nation and helped ensure the liberation of Artsakh.

Shahen Megherian (1952-1993)

He was born in the Gyulistan area of the Shahoumian region in Artsakh on January 2, 1952. Shahen received his primary education in the region and continued his studies at Yerevan State University, where he majored in economics. After graduation, Shahen returned to Gyulistan and became the Chief Economist of Manufacturing and Production in the Shahoumian region and later a food provider for his village. He also became the President of Agricultural and Production Management.

In 1991, Shahen was elected as acting president of the Shahoumian Committee and took on command of the Mardagerd regiment. He was also a proud member of the ARF and attended the organization’s 25th General Assembly.

In the early stages of the liberation struggle, Megherian and his band of guerilla fighters would penetrate enemy lines, carrying out irregular warfare in an attempt to liberate Armenian lands from Azeri occupation. Two weeks before his death, Megherian’s home village, Gyulistan, was liberated as a first step towards the liberation of the Shahoumian region.

On April 17, 1993, under the fire of Azerbaijani air attacks, Shahen Megherian was killed.

Megherian embodied the spirit of the Armenian volunteer organizer, the skilled soldier and fearless leader.

Tatoul Grbeyan (1965-1991)

Tatoul Grbeyan was a popular local school teacher in the village of Kedashen who emerged as one of the early heroic martyrs of the Artsakh liberation struggle.

With his stated determination to “stay and defend the homeland and its people forever,” Grbeyan served as an inspiration to those around him. He would always be seen with a natural smile on his face—full of hope, faith, and an iron will.

By 1988, he was already an active member of the Miastum (Unification) Movement and was fully devoted to seeing his homeland liberated from foreign oppression. In 1990, he joined the ranks of the ARF and took part in the self-defense battles of Kedashen and Martunashen.

On April 30, 1991, the Soviet government attempted to extinguish the heart of the Artsakh movement through terror and ethnic cleansing. With the enlistment of the notorious Azeri “black beret” forces, the Soviet army surrounded Grbeyan’s village of Kedashen and subjected the local population to violence and forced evacuation. The men were arrested while the village was bombarded by artillery fire.

Although the population was unable to mount an organized resistance, Grbeyan bravely stood against the odds to defend his home against the military onslaught. He was able to alone capture a Soviet armored car with twelve of its Russian officers and commander, but ultimately fell victim to the sinister operation.

Grbeyan’s deeds remain one of the bravest episodes in the history of the Artsakh struggle. His sacrifice for his people will continue to serve as an inspiration for countless generations of Armenians.

Viken Zakarian (1969-1992)

Born on March 15, 1969 in Beirut, Viken Zakarian was the embodiment of the ARF’s celebrated angeghdz zinvor (“sincere soldier”). He worked tirelessly for his community without seeking praise and journeyed to his homeland to take part in its historic struggle for liberation.

As a youth, Zakarian was a member of the ARF Lebanese Youth Association (LEM), in which he took on countless responsibilities and leadership positions. During the Lebanese Civil War, he helped defend the Armenian community and served on the frontlines during the most critical periods of the war.

After graduating from Melankton and Haig Arslanian College in 1988, he attended Haigazian University where he studied business administration. But the cry for freedom in Artsakh was one he could not ignore. On April 17, 1992, he left Lebanon for Armenia and soon crossed over to Artsakh.

Upon arrival, he joined forces with the ARF battalion and took part in the important battles that liberated Shoushi. He was martyred on May 8, 1992, while capturing the village of Lisagor. He was only 23 years old.

Zakarian represented the true spirit of a committed Armenian youth. He was determined to be everywhere at once; doing anything and everything that was needed to see the dream of a free, independent, and united Armenia turn into reality.

He was buried in the Yeraplour Martyrs’ Pantheon in Yerevan.