2006_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 2006

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Hye Sharzhoom
March 2006
Dr. James Reid Presents First of Three Part Series on Genocide
Zhanna Bagdasarov and
Christina Karakashian
Staff Writers
Henry S. Kazan visiting professor Dr. James Reid held the first of
his three part lecture series on February 21, co vering the inner dimension of the Armenian Genocide.
Dr. Reid is currently teaching a
course which looks at the Genocide through the eyes of witnesses
and survivors ofthe massacres. The
class is structured to help students
discover the antecedents of the
Genocide through the perspective
of those that actually suffered
through it. Dr. Reid's aim is to
provide students with an understanding of how the alienation of
the Armenians came about and what
lead to the final plan for complete
destruction of Armenia.
Dr. Reid began his lecture by
introducing the process of looking
at the trauma survivors faced due to
the Genocide. The lecture focused
on two major symptoms of Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder in survi-
Photo: Barlow Der Mugrdechian
L. to R.: Anne Visser, Dr. James Reid, and Zhanna Bagdasarov.
vors: the threat of death and the
sense of a foreshortened future.
Dr. Reid explored the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in detail, and explained that
the central element of trauma is the
threat of death itself. He further
discussed two aspects of this tin-eat:
the life-death continuum and the
death imprint. The life-death continuum is one of the aspects identi
fied in people who are faced with
death and was proposed by Dr.
Reid. This category states that during an extended trauma such as a
campaign or a death march, a person begins to feel that death, and
not the hope for continued life,
dominates his or her mind and outlook. To exemplify this concept,
Dr. Reid read a narrative from Reverend Abraham Hartunian' s mem-
Eench ga Chga-
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE MUSICIANS AND WHY?
Windy Dunbar-Staff Writer
Angeline Ohanesian
Senior
Richard Hagopian because he completes every Armenian party and he plays the songs I like to dance to.
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I '          El
Armine Sargsyan
Senior
I like Nune Yesayan for her folk music and vocal
quality, Armine Simonyan for dancing, "System of a
Down" for getting crazy, and Mister X for the best
Cilicia rendition.
Shant Postoyan
Junior
Harout Pamboukjian is my favorite in terms of getting
me out of my seat and jamming on the dance floor.
Vatche is another all-time favorite because he sings in
a variety of different languages.
Sevag Jierian
Sophomore
"System of a Down" and Karnig Sarkissian,
what more do you need?
Photos: Windy Dunbar
oir Neither to Laugh Nor To Weep.
The death imprint, on the other
hand, is a concept created by Robert J. Lifton and refers to the individual being haunted by the sight
and/or the threat of death for many
years after the ending of the traumatic events. According to Dr.
Reid, a person begins to define himself or herself by their experience
with death or near-death and starts
to differentiate himself or herself
from others due to the trauma.
The second symptom, a sense of
a foreshortened future, was also
discussed as a feeling of an "unnatural existence in the survivor."
This aspect of the Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder states that the traumatized person does not expect to
have a normal life span, a career, a
family or children. Dr. Reid provided Bob Der Mugrdechian's biography of his father Anooshavan,
Anooshavan: The Intrepid Survivor, as the example of this symptom. It is also important to note that
this aspect is directly related to the
life-death continuum experienced
during the trauma. One might also
find that superstitions of any type
might indicate the presence of this
symptom in people.
Throughout his lecture Dr. Reid
provided narratives from the memoirs and letters of survivors with
personal experiences of genocide
to further illustrate these symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Included in these examples
were accounts by Hagop Der
Garabedian, Abraham Hartunian,
Anooshavan Der Mugrdechian and
others.
Looking at genocide through
the eyes of survivors and their psychological states provides us with
a unique outlook on the Genocide
rather than mere historical facts.
When studying historical facts of
the Genocide and what was lost is
often what people focus on, but
through his series of lectures Dr.
Reid is exploring deeper into genocide and the effects it also has on
survivors of such traumatic events.
Dr. Reid's next lecture in the
series will be held on March 22.
36th Annual Armenian Summer Games to
Be Held in Clovis, June 23-25
The Western Armenian Athletic Association is pleased to announce
the coming ofthe 36th Annual Armenian Summer Games. They will be
held June 23-25,2006 at the Buchanan High School complex in Clovis,
CA. Come and join us for a weekend of fun. Since its debut in 1969, the
Armenian Summer Games provides a unique venue for Armenian athletes of all ages. The only requirement for participation is that at least one
parent is of Armenian descent or you are the spouse of someone of
Armenian descent.
The modern and spacious facilities at Buchanan High provide an
opportunity for exciting athletic events. This year we will once again
feature men' s basketball, tennis, track and field, and introducing this year,
women's basketball. The track and field competition will take place on
Saturday, June 24, with tennis starting that same morning. Both of these
sports will be contested in age groupings. First round basketball action
will start Friday night. Participants will receive a souvenir t-shirt and a
complimentary ticket to the traditional post meet picnic. First, second and
third place winners will receive stunning Armenian Summer Games
medallions.
Please visit our website at www.armeniansummergames.com for
applications for all the sports, as well as photos and results ofthe last two
Summer Games. We look forward to another great year of competition!
, From Page 1
participated: Colgate professor Peter Balakian and University of Minnesota professor Taner Akcam support the film's views, while University of Louisville professor Justin McCarthy and Turkish historian
Omer Turan give an opposing perspective. Professor Balakian said
that he did not want to participate in
a panel with "two bona-flde de-
niers" but felt that he was "backed
into a corner" by PBS. If he had
boycotted the panel,he said, it would
have jeopardized the broadcast of
the documentary, which Balakian
called "a major and comprehensive
piece of work."
McCarthy, in a recent interview,
said that the history ofthe period is
complex and does not lend itself to
simple judgements and labels. According to McCarthy, titling the
documentary The Armenian Genocide is "a false description of a
complicated history."
Filmmaker Goldberg said that
he did not think the panel was necessary, "but didn't fight it. It wasn't
up to me and I had nothing to do
with its production."
Both Washington, DC, based
lobbying organizations, the Arme
nian Assembly of America andthe
Armenian National Committee of
America, have called on PBS to
cancel its plans to provide Armenian Genocide deniers a national
television audience.
It is believed that airing the
round table discussion would only
serve to call the Armenian Genocide into question, and support the
Turkish government policy of denial.
Congressman Anthony Weiner
(D-NY), a member ofthe Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues,
called the inclusion of the genocide deniers on the panel "an insult
to the history of that time."
Two Cats Productions is a documentary production company in
New York City led by Andrew
Goldberg, also produced The Armenians, A Story of Survival, which
aired on PBS stations nationally in
2002.
The Armenian Genocide is
available on DVD or VHS through
Oregon Public Broadcasting, P.O.
Box 2284, South Burlington, VT,
05407 telephone 1-800-440-2651,
website twocatstv.com.