Western Armenians

[Mos]

I've noticed some troubling things about Western Armenians abroad. I would like to know why so many western armenians want to be called middle-eastern and love to associate themselves with Muslim groups. Even the western armenian food is all arabic food. What greatness do you find in these people? Tell me. Why do you find it acceptable to become hand in hand partners with the people which massacred and always wanted to destroy Armenians? And the people who heavily supported Azerbaijan always. Look at Georgians as example. They have decency to not throw themselves and want to be called muslims and middle easterns like most of these kind Armenians. Georgians are going toward Europe a much better place to be associated with. This is not what I only think but also how many people have noticed.

[Tigranakert]

Re: Western Armenians

It is true, all my Iranian-Armenian friends call themselves Armenian, if someone asks what they are they proudly say they are Armenian.

Most of my Iraq-Armenian friends, if someone ask where they are from, they ''proudly'' say, IRAK! Or I am Iraqi-Armenian!

Disgusting, very disgusting, I do not know what went wrong in their education or culture (because Iranian-Armenians have lived longer in a foreign islamic country compared to them, with Iranians who are more civilized compared to those Arabs).

I had a discussion a few days ago with an Iraqa-Hay girl, I was mentioning that Armenia was our country, where she replied that Iraq was her country first, and Armenia came second (even though she lives in the Netherlands). Most of them speak Arabic at home, why? I do not know. If I ever mentioned a Persian word at home, my mother would have killed me (like in many other Iranian-Armenian families).

[Karabed]

''if someone ask where they are from, they ''proudly'' say, IRAK! Or I am Iraqi-Armenian!''
Well yah we are Armenians from Iraq, we can't change that now can we?

And no we do not like to be associate with muslims. What's this crap? Don't compare us to these backward muslims. I hope you don't say this crap in front of Armenians from Iraq.

She is ''Armenian'' and speaks Arabic at home? Surprised she calls her self Armenian...
''Most of them speak Arabic at home, why?''
Not true, every Iraqi-Armenian i know speaks Armenian at home.
Maybe you should talk to more then one Iraqi ''Armenian'' before you jump to a conclusion.

[Pedro Xaramillo]

Re: Western Armenians

You take Georgians as a good example? The nation who trades with Turkey and Azerbaijan and betrays Armenia...right, good work Mos.

Listen, the Arabs didn't want the Armenians killed in the Genocide, nor did the Persians, in fact Arabs helped Armenians alot, alot of Armenians settled in Lebanon after the Genocide, which is an Arab country, what did Georgia do?

Why do you want to be European so bad?

Don't be European, hell don't be Caucasian, don't be Middle Eastern either, just be Armenian.

[ara87]

Re: Western Armenians

No diaspora Armenian I've ever met, say's that they're Iraqi or even Lebanese, before saying they're Armenian, when speaking to odars, unless they're actually from another country and the odar is asking where they are from. You can't really say you're from Armenia, if you were born and raised In Iraq. But you can say you're and Armenian from Iraq.

When Armenians meet each other, many of them do say if they're beirutsi, bolsa, or barskahyes though, even though it's not necessary b/c you could tell from the way they talk.


As for why Iranian Armenians say they're Armenian first, it's kind of like why actual Iranians say they're "persian" instead of Iranian. No one wants to admit they are Iranian or are from Iran, a country in the "Axis of Evil." The same goes for Iraqi Armenians, I've never met any Armenian or even an Arab who will now say that they're Iraqi's rather than just say they're Armenian or Arab


Much of mid east and Armenian culture is the same, and many Armenians look middle eastern, so it's understandable why many would say that they are middle eastern rather than "European" or "Eurasian"

[Eddo211]

Re: Western Armenians

We have many things in comon but we are not like the Middle Easterners. I was born and raised in Iran and I can tell you this with all certainty that we are very different than them. As far as looks we could pass as one of them especially Armenian women. Sure a lot of Armenians in Iran may consider themselves Iranian but that would be as a citizen of Iran. It was obvious enough to us and Iranians that we are different, that is how they see us and I always saw myself as an Armenian born in Iran. We are not Europeans either but we have more in common with them than MEs. This doesn’t mean we hate Iranians and if you look what my Avatar is (Armenian Archer in Persepolis) it should hint that I have respect to certain degree for Iran despite some of our dark past. Most moderate intelligent middle class Iranians are cool people and are our friends. I don’t know about Arabs but I assume that would be even worst.

Iranian coming to Armenia and making trouble should have their butts kicked royally on the spot with a few choice words that I have in mind in Farsi.

[SevSpitak]

Re: Western Armenians

I would like to know why so many western armenians want to be called middle-eastern and love to associate themselves with Muslim groups.

