Flags, Inc.
What's that saying about pictures meaning more than words? Well, it doesn't exactly hold true for the picture below (I have many many words). While I was driving home from giving educationals to the HMEM Scouts Genocide Seminar, I saw hundreds of cars ..... decked out in red-blue-orange. Now, at first I decided that it was somewhat funny... as SOME drivers had really put a lot of thought into how to add the trio on their vehicles. Some of them had gotten the actual flag altered, so that it draped from the celing of the car, all the way down the trunk - with the rectangle of the license plate opened up so they wouldn't receive tickets (sorry I couldn't take my phone out fast enough to catch that one). Some had made special stickers that went on the side mirrors - just a yerakuyn stripe. Some actually stuck the flag on the pole out their sunroofs. And so on... and so forth....
It seems, that there are MANY mixed feelings about the parade of flags around Glendale/Hollywood/Burbank. Some people say it's great how proud these people are of their heritage, and are remembering/commemorating the Genocide in their own way. Others are VERY annoyed by this display of "nationalism", and feel parading around in cars with yerakuyns does nothing to further the Armenian cause, let alone Recognition.
I used to whole-heartedly believe in the 2nd school of thought. As the years pass, I've come to realize... perhaps the display of national pride is after all, quite fitting for the occasion. Aren't we proud to still be around? Aren't we proud to even have a flag, which represents a nation (that we shouldn't have had, according to the organizers of the Genocide)? Aren't we proud of today's youth (majority) who are proud of their heritage? After all.... aren't the teenagers in the above vehicle one notch above those who use their day-off on April 24, to go to Six Flags, or Palm Springs??? Sure, I'm concerned that this sense of national pride comes only once a year... Maybe it is the responsibility of others to empower the flag-bearing-youth with knowledge and opportunity to do MORE???
Everyone deals with things in different ways. But can Armenians afford to have the "to each his own" mentality?
TSUH! :)~
It seems, that there are MANY mixed feelings about the parade of flags around Glendale/Hollywood/Burbank. Some people say it's great how proud these people are of their heritage, and are remembering/commemorating the Genocide in their own way. Others are VERY annoyed by this display of "nationalism", and feel parading around in cars with yerakuyns does nothing to further the Armenian cause, let alone Recognition.
I used to whole-heartedly believe in the 2nd school of thought. As the years pass, I've come to realize... perhaps the display of national pride is after all, quite fitting for the occasion. Aren't we proud to still be around? Aren't we proud to even have a flag, which represents a nation (that we shouldn't have had, according to the organizers of the Genocide)? Aren't we proud of today's youth (majority) who are proud of their heritage? After all.... aren't the teenagers in the above vehicle one notch above those who use their day-off on April 24, to go to Six Flags, or Palm Springs??? Sure, I'm concerned that this sense of national pride comes only once a year... Maybe it is the responsibility of others to empower the flag-bearing-youth with knowledge and opportunity to do MORE???
Everyone deals with things in different ways. But can Armenians afford to have the "to each his own" mentality?
TSUH! :)~
posted by shooosh at 7:43 AM
5 Comments:
There's a time and place for everything.
There is one small problem with this display of patriotism, though. More than once I have seen cars proudly dispaying "eragujn" stopeed by the police for speeding, erratic driving, DUI, etc. - or tailgating, or playing music too loudly, or simply zooming by on a top speed annoying everyone they sharing the road with. I would rather they weren't such patriots...
Otherwise, I agree with the post.
I think this display of nationalism is very fitting for "Mshagouyti Amis"...not "Abril Yegherni Amis."
I've been saying for a few years that Armenians in LA need to make a big deal out of "Mshagouyti Amis" and stop using April 24 to display ethnic pride.
I believe that flags are more for independence day celebrations, but you are right it is better than the large influx of Armenians vegas gets every April 24. Maybe the flags are for the Armenian hockey team which scored the most goals they have all year, and against Turkey of all teams on April 24.
They lost 28-3.
"perhaps the display of national pride is after all, quite fitting for the occasion"... I would have to disagree Shoosh... I'm with Karnig on this one. If these folks have "national pride" they should flaunt it all year round not only on April 24th.
I personally found it annoying and borderline ridiculous that post 9-11 every American busted out an American Flag. Where was that patriotism pre 9-11? It's kind of the same thing with us.
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