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...NOT SO GREAT A FINISH
Garen Yegparian
http://asbarez.com/95546/not-so-great-a-finish/
Continuing from my last piece about Genocide related activities,
I must say, things were continuing to look good. Wednesday morning
greeted us with Tim Rutten's op-ed piece in the LA Times "Obama's lack
of moral clarity on Armenian genocide issue." This was particularly
pleasing since I'd communicated with him last fall when he'd written
positively about the ADL (you know, the leaders of the Jewish
community's denialist camp). He'd conveyed to me his conviction that
appropriate recognition for the Armenian Genocide was something he
had been committed to since the 1970s. Thank you Tim Rutten.
But things started to look less rosy that very night of Wednesday April
20. The annual event organized by Glendale's high schools' Armenian
Clubs was attended more sparsely than previous years, certainly not
exceeding 400, and probably much less. The very sparseness of the
people made it hard to count. But, the program was good, probably
the second best one in this event's decade-long history. The three
member band that played to close was particularly appealing. The
young speakers integrated ongoing developments surrounding our cause
well. One young man issued an appeal trilingually- Armenian, English,
and Spanish, a very good touch indicating an appreciation for the
need to do more outreach. They even managed to find a survivor who
was still ambulatory and spoke well!
The opening speaker was a good choice, a noted coach, serving as a
role model, though some of his comments seemed to be a bit extreme.
Thursday the 21st was also a good day. The demonstration held at Sony
Studios saw some 750 of us (by far the largest of the groups which
were protesting regarding various issues) raising our voices against
Obama's utterly unacceptable, mealy-mouthed utterances and his reneging
on the Genocide recognition promise that escaped his campaign-mode
lips. Serj Tankian's participation and speaking were important in the
context of this action. The only thing missing was a loud chant of
"liar, liar, pants on fire" when the president's motorcade went by.
Thursday night, I went to a screening of "The Lark Farm", the film
based on Antonia Arslan's novel Skylark Farm. While a bit slow moving
(as I'm told many European films are), the movie was compelling and
succeeded in conveying a very human picture of the Genocide, with good
and bad shown among the Turkish characters. In this light, what's more
interesting is the Turkish government's typical antics. Arslan was
present, and told of when the novel was first published. It remained
"under the radar", gaining popularity in Italy. By the time it had
reached the top of the lists, it was too late for the Turks to do
anything. But when word got out that it was being made into a movie
by the famous Taviani brothers, Ankara's machinery started grinding.
Erdoghan wrote Berlusconi who in turn put his culture minister on
the matter. The latter managed to put it on a back-burner, and the
moviemakers were made to understand that they'd be able to practice
their craft. Imagine that at one point, Gul, a PRESIDENT, showed up
on the movie's set! Gotta love those Turkish government types- they
just don't get it- denial breeds even more commitment and action,
by everyone. The film was first screened in Turkish-immigrant heavy
Germany!
Interestingly, and worrisomely, I was unaware of anything happening
Friday night, April 22nd. By this time, I was convinced it was a bad
year, especially since the annual, jointly organized, gathering at
the Montebello Martyrs Monument had been moved from the day of April
24 to the day before. Why? Because it conflicted with Easter! More
on this separately... As it turned out, that gathering, to which I
was late in arriving, was pathetic. Usually, the 3-4000 carnations
purchased for people to lay at the eternal flame are all used. This
year, there were still plenty as the program was nearing its end. Even
factoring in people coming and going, no more than 800 were present
during the time I was there. If anyone who was there doubts this,
consider that the overflow parking opened up for this event that is
usually filled, was more than half empty!
>From Montebello, I raced, with my recent-Texas-transplant cousin
in tow, to Ferrahian's campus whence the AYF Sardarabad Chapter was
staging its 3rd Annual "Cycle Against Denial". The event was good,
holding steady at around 250 riders, with the shared T-shirts serving
to catch car drivers' eyes along the ten mile loop we rode. It would
be better to have a small gathering immediately afterwards, or perhaps
immediately before starting, to explain the point of the ride. When
some people start riding on the sidewalk, it can be counterproductive
to the goal of winning supporters to our cause. This kind of message
and PR sensitivity must be conveyed to the participants.