I'm taking this personal, as in, insulting. I'm Western Armenian, and I often get "dude, I've never seen a guy love his nation so much." Which is, of course, Armenia. What's the point of this thread? Baghutyun shnel mer meche? Hayer Miatsek'in inch yeghav? Yes Western mestern chem. Yes HAY em yev im yerekaners al Hayeren khosogh HAY bidi ellan. If there's an Armenian going around saying, "I am a proud Iraqi-Lebanese-American-Russian-Japanese-or whatever the fack he is," before saying he's a proud Armenian, then xxxx him. We don't need Armenians like that anyway.

Մեկ Ազգ, Մեկ Մշակույթ

Don't contradict yourself brother. We are one nation. Western and Eastern is a concept that was once used to divide and conquer us. Let's break this curse now.

[Siggie]

Re: Western Armenians

I've noticed some troubling things about Western Armenians abroad. I would like to know why so many western armenians want to be called middle-eastern and love to associate themselves with Muslim groups. Even the western armenian food is all arabic food. What greatness do you find in these people? Tell me. Why do you find it acceptable to become hand in hand partners with the people which massacred and always wanted to destroy Armenians? And the people who heavily supported Azerbaijan always. Look at Georgians as example. They have decency to not throw themselves and want to be called muslims and middle easterns like most of these kind Armenians. Georgians are going toward Europe a much better place to be associated with. This is not what I only think but also how many people have noticed.

What an amazing generalization. I think maybe your perception is just biased and the times when you have heard this said have stuck in your mind and because they come to mind so easily, you overestimate the incidence (see availability heuristic).

This has not at all been my experience with Western Armenians of any country nor has it been my experience with Armenians from Iran. Western Armenians are among the most patriotic Armenians I have encountered. And to be frank, I see more Western Armenians and Barsgahyes involved in Armenian organizations, than Hayastancis, though to be fair, my experience is only in the Los Angeles area.

While I have occasionally seen some Armenians pick "middle eastern" as an option on something like Myspace, I believe that's because they thought that was the closest option perhaps since there isn't an "Armenian" category on things like that. I guess it can be a tricky choice between Caucasian and Middle Eastern when you feel like neither really captures who we are (lets not get off track with the term Caucasian, I mean that right or wrote, people equate that with white). Yet even the people who do this, will pick Christian when it comes to the religion category. They're hardly identifying as Muslim.

My experience, overwhelmingly, has been that Armenians identify themselves as Armenian, especially if they live somewhere where there is a large enough community that they're not going get the confused expression or be asked "where/what" Armenia is. Even the Armenians that barely speak Armenian or know nothing about Armenia except the most basic facts of the genocide, say they are Armenian.
Personally, if people find out that I wasn't born in the US and they ask where I'm from, I say I was born in Iran, but I am Armenian. However, if they ask based on my name, I say I'm Armenian without any other explanation.

Now if Diasporans show any affinity for the countries they are from, it's just because it's their home and it's not about embracing the culture or people there. For instance, I do hear some Beirutsi Armenians speak fondly of Lebanon and Barskahyes speak fondly of Iran, but that's because that was their home. It's not their motherland, but it is where they live(ed). So, just as I love the US or more specifically LA because it's been my home, that doesn't mean that I would identify myself as an American. Above all, I'm Armenian.

As for the food... that's the most absurd thing to take issue with... I also cook/eat Mexican and Italian food, does that mean I think I'm Mexican or Italian? If diasporans lived in these countries, of course they have eaten the cuisine and they are going have liked some of the dishes and will continue to make and eat them. Saying that eating the cuisine somehow makes them "hand in hand partners" is illogical enough to nearly render me speechless.

[Siggie]

Re: Western Armenians

Oooookay... I see we already got sidetracked into arguing over the term "Caucasian", over regions, and what group Armenians look like.

We have had numerous threads like this folks. Let's not turn every thread into a reincarnation of the same argument. Stick to the topic please.


I moved the offtopic posts to this thread. You can that discussion there. I had to split some of your posts to do this, so you'll see that either your post was moved in its entirety or it was split and you have a post here still but there's some content missing. I didn't delete what you said; it's simply in the other thread. This was the best alternative which preserves your relevant comments in this thread and doesn't require deleting the offtopic stuff.

[Siggie]

Re: Western Armenians

I thought of this earlier today, so I want to add to what I said...

Although the genocide really affected all Armenians, Western Armenians lost the most, did they not? Please correct me if I'm wrong about this. So really, they would have more reason to harbor negative feelings for Muslims in general (as Mos says they should). To say that they aren't appropriately disgusted with those groups and aren't distancing themselves enough from those cultures seems rather presumptuous. If there was reason to dislike everything including country, music, cuisine, etc of all Armenians, wouldn't the WAs feel it most?
I'm not sure if I'm explaining this well, but it just occurred to me to be yet another thing wrong with Mos's claims.