Someone Gains, Everyone Loses (On Avarice)
On a corner near Yerevan's Republic Square there was a small kiosk that sold chocolate, drinks and sandwiches. Parked along the street were a number of cabs utilizing the location as a de facto cab stand. Under one of the nearby trees there was a circular table.
On top of the table was a chess set.
Games were played by the store owner, cab drivers, local residents and occasional passersby. There was rarely a lack of players or observers. A string of color commentary would often follow, usually in an attempt to to get Hovo, a driver and resident champion. to second guess himself.
The cost of a game was a snickers bar, a bottle of soda, or something equally reasonably priced.
I was drawn to the corner, not only because of the chess, but also the people. Their interactions, this gathering of community and camaraderie was highly appealing seeing as I was mostly alone in a new city. When I heard one of the regulars comment to a player "I don't know if that move was shit or if you're just a shitty player," I felt a familiarity.
I learned then that the trash talking of chess was a universal quality.
As I became occupied I visited the corner less and less. By the time winter came the table was packed away, returning in the spring with some new faces along with the old. I played a few games, joked around with the regulars, and though I was not really one of them they were polite enough to never turn me away.
Like all things pleasant, the corner culture was destined to fade away.
A series of laws were enacted, beginning with one that severely limited where taxis could park. This was accompanied by a second law that required a high price for a taxi license, a flat fee that covered one car or a fleet, thus targeting independent taxis owners. The result was the absorption of or removal of independent operators.
The loss of the cab stand clearly caused the business of the corner kiosk to suffer, though it was another law, aimed at removing free standing kiosks and similar businesses, that killed it. Almost over night, the white stands that had once sold newspapers, snacks, drinks and other goods disappeared throughout the city, reinforcing the need for larger super markets.
What was left was an empty street corner that had once fostered a small but connected community, a victim of unchecked greed.
What was lost is incalculable, far exceeding the price they placed on local culture.
On top of the table was a chess set.
Games were played by the store owner, cab drivers, local residents and occasional passersby. There was rarely a lack of players or observers. A string of color commentary would often follow, usually in an attempt to to get Hovo, a driver and resident champion. to second guess himself.The cost of a game was a snickers bar, a bottle of soda, or something equally reasonably priced.
I was drawn to the corner, not only because of the chess, but also the people. Their interactions, this gathering of community and camaraderie was highly appealing seeing as I was mostly alone in a new city. When I heard one of the regulars comment to a player "I don't know if that move was shit or if you're just a shitty player," I felt a familiarity.
I learned then that the trash talking of chess was a universal quality.
As I became occupied I visited the corner less and less. By the time winter came the table was packed away, returning in the spring with some new faces along with the old. I played a few games, joked around with the regulars, and though I was not really one of them they were polite enough to never turn me away.Like all things pleasant, the corner culture was destined to fade away.
A series of laws were enacted, beginning with one that severely limited where taxis could park. This was accompanied by a second law that required a high price for a taxi license, a flat fee that covered one car or a fleet, thus targeting independent taxis owners. The result was the absorption of or removal of independent operators.
The loss of the cab stand clearly caused the business of the corner kiosk to suffer, though it was another law, aimed at removing free standing kiosks and similar businesses, that killed it. Almost over night, the white stands that had once sold newspapers, snacks, drinks and other goods disappeared throughout the city, reinforcing the need for larger super markets.
What was left was an empty street corner that had once fostered a small but connected community, a victim of unchecked greed.
What was lost is incalculable, far exceeding the price they placed on local culture.
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