An unfortunate bicycle related development was the first-time ride
organized by an Armenian cycling group from Glendale to the Montebello
monument and back. This is a great idea. Scheduling it the day of, and
just before, the AYF's ride, is not. I'll also take this opportunity
to once again advocate my "convergence" idea. Bicycles from the San
Fernando Valley, marchers from Hollywood, and automobiles from the
Montebello monument should all converge on the Turkish consulate. Not
only would this maximize participation at the politically most relevant
event of the April 24th season, but it would also create much more
awareness along the routes taken by the three processions!
The Unified Young Armenians' (UYA) Hollywood march was also weak this
year, fitting the pattern. While held at its traditional time and day,
the morning of April 24, it started EXTREMELY late and was in reverse
order. The speakers presented first then everyone was to walk. I could
not stay for the walking. By my count, significantly fewer than 5,000
people were present. This is the worst showing ever for this event,
and truly a cause for concern.
The AYF's demonstration at the Los Angeles Consulate General of Turkey
was no exception. Numbers, by my count, were down to below 2,000, and
that, on a Sunday, with no work-related time conflicts with the 4 p.m.
start time. The energy was present, the slogans were tried and true
ones, and the final speeches were very strong and manifested the slow,
but very desirable shift in our focus from just Genocide recognition
to reparations and return of lands.
Due to scheduling conflicts and simple fatigue, respectively, I was
unable to attend the event organized by the City of Glendale on April
25th (the only one; in previous years they've had weeklong activities-
yet another bad sign) and the two Saturday night, April 23, events.
These were both vigils, one organized by the UYA outside the Glendale
Civic Auditorium, and the other, which also had a musical component,
organized by the Montebello ANC at the monument. I was told both were
poorly attended.
Stay tuned for my interpretation of this year's poor showing next
week. Clearly, not many heeded my pleas to participate maximally in
our gatherings, rallies, and other events.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In his review of Genocide commemoration activities,
the author provides attendance counts of events, which stem from his
own observations. The official numbers which were reported, such as
in the case of the AYF protest at the Turkish Consulate on April 24,
do not correspond with the author's calculations.
From: A. Papazian
Garen Yegparian
http://asbarez.com/95546/not-so-great-a-finish/
Continuing from my last piece about Genocide related activities,
I must say, things were continuing to look good. Wednesday morning
greeted us with Tim Rutten's op-ed piece in the LA Times "Obama's lack
of moral clarity on Armenian genocide issue." This was particularly
pleasing since I'd communicated with him last fall when he'd written
positively about the ADL (you know, the leaders of the Jewish
community's denialist camp). He'd conveyed to me his conviction that
appropriate recognition for the Armenian Genocide was something he
had been committed to since the 1970s. Thank you Tim Rutten.
But things started to look less rosy that very night of Wednesday April
20. The annual event organized by Glendale's high schools' Armenian
Clubs was attended more sparsely than previous years, certainly not
exceeding 400, and probably much less. The very sparseness of the
people made it hard to count. But, the program was good, probably
the second best one in this event's decade-long history. The three
member band that played to close was particularly appealing. The
young speakers integrated ongoing developments surrounding our cause
well. One young man issued an appeal trilingually- Armenian, English,
and Spanish, a very good touch indicating an appreciation for the
need to do more outreach. They even managed to find a survivor who
was still ambulatory and spoke well!
The opening speaker was a good choice, a noted coach, serving as a
role model, though some of his comments seemed to be a bit extreme.
Thursday the 21st was also a good day. The demonstration held at Sony
Studios saw some 750 of us (by far the largest of the groups which
were protesting regarding various issues) raising our voices against
Obama's utterly unacceptable, mealy-mouthed utterances and his reneging
on the Genocide recognition promise that escaped his campaign-mode
lips. Serj Tankian's participation and speaking were important in the
context of this action. The only thing missing was a loud chant of
"liar, liar, pants on fire" when the president's motorcade went by.
