2 poems
The Great Evil Crime
Republic of Turkey:
The Armenian deaths do not constitute genocide.
The Holocaust bears no meaningful relation
to the Ottoman Armenian
experience.
I Am Cardi B:
And I apologize because
it wasn’t my place to post something.
I should’ve done more research.
But I don’t know what to believe.
I don’t know.
One side is telling me something
the other side is telling me something else.
Republic of Turkey:
No logic can reconcile the two positions
that Armenians promote.
Sheriff Jay Baker:
The suspect did take responsibility
for the shootings.
He claims that it was not
racially motivated.
He apparently has
a sex addiction
a temptation
for him he wanted
to eliminate.
Real Donald Trump:
The China Virus.
I Am Cardi B:
I didn’t know chinky eyes is a slur
like wtfff
I DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING !!
We don’t even use that as an insult
.Im sick of the internet
Sheriff Jay Baker:
When I spoke with investigators
they got that impression that
he was pretty much fed up
and had been at the end of his rope
and yesterday was a really
bad day for him
and this
is what he did.
Republic of Turkey:
Armenian losses were few
in comparison to the over 2.5 million
Muslim dead from the same period.
I Am Cardi B:
#ArmeniaStrong
#ArtsakhStrong
#ArmeniaFund.org
The Internet:
#CardiBSupportsTerrorism
I Am Cardi B:
When I woke up, people were attacking me,
saying I have the wrong information.
People from one country is telling me something,
and the other people from another country is
telling me something else.
Republic of Turkey:
The archives of many nations ought to be carefully
and thoughtfully examined before concluding
whether genocide occurred.
I Am Cardi B:
How many times I gotta say the same fucking shit !?
For clout ? What fuckin clout
I did it for a friend and I woke up getting attacked
.I didn’t do my research!
I’m sorry !
I don’t know wats going on !
I JUST WANT PEACE !
i apologize and I’m still getting attack
Talat Pasha:
An Armenian
who was still innocent today
could be guilty tomorrow.
Sources of appropriation for repurposing are “Medz Yeghern” (Մեծ եղեռն, lit. “Great Evil Crime”) is an Armenian term for genocide, especially the Armenian Genocide. The term Հայոց ցեղասպանություն (Hayots tseghaspanutyun), literally “Armenian Genocide,” is used in official contexts, for example, the Հայոց ցեղասպանության թանգարան (“Armenian Genocide Museum”) in Armenia. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/the-armenian-allegation-of-genocide-the-issue-and-the-facts.en.mfa and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminology_of_the_Armenian_Genocide and https://www.armeniafund.org/newsroom/over-3-2-million-raised-at-fundraising-event-held-at-consulate-general-of-armenia-in-los-angeles/ and https://www.armeniancalendar.com/?event=40213400 and https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hiphop/9461691/cardi-b-apologizes-promoting-armenian-fundraiser/ and https://www.buzzfeed.com/terrycarter/cardi-b-kulture-chinky-eyes-racist and https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ent-cardi-b-armenia-azerbaijan-conflict-apology-20201008-dlwcn2xdyzfxnh7rbzwy52vi3q-story.html and https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-10-07/cardi-b-armenia-fundraiser-twitter-apology and https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/07/cardi-b-apologises-for-supporting-armenia-fundraiser-after-backlash /
Holocaust Remembrance Day
We submit that the evidence suggests that the killing of Negroes has become police policy in the United States and that police policy is the most practical expression of government policy. William Patterson, “We Charge Genocide” (1951)
just two weeks ago or so, we celebrated, but
just took a moment I think in our country to
remember the Holocaust. There’s kind of a
calming feeling, I always tell folks, when I
think of the Holocaust and the tragedy of the
Holocaust and the fact that it was my
ancestors, Palestinians who lost their land
and some lost their lives, their livelihood,
their human dignity, their existence in some
ways had been wiped out. All of it was in the
name of trying to create a safe haven for
Jews, post the Holocaust, post the tragedy
and horrific persecution of Jews across the
world at that time. And, I love the fact that it
was my ancestors that provided that, right? In
many ways. But they did it in a way that took
their human dignity away, right? And it was
forced on them. And so, when I think about a
one-state, I think about the fact, why can’t we
do it in a better way where – and I don’t want
people to do it in the name of Judaism, just
like I don’t want people to use Islam in that
way – it has to be done in the way of values
around equality and around the fact that you
houldn’t oppress others so that you can feel
free and safe. Why can’t we all be free and
safe together? Well, I don’t come from a
place of violence, I come from a place of love
and equality and justice. You know for many
of these organizations, it’s about power
struggle.
Nadia speaks:
minorities in Iraq; to prosecute Isis – from the
leaders down to the citizens who had
supported their atrocities – for genocide and
crimes against humanity. I talk about how
Kocho had been taken over and girls like me
had been taken as sex slaves. I tell them about
how I had been raped and beaten repeatedly
and how I eventually escaped. I tell them
about my brothers who had been killed.
When I tell someone about the checkpoint
where the men raped me, I am transported
back to those moments and all their terror.
Other Yazidis are pulled back into these
memories, too. My story, told honestly and
matter-of-factly, is the best weapon I have
against terrorism, and I plan on using it until
those terrorists are put on trial. There is still
so much that needs to be done. World leaders
and particularly Muslim religious leaders
need to stand up and protect the oppressed. I
tell you that every Yazidi wants Isis
prosecuted for genocide, and that it is in their
power to help protect vulnerable people all
over the world. I tell you that I want to look
the men who raped me in the eye and see
them brought to justice. I want to be the last
girl in the world with a story like mine.
Until recently, Nicholas Karavatos was an assistant professor of poetics at the Arab American University of Palestine-Jenin, West Bank. He was a U.S. Ambassador’s Distinguished Scholar to Ethiopia in 2018 at Bahir Dar University, and from 2006 through 2017, an assistant professor of creative writing at American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. He is a graduate of Humboldt State University and New College of California.