The Whole World Remembers Armenians: Clooney’s Reflection to Hitler’s Catch Phrase
More than half a century ago Adolf Hitler’s expression “who remembers Armenians now,” George Clooney, director, producer, Oscar winning actor, replies—“the world.” This was touched upon by the world-famous actor in Yerevan at “Aurora” Awards Ceremony.
Clooney proposes a toast
Throughout the period I spend in Armenia, I understood, one of the most favorite things to do is proposing a toast, although we don’t have a drink. I want to drink to Ruben, Vartan and Noubar. What you did and are doing is exclusive and a right job. If we gave prizes in other place, probably, we’d grant it to you. You make the world better, I’m proud of you and I’m proud of being here.
What happened to Armenians 101 years ago, again and again repeated afterwards
When the word ‘genocide’ wasn’t introduced into the lexicon, everybody perfectly knew features of the word. Cruelty lies on its ground, and not self-defense, not even the war, but targeted extermination of a whole nation. It happened to the Armenian people 101 years ago, and after that we again and again see it’s repetition in different programs: Germany, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. I saw it in broken bodies, broken families, broken hearts of the people in Darfur. I saw what a person is able to in his worst acts. I saw something else, which is more powerful, than hatred. I saw courage and kindness, unbelievable manifestations of love. Today we honor its best examples.
We don’t have the right to the stories of the refugees die
The Clooney family fled a famine in Ireland to come to the United States where their very survival required a room, a meal, a helping hand. We all stand next to all kind people, who didn’t turn their back at urgent moment of need. And if you stand right in front of them and take a look deep into their eyes, you might just see an Irish farmer fleeing a famine, the young Armenian woman, whose name is Aurora, who looks for home. If we are to survive as a people, we simply can’t look away. Not from the people of Syria or South Sudan or the Congo. We call them refugees, but they are people, like you and me. The simple truth is that all of us here tonight are the result of someone’s act of kindness. We all stand on the shoulders of good people who didn’t look away when we were in need.
The whole world remembers Armenians
Today’s prize honors the heroism, courage, which is more, than many of us are able to do in their lives. On the other hand, our pretenders didn’t learn it in any heroic school, they were ordinary people, who we see every day, who saw the need and reacted to it, took an exclusive step. Today we honor them, moreover, we honor those 1.5 million lives, which we lost 101 years ago.
We call the tragedy by its proper name—Genocide, the Armenian Genocide. Once Hitler said, “who remembers Armenians now,” the answer is—“the world.”
