SUBCONSCIOUS ARMENIAN GENDER
James Hakobyan
Lragir
Sept 4 2007
Armenia
The manifestations of public protest in Armenia has perhaps a very
important national shade. Women are usually the avant-garde of this
protest. I do not mean the protests of professions, such as the
protest and demonstration of taxi drivers against the new license
regulations. It is a labor issue rather than a public issue. In
addition, it might be even better for the society to adopt new
regulations which will not allow any half-driver to sit at the wheel
and transport passengers with any appliance that has four wheels with
such heavy traffic in Yerevan. A public issue is perhaps the one which
concerns the way of life of the public in general. For instance,
the fruit trees on Pushkin Street were cut to build an office. It
might seem to be a problem of a neighborhood but in reality this is
an example of a public issue because in this case the interest of the
public is considered as inferior to some proprietor’s profit. However,
the point is not the difference between the so-called public and
labor protests.
The point is the role of Armenian women in Armenian manifestations
of protest. As to the trees on Pushkin Street, the people in the
neighborhood sued the proprietor at the court of law for destroying
the orchard and using violence against them with bulldozers and
policemen. Meanwhile, it became known at the court of law that
the proprietor is likely to sue the people of the neighborhood for
disturbing him and delaying his business. What the court of law will
decide is an equation without an unknown. Let’s hope the people of
the neighborhood will get away from the court and the proprietor
without compensation. What is notable regarding this case is that
the protestors are mainly women. When women shout and scream, it is
somehow understood. An Armenian man will never shout and scream when
he faces the government and not the electorate.
However, it is not clear when regarding pursuing problems an Armenian
man who may gender down on his wife for delaying a glass of water
suddenly retreats in the street under no pressure. Apparently, the
reason is a subconscious rather than a conscious agreement between
an Armenian woman and an Armenian man. The point is that an Armenian
man, with a few exceptions, never rises against injustice caused by
another Armenian man who has power, because he subconsciously perceives
power as a means of self-affirmation. An Armenian man never protests
against injustice because deep in his soul he thinks this behavior
is just and he would have done the same if he had power. And his goal
is to have power and not say trees in the yard. The situation is all
the more complicated because it seems normal to an Armenian woman. A
woman thinks a man must support the family and the trees in the yard
or the bush on the pavement should not disturb him.
Moreover, an Armenian woman is ready to accept the money earned by
almost any means. Therefore, a woman has subconsciously assumed the
responsibility for protest and performs it duly after doing the washing
and before sweeping the floor and dusting the furniture. And she rises
not against the order or injustice but rather uses the opportunity to
discharge her inner dissatisfaction that not her husband but another
man cuts the trees and makes money. Therefore, the wives of ordinary
citizens protest against injustice whereas the wives of officials do
charity, somehow justifying the illegalities.