"Fact" daily writes:
Nikol Pashinyan consistently uses his favorite "Overton Window" model in his attempts to disband the Armenian Apostolic Church. The concept of the "Overton window", proposed by the American political analyst Joseph Overton, describes how to introduce an initially forbidden opinion into the public consciousness.
Through it, for example, it is possible to convince the society that cannibalism is normal. You just have to act consistently. First, an unacceptable idea is brought into the discussion field ("We have freedom of speech, why don't we talk about cannibalism?"), then concepts are replaced ("Not cannibalism, but anthropophagy"), and then decriminalization (precedents are created when cannibalism is not punished).
Then an illusion of a public discussion is created (proponents of cannibalism are presented, arguing with opponents, and it is announced that society is divided on this issue).
Then a PR-campaign is carried out to create a positive image of cannibalism, and finally, a new dogma is introduced into public consciousness: "prohibiting cannibalism is forbidden." It's a familiar phenomenon, isn't it? Who would have believed in what is happening to the Church today?
Mass arrests of clergy, seizure of temples by security forces, attack on Etchmiadzin, unimaginable, obscene insults to the Church by state leaders and official media, a phantasmagoric performance: Asatryan's "mass" in a temple filled with police, "Civil Pact" members as ministers, and officials as believers.
A liturgy, during which those displeased with the blasphemy are immediately taken out, gagged. Who would believe that Asatryan will change the locks on the doors of Hovhannavank, and the police will make sure that the believers of the temple do not disturb him. Today we see with horror that we are ready for such news. It turns out, are we ready for escalation? The criminalization of our Church?
Physical retaliation against the clergy? The destruction of the most holy? Yes, society is still resisting. The people stay by their Church and do not support blasphemy, the clergy do not follow Asatryan's path. But Pashinyan has already done a lot to destroy the Church.
Attacks against the Armenian Apostolic Church and clergy have already been decriminalized. Not only insults and slanders, but also physical attacks against the Church are no longer punished by law, but on the contrary, they are supported by state authorities. For example, the capture of the temple building by rioters with the help of the security forces.
And most importantly, it has already become permissible to discuss the legitimacy of the Church and the possibility of replacing it with a new structure, a body subordinate to the government. And where there is a discussion, two camps are assumed. It turned out that the disorganized Asatryan is the personification of the "other camp". Although he is alone in that "camp" and is no longer a clergyman, Pashinyan's PR service already has something to cling to.
But even in the case of influence on society through the "Overton window", it is possible to resist manipulations. You should simply avoid discussions with provocateurs (because their goal is to draw you into the discussion by creating the illusion of a public discussion), block communication with them. To act as the Church did in the case of Asatryan, without a debate, simply to ignore, if the person himself decided that he no longer has a way with the Church.
Let him argue with himself. In addition, it is important to remain a believer of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Nikol Pashinyan's "church" has no believers, he barely managed to gather a group to fill one captured temple, if he captures a few more, he will have to move that group to all the temples one by one.
Overton, Overton, but Pashinyan is neither hypnotizing nor charismatic and cannot enchant the Armenian people and inspire his ideas if the people understand what they are trying to do with him. And they are trying to do a well-known thing: to take away the national identity of Armenians, in order not to oppose the growth of Turkish influence. We must not forget: cannibalism is unacceptable, bloodshed is unacceptable, child abuse is unacceptable, blasphemy is unacceptable, desecration of the Church is unacceptable.
And if you are offered to discuss these topics one way or another, just turn away. Let only Pashinyan's fakes discuss these topics.
Details in today's issue of "Past" daily
