Untitled
For the past week or so, I've been having an internal debate about whether I should write this blog or not. In any case, I obviously decided to write... he he he (perhaps Nareg's blog was the final convincing I needed...)
So, a week or so ago, I went to a popular Hollywood venue, where the DJ is Armenian every Friday night. No, that doesn't mean we could dance to Tata, but it just means your requests will actually get played. :) It so happened that a group of us were there to celebrate my cousin's birthday and so... there were quite a few Armenians there. I'd like to also mention that there were also all sorts of different Armenian "groups" there, not belonging to our celebration. Now, we soon noticed that there was another birthday girl in the crowd - a "sev" girl with a lot of her friends there too.
Everyone was having fun... dancing, drinking, talking, laughing... but as I was standing there just looking out at the crowd on the dance floor... I noticed something. I noticed that the Armenian girls on the dance floor were dancing/talking/flirting with all these odar guys, and the Armenian guys were doing the same with any non-hye girl who was there. At first I was like... "huh?" What's wrong with this picture? And as I started to think about it more and more, I became somewhat unnerved.
Ok... am I racist? Too nationalistic? -- what?? Perhaps I'm some "phanatic", but the truth is, I didn't like what I was seeing. I thought about what all my friends had talked about at one point or another... about how Armenian guys feel free to do as they please, with whomever they please, but then when they've had their share, they marry a nice little Armenian girl. Or what about the Armenian girl who has fun with an odar, so that her community won't have meat for gossip?
I thought about how self-destructive this behavior was... and how it has only been getting worse and worse. Anyhow, I didn't come up with any solutions or conclusions... other than the fact that, I should write this blog, so that perhaps people could enlighten me about how wrong I am, orrrrrrr, they could see the light and help spread it.
That's all for now.... 46 days 'til Armenia....
TSUH! :)~
So, a week or so ago, I went to a popular Hollywood venue, where the DJ is Armenian every Friday night. No, that doesn't mean we could dance to Tata, but it just means your requests will actually get played. :) It so happened that a group of us were there to celebrate my cousin's birthday and so... there were quite a few Armenians there. I'd like to also mention that there were also all sorts of different Armenian "groups" there, not belonging to our celebration. Now, we soon noticed that there was another birthday girl in the crowd - a "sev" girl with a lot of her friends there too.
Everyone was having fun... dancing, drinking, talking, laughing... but as I was standing there just looking out at the crowd on the dance floor... I noticed something. I noticed that the Armenian girls on the dance floor were dancing/talking/flirting with all these odar guys, and the Armenian guys were doing the same with any non-hye girl who was there. At first I was like... "huh?" What's wrong with this picture? And as I started to think about it more and more, I became somewhat unnerved.
Ok... am I racist? Too nationalistic? -- what?? Perhaps I'm some "phanatic", but the truth is, I didn't like what I was seeing. I thought about what all my friends had talked about at one point or another... about how Armenian guys feel free to do as they please, with whomever they please, but then when they've had their share, they marry a nice little Armenian girl. Or what about the Armenian girl who has fun with an odar, so that her community won't have meat for gossip?
I thought about how self-destructive this behavior was... and how it has only been getting worse and worse. Anyhow, I didn't come up with any solutions or conclusions... other than the fact that, I should write this blog, so that perhaps people could enlighten me about how wrong I am, orrrrrrr, they could see the light and help spread it.
That's all for now.... 46 days 'til Armenia....
TSUH! :)~
posted by shooosh at 9:28 AM
6 Comments:
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Shoosh, it's not abnormal for people to feel like you feel. Especially for small ethnic groups like the Armenians.
Otherwise, we wouldn't have the grassroots movements like the KKK or any other ethnocentric or racist groups in the US (a more extreme reaction to the phenomenon you describe). I happen to disagree and find mingling with other etnicities or religions quite beneficial. By shunning someone who is not from your group creates hostility, and in case of mixed Armenians, may do more harm than good and drive them away.
I used to know a few people whose one parent was Armenian, and they felt very comfortable with their Armenianness because people did not shut them out (this was in Cyprus). I also have relatives who are mixed, and during visits to Armenia everybody was very open.
Shoosh, this is of course a very tough subject, which there are as many opinions as there are people, and no easy answer. Of course, on the one hand you want Armenians to marry Armenians. This makes the language thing (assuming they speak Armenian) easier, it means the kids probably identify more with Armenianness than otherwise, etc. Then there are the exceptions and the real world. The exceptions are when pure Armenians could care less about being Armenian anyway, and of course the odar spouses that are more Armenian than the Armenian spouse! Plus, in the real world, you meet people and you fall in love and get married. In the west, chances are, if you are surrounded by odars at work, school, etc, you will meet one you like and fall for. There is no magic formula, it can't be helped. The consquences raise difficulties for all. Does a large family gathering switch languages so that one or two people feel more comfortable, allowing their language to die a little more? Do they not accept, and thus drive away both the Armenian and the odar?
There are no easy choices, and the trends are obvious...
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I totally understand both of you guys. I mean, I know soooo manyow many "half-armenians" yet WHOLE armenian spirited people - one of my friend's mother is an American from Oregon and she has learned to read and write Armenian (better than some Armenians!). The point is... that evening, I felt frustrated that there were these 2 general things: 1) Armenian boys are allowed to do as they please, and it's normal... and 2) Armenian girls feel like they need to have fun with "odars" because of the community....
I didn't mean to actually bring up mixed marriages and what not... I guess that was a side effect. lol
Shooosh,
I see that you are counting the days until you leave for Armenia. I do not know about spyurg, but this “problem” in Armenia can be observed almost everyday. It used to drive me crazy to see how in the majority of families sons would go out to have fun while the daughters would be staying at home “in order to be good girls”. I have even suggested to my psychologist friend from Armenia to organize a mass psychotherapy sessions for the entire male population of Armenia… I said “Hey! This will benefit the NATION!..” : ) She was amused! : )
Guys, please, do not take this too hard. It was and is a joke…
Stella
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