Guest Posted January 9, 2001 Report Share Posted January 9, 2001 Unless you live in Hayastan, I am sure each one of you has a tidy little mental tract prepared when you encounter odars who ask about who Armenians are. I focus on these few points: 1. The (now somewhat disputed) Hittite origins of Armenians, as many half way educated people know about the Hittites as per Ancient Egypt's enemy. 2. Armenian being the first Christian Kingdom 3. Numerous invasions of Armenia 4. The Armenian Genocide and hence hatred of Turks( or at least great dislike). 5. "Our food is kind of like Greek food!" This gives people some idea, usually, unless they don't know Greek food! 6. Armenians establishing agriculture in California 7. Armenian celebrities( Cher, Agassi, Gwen Stefani, Gasparov, Deukmejian). How about other "apologetics" so to speak? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2001 Report Share Posted January 10, 2001 Half Breed,I think you pretty much covered it all. Unfortunately there isn't one major thing that you can mention to people that they will instantly associate with Armenians (such as a worldwide known political figure, or a world famous athlete). At least not yet. Someone like Agassi would have been good, should he have made the public aware of it. But insteadhe shortened his name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2001 Report Share Posted January 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by BTac: Unfortunately there isn't one major thing that you can mention to people that they will instantly associate with Armenians ... Aram Khachatryan Charles AznavourWilliam SaroyanOn a less positive note:Karabagh War1988 Earthquake1915 Genocide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2001 Report Share Posted January 10, 2001 It is true that there are many famous Armenians. But in the US and even elsewhere most people that know of Armenians are people who have come into contact with individual Armenians. For example, I go to school in Texas now and very few people out here know of Armenians unless they have met one personally. On the other hand pretty much everybody has heard of Greeks, or Swedes, for example, even if they don't know one in person. A lot of famous Armenians are not universally famous. What I mean by that is that non-Armenians who know of Saroyan are more than likely interested in literature, and non-Armenians that know of Khachatryan are more than likely interested in classical music, etc. On the other hand pretty much everybody has heard of Agassi (not just those interested in tennis). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2001 Report Share Posted January 10, 2001 Here in California especially in Sacramento many Americans know the ex-governor Tukmenjian. And most know him as a good man, so you can just say I am the same nation as your ex-governor Tukmenjian, Armenian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2001 Report Share Posted January 10, 2001 Steve, Just mass produce copies of the PBS documentary, "The Armenian Americans"! Paints maybe too rosy of a picture, but the daily newspapers are fully of the other side of Armenian life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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