57 replies to this topic

[Teutonic Knight]

Didn't Armenian priests baptise these people? As well as Russians?

Yeap, Bulgarians too.

[kakachik77]

I was not referring to our uniqueness or resiliency. As admirable as they are, these qualities do not count as cultural production. And I did not say that we had the "competitive advantages" of the bully nations. If you are interested, you can search my posts for my thoughts on such subjects. If you do, you'll see that I largely agree with your sentiments. However, I still do not see anything in your post that pleasantly surprises me with an undiscovered Armenian gem that our Armenian culture produced recently. I am not saying that we can't, or even that we don't. But it is certain that an honest and hard look at our creativity or lack thereof would not be a bad thing.

I don't think we should be satisfied with mediocrity.

Your argument is still very weak. Not sure what you're trying to prove, but we are a small nation hence you cannot expect a horde of cultural production springing up every year. Having said that, what have Slovaks, Lithuanians or Estonians produced that's worth turning head? Armenians are a diasporan nation, thus what is being produced outside of Armenia need to be accepted as Armenian cultural production. In the sphere of arts, we have produced Atom Egoyan. Well before Armenians got to know him through Ararat, Egoyan had already conquered the world of high class cinema.

http://www.filmref.c.../directors.html

when I checked this website I saw 2 world class Armenian directors listed (Egoyan, Paradjanov). I did not see Bulgarian, Georgian or any other ethnic group that outnumbers Armenians in fact.

Arshil Gorky single-handedly started an art movement in America called Abstract Expressionism. Not a cultural production? Perhaps you will write back and say well what has been done yesterday or last year - my answer is that things happen slowly and again from a small nation like ours it's unrealistic to expect cultural gems every other day

[Twilight Bark]

Your argument is still very weak.
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Perhaps you will write back and say ....

I wouldn't want this to turn into an exercise in winning an argument, or a game of polemic. I am glad to see that you are confident and optimistic about our performance, and I do not want to deflate it. As long as we are not complacent, and creativity permeates our daily lives, I don't care so much if we produce world-famous names or not (obviously I would like that, but ... ). My chagrin comes from what I perceive as the mediocrity and banality of Armenian cultural and intellectual life. I would be very glad to be entirely wrong in my perceptions, and have no interest in proving myself "right". It's a much bigger issue than that.

[kakachik77]

Twilight, firstly I am not trying to argue with you rather have an intellectual argument and if you restrain from that then you're one of the Armenians contributing to the so called "Armenian intellectual and cultural mediocrity"

I should admit that I don't completely understand exactly what direction you are leaning when talking about this intellectual backlag. What you feel is your opinion and the reason for your feelings can be that you are primarily surrounded by immigrant Armenians who're not interested in intellectual pursuits or no Armenians for that matter. If you're referring to the lack of Armenian scholars discussing philosophy/existentialism then I'll say don't compare to some Western European culture because the Armenian experience is very different (I hope I don't have to explain how). In the former Soviet Union Armenians were the second after Russian Jews with Ph.D.s and Armenia was regarded as Soviet Sillicon Valley.
And lastly, mediocrity is present in every culture - think of cheesy Hollywood movies in the American culture that make millions over just one weekend. At the same time the American economists/scientists sweep most Nobel prizes every year. So Americans mediocre or no?

Your so called "fears" are nothing new, every nationality has that insecurity within, as well as every individual, after all too much pride is mere stupidity. Read Peter Balakians "Black Dog of Fate", he discusses some Armenian intellectuals from Polis who escaped to New York, I was surprised since I did not know that one of Anais Nin's best friends was an Armenian woman (his aunt). Perhaps if Turks gave us a little more chance...

[Twilight Bark]

Twilight, firstly I am not trying to argue with you rather have an intellectual argument and if you restrain from that then you're one of the Armenians contributing to the so called "Armenian intellectual and cultural mediocrity"
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Have a nice day.

[bellthecat]

bellthecat, the things you say I agree with. I don't know where you got the idea that i'm wallowing in that cesspit of racist Croat crap. Didn't I say that i tought serbs and croats are the same people?

