Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
Dec 24, 2011 at 5:37am
I planned to lay out the arguments today for affirming the Armenian Genocide, but I caught a glance at my to-do list, and it looked like this:
- Buy cat food, laundry soap, milk
- Unpack, do laundry
- Send W9 form to Washington Post
- Enter frequent flyer miles on Turkish Airlines website
- Pay phone bill
- Affirm Armenian Genocide
- Call Mom
- Pick up new phone cord
- Figure out why bathroom light isn't working
- Have more water delivered
I looked at that and thought--you know, that's just too disrespectful. No matter what you call the events that transpired in 1915, they shouldn't be relegated to "Item 6" on my to-do list.
I'll write about this tomorrow, after I've taken care of my errands.
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Comments :
Jul '11
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
I might think about moving mom up a spot or two, it is the holidays...
Jun '10
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
Whether you're objective or not about #6 (I assume you are, since you have no dog in that fight) you can only come down on one side (publicly) and still stay in Turkey. Arguing the Armenian side, publicly, would get you deported. No? That kind of undercuts any support you have for the Turkish side of the argument, even if that's where you would objectively come down.
May '10
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
I had never even heard of the Armenian genocide- sheltered life, never paid any attention whatever to Turkey- until a half dozen years ago, when I got a research agreement in my in-box for Taner Akcam. The NGO (anyonjer familiar with the subject would recognize the name) with whom he was to do the work demanded the right to edit his paper (basically turn it into propaganda) and we told them "No thanks". But Prof. Akcam did enlighten me a little bit about the subject, most of which I then forgot.
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
No--it's discussed all the time, now. In this respect, there is more freedom of expression in Turkey than in France, apparently. In other respects, the situation is deplorable, but this is no longer the taboo it was.
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
Yeah, but we're Jewish.
Jun '10
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Yeah, but we're Jewish. · Dec 24 at 9:52am
You mom would LOVE a call - I'll vouch for that!
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
Guess you were right about that!
Jul '10
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Yeah, but we're Jewish. · Dec 24 at 9:52am
So mom comes first! Oy!
Dec '10
Re: Voltaire Project: I Affirm the Armenian Genocide (But I'll Be Slightly Delayed)
Claire,
I respect you a great deal. However, I am afraid I can not support your attitude here. Although Turkey is in a class above the other Islamic States, with it's history of Ottoman realpolitik, I must insist that genocide means genocide.
If we delude ourselves any further about the danger of a broken world moral compass, then we are opening the door to ever more monsterous future behavior. France, as all of Europe, is experiencing both an internal and an external threat from Islam. Critical to stemming that threat is forcing Islam even in it's Ottoman incarnation to accept responsibility for it's human rights behavior.
As Germany has it's holocaust denial law so France has taken on the Armenian event which is so tied to the hideous amoralism leading up to WWI. If this is the discipline that France/Europe needs to send the message to Islam, then so be it.
Edited on Dec 26, 2011 at 11:32am