Hate speech is unacceptable. double standards will not work

The revolution was the litmus test of our society. It raised such public issues that before they were not so visible and sharp.  And if today we have an incomprehensible culture of communicating with each other that does not recognize common sense, where the obsession with gaining political points does not recognize any border, it means it is time to take serious steps, and we are late for something.

It is no coincidence that women are especially targeted in this context. Women are always to blame for everything ․ A man is an alcoholic and does not have a good wife. The woman is guilty if the children make a mistake ․ She’s guilty if her husband divorces her․ They are not separated from a good wife, the woman is guilty because she is a woman, otherwise a man would be born ․․․․In fact, many of our compatriots believe that nature has restricted women’s rights from the beginning. , definitely someone’s mistress, daughter, sister ․․․ And this inner conviction leads to the fact that many men try in every way to show the woman “her place”, criticizing the female public figures without content.

Tatik Razazyan’s targeting is from that series… This time even his newborn daughter was targeted. Yes, misogyny does not spare even newborn girls. The post was such a primitive hate speech and obvious hate speech that it is not even worth mentioning its content, it is much more important to talk about the reaction of the society. The only hope in this issue is that at least in the Facebook domain, the overwhelming majority of the Facebook community strongly criticized that word, especially emphasizing that there is a limit that should not be crossed. But it was a unique case when everyone, regardless of political views, seems to agree.

But let’s be honest․ Would society have reacted as much as it did to the daughter of a former government official or, for example, to the daughter and wife of a former high-ranking official, human rights activist, advocate for the rights of the LGBT community and their children? We have seen, isn’t it, how Eduard Sharmazanov’s underage daughter was targeted, or Shushan Petrosyan and her sons were threatened on the Internet with threats, calls for violence, hate speech, which were not really properly assessed. As a result, the children of current officials are targeted today.

And what horrible hate texts are spread against the same human rights activists, threats, calls for violence. Who was punished for those texts? No one, and the society is not very sensitive in those cases. Authorities responded selectively, depending on who was offended. Ordinary users also expressed outrage at political camps, at the same time being criticized by the other. They are the same thing that anyone wants to say, whoever they want to be, regardless of their political views. There can be no double standards in this case.

When we do not condemn hate speech, we criticize the process with our own-non-own personal approach, regardless of who it is addressed to,  we cannot expect that it will not reach us.

This is the problem.

Another funny thing is that a large part of the society fights against hate speech with the same tools and vocabulary, reminding me of a terrible case that I read in the international press and I still remember. A minor girl has been raped in a village in India. The relatives of the victim also raped the rapist’s underage sister in response. Do you understand that it is impossible to fight against violence with violence,  hate speech?

It is here that political will must be expressed in terms of eradicating hate speech and hatred. This mutual hatred, the situation that leads nowhere, in the end, I think, should be resolved in a legal way, because in terms of education, we have been late, we are late.

There is simply no other option, and in case of going this way, the Armenian authorities should be guided exclusively by the principle of objectivity, without selective justice. The only solution is this ․ The one who spreads the word of hatred must be held accountable, and this law must be for everyone, regardless of political or party affiliation, otherwise the tools to fight against hate speech will not work, and it will come with a boomerang, sparing no one.