Also, of all the balkan's people, i find myself most sympathetic to serbs. There has been a lot of nonsense and propaganda spread against them in the west. And they really got screwed.

Sorry skhara, I misunderstod your point and thought that you were saying that you agreed with the theory in its entirety (in which the word "Serb" is never once mentioned) and objected to the word "silly" for that reason.

It is a theory that could only arise from a culture that is trying to artificially disassociate itself from Serbia and invent a new history for itself. The key phrase to always look out for in all such nationalistic theories is the "according to historical sources" one - these "historical sources" are of course never specifically named!

[gamavor]

The kids I went to highschool with would always ask me if i'm croatian for some reason because they thought I looked like Vlade Divac even though he is Serbian.
I'd explain that i'm Armenian, but they had no idea what an Armenian is.

It is funy that you say this! I was keeping this to myself for quite some time but recently it became an obsession for certain people. I haven't watch ER, but every other person that I meet daily says that I'm absolute copy of Dr. Luka Kovatch. At the begining I thought that it is a subtle compliment, but one time I was offered a "celebrity" disscount in a department store. And yes Dr. Luka Kovatch from ER is from Croatia.

[Yervant1]

It is funy that you say this! I was keeping this to myself for quite some time but recently it became an obsession for certain people. I haven't watch ER, but every other person that I meet daily says that I'm absolute copy of Dr. Luka Kovatch. At the begining I thought that it is a subtle compliment, but one time I was offered a "celebrity" disscount in a department store. And yes Dr. Luka Kovatch from ER is from Croatia.

Can I join you when you go to department store shopping?

[gamavor]

Can I join you when you go to department store shopping?

Yes you can! Azat would at least offer a beer in return!

[Azat]

nah no beer for you. you are a wealthy attorney and you look like that guy? I go kill myself now.

[gamavor]

nah no beer for you. you are a wealthy attorney and you look like that guy? I go kill myself now.

Yeah Azat, life is tough! I have never been wealthy attorney. Just financially comfortable. I don't practice since long time. Right now I do more trivial but fun things.

[Azat]

Yeah Azat, life is tough! I have never been wealthy attorney. Just financially comfortable. I don't practice since long time. Right now I do more trivial but fun things.

wow cool. good for you. as long as you can afford it why not.

[Vanetsi]

It is funy that you say this! I was keeping this to myself for quite some time but recently it became an obsession for certain people. I haven't watch ER, but every other person that I meet daily says that I'm absolute copy of Dr. Luka Kovatch. At the begining I thought that it is a subtle compliment, but one time I was offered a "celebrity" disscount in a department store. And yes Dr. Luka Kovatch from ER is from Croatia.

Gamavor the department store discount was probably for your celebrity from Hyeforum. You're a star and you know it.

[Heavy G]

Back on topic, can we please stop trying to make everyone out to be Armenians? If thats how you wanna do it, than hell, as far as I'm concerned we all came from Africa, but not all of us are considered African. Even if Croats, Serbs, etc branched off Armenians.......who cares? Their Croatian, period.

[skhara]

Back on topic, can we please stop trying to make everyone out to be Armenians? If thats how you wanna do it, than hell, as far as I'm concerned we all came from Africa, but not all of us are considered African.

I know I didn't come from Africa.

Even if Croats, Serbs, etc branched off Armenians.......who cares? Their Croatian, period.

Welcome btw. Why so touchy, he was just kidding with the "are Armenians" comment.

[hetanos]

What is funny is that I found some more on-line pages stating that some of the Germans are also Armenians. BTW, how the hell they have a football team called Arminia!?!

http://www.dsc-arminia-bielefeld.de/

http://www.arminia-forever.de/

Hi. The reason Germans have a soccer club Arminia is due to their homage of their national hero Arminius who fought the Romans in the 1st century AD.

[gamavor]

Hi. The reason Germans have a soccer club Arminia is due to their homage of their national hero Arminius who fought the Romans in the 1st century AD.

I know Arminius was Armenian from Bavaria

[Yervant1]

I know Arminius was Armenian from Bavaria

Yeah!!! He was a Gamavor for the Germans.