Wednesday, June 17, 2009

"Intellectuals"

With "intellectuals" like this, who needs ignorant masses? From Lragir:

EACH ONE HAS TO JUSTIFY THEIR EXISTENCE
An interview with the architect, member of the Republican ticket for Yerevan City Council Levon Igityan

- Which is the reason why being a cultural figure, a representative of the Armenian intelligentsia you joined the Republican Mayor ticket. Who made the proposal?

- They made the proposal, and to be sincere I’m happy to have received that proposal. Then I understand that somewhere they realized that such kind of people is needed for solving problems. First of all, I thank them for the proposal, then I would accept the proposals of any party except the Armenian National Congress because I do not consider them opposition.

- There are figures of culture and members of intelligentsia on the HAK ticket too.

- First, they did not propose anything to me; second, I would have refuted and would ground my decision, because it is different to be creating opposition and destructive opposition.

- Are they a destructive opposition?

- In my opinion, they are, not the couple of representatives of intelligentsia, who do not play any role.

- Anyway, do you consider positive the step of those intelligentsia representatives?

- This is my personal opinion I consider it negative. I could not imagine that a member of intelligentsia may be near Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

- Since you do not consider a representative of intelligentsia Levon Ter-Petrosyan, we may suppose that you consider an intellectual Gagik Beglaryan.

- I consider an intellectual the person, for whom being an intellectual is a moral category first of all. It is not important whether someone knows several languages or read 600 books in their lives. A real intellectual never says how many books they have read during their lives. For example, I do not remember how many books I read in a year.

Intellectual is a very conditional word, this is a moral category. It never occurred to one of the greatest intellectuals of Russia, Likhachov, to become president or mayor; an intellectual has to love their city infinitely and has to have great conscience.

- Do you think the acting Mayor corresponds to the measurements you mentioned?

- When I look at the reality, I think he does. I know Gagik Beglaryan he loves people. The love is present. I was discovering new qualities in him during the electoral campaign. I found out new colors of creating something.

- Which Gagik Beglaryan’s step made you discover new colors?

- We spoke for several nights before the launch of the electoral campaign, it was not known whether I would be included in the HAK ticket or not. We did not agree on speaking about work but we were speaking about it until three at night. And he was surprising me. I understood that he has a strong will.

-Were you speaking about architectural issues?

- Not only. Most of all the moral and psychological climate of Yerevan interested us. The city, where I born and grew up, was different. That Yerevan made all your pains pass. There must not be hatred in Yerevan.

- Do you blame for it the opposition or the government? Do not the steps of the government, such as ballot stuffing and electoral breaches deepen the present hatred?

- You speak about consequences and I speak about the reasons. I have always noted that the Armenian first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan was speaking with the public with irony and I never knew that reason. I grew up in the city and I knew genius people. But none of them spoke to us with irony. Now if I see that Hovhannes Tumanyan is speaking I will go there fall on my knees and listen to him.

-Is Armenia a country with democratic potential?

- I don’t like the democracy, I don’t believe in it. Thanks to this democracy two men go to church and get married when there are many beautiful ladies around.

I’m sure that people will work at the Yerevan City Hall the way, that after four years no electoral campaign will be needed. In general, everyone has to justify their existence. I know I will do it.

I think that we are a very good nation and do not try to disappoint us, we are not going to.

Interview by SIRANUSH PAPYAN

2 comments:

The Historian said...

I don't like democracy. That'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Ani said...

I don't think I want to be in this guy's buildings during an earthquake. Apparently he uses a deck of cards, a divining rod, and the Bible as his architectural tools.