When pseudo intellectual Armenians get involved in intellectual discussions and they 
reach a personal impasse on any given subject, be it scientific, historic, political, 
astrophysical, or whatever, they generally say, "Kid-em, kid-em" (I know, I know).   And 
they say this even though they don’t know.  This is false pride and, I’m sorry to say, this 
has been inherent among our people throughout our tortuous history.  I have since dubbed 
this the kid-em, kid-em syndrome.


When I visited Armenia a few years after the earthquake, I realized that they had a 
collective form of this same syndrome.  I attributed the probable cause of this 
manifestation on their collective past because over there whenever I engaged in 
conversation and the conversation reached an impasse, those afflicted would generally  
say, "Menk kid-enk" (we know).   So naturally, I dubbed this collective variation, you 
guessed it, the Menk kid-enk syndrome.  And by the way, our old-line Armenian 
politicals were no slouches when it came to this syndrome either.  Just look at how they 
divided our North American churches and communities.


Since I’ve been a witness to both of these syndromes, I have come to the conclusion that 
these timeworn debilitating syndromes may very well be the reason why we’ve been 
falling short of the mark for the past four-thousand years.  And even sadder, a widespread 
form of this Menk kid-enk epidemic in Armenia, may very well be the reason why our 
little Republic of Armenia is falling short of the mark and why they are also experiencing 
mass migration.  Moreover, this may also be the underpinnings of why corruption is 
rampant over there and why major crimes go untried.  Can one imagine how hard it 
would be for a government official afflicted with the Menk kid-enk virus to openly say, 
Yes, many among us are corrupt, or Yes, we all have a lot to learn? 


Speaking to the leaders of Armenia: You have an overabundance of Westernized 
syndrome free Armenian intellectual resources in the Diaspora---intellectuals that have 
not been born out of the subjugation and denial that Armenia had to endure during your 
sixty-eight years under Soviet rule.


Without reservation, the Diaspora Armenians, beyond any shadow of doubt, have proven 
their worth to the homeland.  And who know this better than those in Armenia who have 
authority and even those among them who have been criminally using their authority for 
personal power and material gain.


Logic, therefore, dictates that if there are enough dedicated syndrome-free leaders left in 
Armenia who can put the welfare of their Republic ahead of everything else, then they 
should come forward and start tapping into the treasure trove of their Western 
intellectuals that are mature and syndrome-free.  It could be the most important thing they 
do for Armenia.


No doubt, we’ve all heard that building Armenia into an upright and accountable nation is 
going to take at least two or three more generations.  This type of logic is absurd, because 
if the present-day corruption and injustices continue for another two to three generations, 
there won’t be need to worry about righteousness and accountability.  Fact is, after two or 
three more generations of the same and there won’t be enough left of Armenia that will 
be worth saving.


Whether Armenia is writing its last chapter or the first testament of a new chapter is 
undeniably in the hands of their present-day appointed leaders.  Here’s hoping they come 
to their senses and start taking some serious syndrome-free counsel from a very 
concerned Armenian Diaspora.  But before they do, they must start getting rid of all the 
foxes in their hen-house and above everything else, they must learn how to be more 
objective.  And this takes a lot more listening and doing than it does saying, "Kid-em, 
kid-em" or "Menk kid-enk."


Joseph Vosbikian