The Incredible, Incomparable, Incomprehensible... Armenian Youth
Sigh...
Yes, it's time to flog one of my favourite hobby horses: the youth in Armenia. Now, I'm a "youth" myself, but I'm not from around here, of course, and I expect that's why I often have trouble fitting in with society at large in this country, and with the younger chaps in particular.
To be more specific, my derd has a target demographic: young Armenian boy, 15-25 years of age. Like I said, I'm not from around here, and Yerevan is the kind of place where one can spot a foreigner from ten miles away, and I, in the defence of Hayastanyan society, do not take the trouble to make myself look like I'm at home.
Not that I think there's anything inherently wrong in that, but I am often the victim of catcalls, comments and meaningless queries. And they are so stupid, they have absolutely no subtlety. They ask me for the time in the middle of the Hrabarag (where there's, like, a huge clock), they try to strike up a pointless conversation just to see if I can speak Armenian. And I am not being paranoid; you can see it in their eyes.
What's funny, though, is how it gets more active based on - a) the season, with summer somehow boosting their numbers and nerve, and b) the length of my hair! The longer it gets, the more "inquisitive" our compatriots become. And I'm not even talking about when I had a beard...
Well, thankfully, it's only a small segment of society, but it still bothers me and, of course, this lovely weblog is a most appropriate means to get it off my Armenian chest. ;-) And, to be sure, I have met more than a fair few representatives of this infamous demographic who most certainly do not conform to the standards I have described. Still, I look forward to the day when black people and Chinese and Star Wars fans dressed up as Jedi can walk down Abovyan without someone sniggering a condescending "Aper!" from behind.
Yes, it's time to flog one of my favourite hobby horses: the youth in Armenia. Now, I'm a "youth" myself, but I'm not from around here, of course, and I expect that's why I often have trouble fitting in with society at large in this country, and with the younger chaps in particular.
To be more specific, my derd has a target demographic: young Armenian boy, 15-25 years of age. Like I said, I'm not from around here, and Yerevan is the kind of place where one can spot a foreigner from ten miles away, and I, in the defence of Hayastanyan society, do not take the trouble to make myself look like I'm at home.
Not that I think there's anything inherently wrong in that, but I am often the victim of catcalls, comments and meaningless queries. And they are so stupid, they have absolutely no subtlety. They ask me for the time in the middle of the Hrabarag (where there's, like, a huge clock), they try to strike up a pointless conversation just to see if I can speak Armenian. And I am not being paranoid; you can see it in their eyes.
What's funny, though, is how it gets more active based on - a) the season, with summer somehow boosting their numbers and nerve, and b) the length of my hair! The longer it gets, the more "inquisitive" our compatriots become. And I'm not even talking about when I had a beard...
Well, thankfully, it's only a small segment of society, but it still bothers me and, of course, this lovely weblog is a most appropriate means to get it off my Armenian chest. ;-) And, to be sure, I have met more than a fair few representatives of this infamous demographic who most certainly do not conform to the standards I have described. Still, I look forward to the day when black people and Chinese and Star Wars fans dressed up as Jedi can walk down Abovyan without someone sniggering a condescending "Aper!" from behind.
posted by Nareg at 8:19 PM
9 Comments:
tsavet tanem! We feel your pain. You are speaking of Yerevan, take the same thing and move it to rural Armenia. It is 10 times worse! Frankly, outside of the smoking, it is the only cultural thing I truly dislike in Armenia. The young men of ages 13 to 30 truly become troublesome. We have had friends that are black or asian that live in rural Armenia and they take an awful harassment from these men. I hope for enlightenment. I hope there will be a shift from the degrading manner to one of honest inquiry. Sadly, it will be a long time until the mentality opens up but it is my sincere hope!
Nareg... I know what you're talking about... It took me a while to figure out why people were asking me the time on the street! lol
I say, "kill them with kindness"-- it works for me! :)
lol nareg that happend to me once and I decided to mess with them back, instead of saying "vets ans 20" I said "20 ans vets" and they looked at me as if I was retarded, it was hilarious.
Funny, Levon. :-)
Shoosh, the "kill them" part appeals to me, but how does one do it "with kindness" ?
If men feel harassed, what can be said about women? Try walking down the street talking any language other than Armenian! Even Russian turns heads. Once we were walking down the street in Byurakan speaking Emglish, and the local guys hailed us in French! Apparently, that's what they teach at the village school. And God forbid if you look different, you don't even have to open your mouth. I once told a youth (at least 15 years younger than me)who was harassing me that I am not interested in making his acquaitance right there and then, and he replied "No way!"
dude,
i have the same experience even though i am a local... i was born here and i grew up here! i just like dressing comfortably...so i would wear sneakers to school & ppl would go like "why do you dress like an american?" i have been asked what time it was too ..i don't know if this is part of the backwards mentality or a cultural thing but it is changing too.. just look at it as part of your adventurous journey in armenia although i know it can be very annoying...
i grew up in yerevan and live in us now. i am a woman, but i remember how many of my male friends would get in trouble for dressing a bit differently. Long hair, for example, would easily be a reason enough to start a fight...
The reality is - most of these people - who were a little bit more open minded, a little bit more intelligent, etc... have moved out or just gave up.
Also when you pass 30-s, even if you are dressed differently - for some reason you stop being harassed so much.
I´m not from Yerevan either, even though I spent most of my summers there. I, as a female, get this ALL OF THE TIME! At first it would make me mad, then I felt like crying but now, after some time I figured that it would just be easier to ignore these "boys/men". As we say -- "Tetev tar!"
Yes, this is the reality, the Armenians always have to think about things which are none of their business...they have to know why the person, who they don't even know, has long hair, or dresses differently, or dates someone, everything!!! They have to know everything about their neighbours...
I have grown up in Yerevan and I was always taught to dress and behave the way that the neighbours and other people would not think bad about you...
That's cultural...(hetamnatsutsiun)...And I am sorry for that...
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