Thursday night, I went to a screening of "The Lark Farm", the film
based on Antonia Arslan's novel Skylark Farm. While a bit slow moving
(as I'm told many European films are), the movie was compelling and
succeeded in conveying a very human picture of the Genocide, with good
and bad shown among the Turkish characters. In this light, what's more
interesting is the Turkish government's typical antics. Arslan was
present, and told of when the novel was first published. It remained
"under the radar", gaining popularity in Italy. By the time it had
reached the top of the lists, it was too late for the Turks to do
anything. But when word got out that it was being made into a movie
by the famous Taviani brothers, Ankara's machinery started grinding.
Erdoghan wrote Berlusconi who in turn put his culture minister on
the matter. The latter managed to put it on a back-burner, and the
moviemakers were made to understand that they'd be able to practice
their craft. Imagine that at one point, Gul, a PRESIDENT, showed up
on the movie's set! Gotta love those Turkish government types- they
just don't get it- denial breeds even more commitment and action,
by everyone. The film was first screened in Turkish-immigrant heavy
Germany!
Interestingly, and worrisomely, I was unaware of anything happening
Friday night, April 22nd. By this time, I was convinced it was a bad
year, especially since the annual, jointly organized, gathering at
the Montebello Martyrs Monument had been moved from the day of April
24 to the day before. Why? Because it conflicted with Easter! More
on this separately... As it turned out, that gathering, to which I
was late in arriving, was pathetic. Usually, the 3-4000 carnations
purchased for people to lay at the eternal flame are all used. This
year, there were still plenty as the program was nearing its end. Even
factoring in people coming and going, no more than 800 were present
during the time I was there. If anyone who was there doubts this,
consider that the overflow parking opened up for this event that is
usually filled, was more than half empty!
>From Montebello, I raced, with my recent-Texas-transplant cousin
in tow, to Ferrahian's campus whence the AYF Sardarabad Chapter was
staging its 3rd Annual "Cycle Against Denial". The event was good,
holding steady at around 250 riders, with the shared T-shirts serving
to catch car drivers' eyes along the ten mile loop we rode. It would
be better to have a small gathering immediately afterwards, or perhaps
immediately before starting, to explain the point of the ride. When
some people start riding on the sidewalk, it can be counterproductive
to the goal of winning supporters to our cause. This kind of message
and PR sensitivity must be conveyed to the participants.
An unfortunate bicycle related development was the first-time ride
organized by an Armenian cycling group from Glendale to the Montebello
monument and back. This is a great idea. Scheduling it the day of, and
just before, the AYF's ride, is not. I'll also take this opportunity
to once again advocate my "convergence" idea. Bicycles from the San
Fernando Valley, marchers from Hollywood, and automobiles from the
Montebello monument should all converge on the Turkish consulate. Not
only would this maximize participation at the politically most relevant
event of the April 24th season, but it would also create much more
awareness along the routes taken by the three processions!
The Unified Young Armenians' (UYA) Hollywood march was also weak this
year, fitting the pattern. While held at its traditional time and day,
the morning of April 24, it started EXTREMELY late and was in reverse
order. The speakers presented first then everyone was to walk. I could
not stay for the walking. By my count, significantly fewer than 5,000
people were present. This is the worst showing ever for this event,
and truly a cause for concern.
The AYF's demonstration at the Los Angeles Consulate General of Turkey
was no exception. Numbers, by my count, were down to below 2,000, and
that, on a Sunday, with no work-related time conflicts with the 4 p.m.
start time. The energy was present, the slogans were tried and true
ones, and the final speeches were very strong and manifested the slow,
but very desirable shift in our focus from just Genocide recognition
to reparations and return of lands.
Due to scheduling conflicts and simple fatigue, respectively, I was
unable to attend the event organized by the City of Glendale on April
25th (the only one; in previous years they've had weeklong activities-
yet another bad sign) and the two Saturday night, April 23, events.
These were both vigils, one organized by the UYA outside the Glendale
Civic Auditorium, and the other, which also had a musical component,
organized by the Montebello ANC at the monument. I was told both were
poorly attended.
Stay tuned for my interpretation of this year's poor showing next
week. Clearly, not many heeded my pleas to participate maximally in
our gatherings, rallies, and other events.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In his review of Genocide commemoration activities,
the author provides attendance counts of events, which stem from his
own observations. The official numbers which were reported, such as
in the case of the AYF protest at the Turkish Consulate on April 24,
do not correspond with the author's calculations.
From: A. Papazian