“I’m worried about what’s happening in Armenia,” the academician said. “I listened to culture and language expert Henrik Hovhannisyan speak on the new culture station, which is part of National Television. Hovhannisyan lamented the way the Armenian language is used in Armenia today, and gave several examples of common mistakes made, not only by every day people but by those in government and announcers on television and radio. Yet, when Hovhannisyan was done, I switched to the main National Television station, and a new, Armenian-made serial, complete with street jargon and mafia-style language was on, as if mocking what Hovhannisyan had just said. These serials are something, as now not only are most stations showing the usual serials from South America, with their ‘who’s with whom’ and ‘who’s child is it’ themes, the Armenian serials, done by National Television, Armenia, Shant, and others, are all Armenian mafia-style, with the kind of language Hovhannisyan and many others abhor. And National Television has the ‘Odar Khagher’ show, which before had actors, or regular people, I’m not sure, acting out problems supposedly foreign to Armenians, yet not explaining that they were foreign. Now, the show has advanced to something just shy of the American shows where people argue and then supposedly beat each other while the audience cheers them on. I suppose that’s the next step, the beatings. Now, Channel Five, part of the Armenia station, which is seemingly doing what it can to destroy Armenian culture, announced that they’re going to broadcast ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians.’ And the common Armenian, who like anybody around the world, turns into what he sees on television. Maybe we should be watching television from Turkey, instead of the new culture station…last night I saw a group of young folk musicians singing ‘Hoy Nar,’ with Turkish lyrics following the hoy nar, then the famous ‘Garun e, sirun e,’ and a song with the exact melody of a patriotic song about the fedayee Arabo. Why shouldn’t they sing these songs, if what we’re promoting is singers who, just a few years ago, would have been beaten for acting like street walkers?”