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The challenges of being HYE ?


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The New York Times

July 6, 2000, Thursday, Late Edition - Final

'Retreating in Words and in Deed'

 

 

Following is an excerpt from Shahan Shahnour's 1929 novel "Retreat

Without Song," considered a classic about the Armenian diaspora after World

War I.

 

 

Parents, sons, uncles and sons-in-law, retreat; customs, conceptions,

morals and love, retreat. The language retreats, the language retreats, the

language retreats. And we are still retreating in words and in deed,

willingly and unwillingly, knowingly and unknowingly: forgive them. Forgive

them, Ararat!

 

There were Armenians who paid in gold to save their skins; there were

others who gave up their faith, their virginity; there were those who

abandoned their homes, their lands, their sky; there were yet cowards who

denied their nation and their language, and heroes who gave their blood,

their life, their very existence. While we pay, as a final ransom, that

which is to come: as a final ransom, children who could have grown up,

generations who could have come after us. Because those that will come in

the future will be non-Armenian, in word and in deed, willingly and

unwillingly, knowingly and unknowingly: forgive them, Ararat, forgive them!

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  • 4 months later...
Well i don't know about all that i know that i am armenian but i dont speak it (not my fault) i dont go to any church (also not my fault) and as for traditions well its hard to do it where i am people resent me trying to keep my culture here. All i know is that i AM armenian.
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How about these altered versions of Surorus' questions???

 

1) Do you speak or understand any dialect of Armenian? If not, do you want to learn?

 

2) Do you value Armenian history, traditions and culture?

 

3) Do you attend Armenian Church? If not, do you socialize with other Armenians in some other manner?

 

4) If you were to list three to five adjectives about yourself, would one of them be "Armenian"?

 

 

P.S. BTW Surorus, your name is a palindrome!

 

 

[This message has been edited by Pilafhead (edited December 01, 2000).]

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to all,

 

 

Would you like to know if you are Armenian or not? Take the the Test to find out"

 

1) Do you speak or understand any dialect of Armenian?

2) Do you take into account Armenian traditions and values?

3) Are you a Christian and specifically Armenian Apostolic?

 

IF you have answered YES to all 3 questions, then you can proudly say I am ARMENIAN!

 

IF you have answered YES to 2 of the 3 question, then you can say that you are an Armenian.

 

IF you have answered YES to 1 of the 3 questions, then you can say that you are somewhat Armenian but mostly odar.

 

IF you have answered No to all 3 questions, then you are NOT Armenian at all even if your last name ends on "ian"!

 

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by surorus (edited December 01, 2000).]

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Alex,

 

I am glad that you consider youself Armenian. However, if you have answered NO to all 3 questions, then you probably have some other nationality. Native language spoken, religion, and culture are the 3 main identifiers of belonging to a particular ethnicity.

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quote:
Originally posted by surorus:
So, I made up the member name similar to that, but simetric to the left and right of o. sur o rus


There's your answer Queen Gayane, a "palindrome" is a word or phrase that is the same forwards and backwards. Examples:

--Madam, I'm Adam.
--Rats live on no evil star.
--Satan oscillate my metallic sonatas.
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Well I know Armenian history pretty well, Im very interested in learning the language. I respect my culture very much. I also don't think anyone can tell me im not Armenian. My ethnicity is non-questionable. I have some ukranian,tatar and jewish in me besides Armenian , but im pure Armenian at heart so i think thats all that counts. There are plenty of Germans,Russians,Swedes,Romanians,Italians etc...... that don't know thier language that doesn't take thier ethnicity away from them. My mother didn't teach me armenian form the time i was a little kid, she was a kid herself so its not her or my fault.
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Alex,

 

 

I am very happy that your consider youself an Armeian. It is just, every person has a native laguage, belongs to a culture, and has a religion which he or she may or may not believe. And you have it too.

 

 

1) What is your native (first) language?

2) What nations' cultural values do you follow?

3) What religious diocese do you associate yoursef with?

 

 

I for example besides Armeian, speak and write Russian perfectly, know Russian culture, history, and values. In addition to that I now know English, and are being exposed to "American culture". However Russian and American are not native to me and dont have the sweetness that Armenian has for me.

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by surorus (edited December 03, 2000).]

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well my first language is Russian (as i said before nobody taught me armenian when i was a little kid) I don't follow any particular culture. i associate myself with the armenian church which i will be attending soon. I also know russian culture,history,values etc.... the people around me say all the time you are in america so be american. I for one resent that statement, the beauty of this country is that you can keep your culture, religion values etc.... without being persecuted. I am very insterested about learning about my culture. and i have been doing so for the last 6 months..
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For me, there are no challenges to be something that I'm.

I know that i'm armenian & that i'm very proud of it. I wouldn't want to be anybody , if not armo

I love & appreciate my language, culture, history, people, etc...

I'm also very happy that i was born in armenia, & that i had the chance of living somewhere were I belong.

Even if i live abroad all my life, there's no doubt about me visiting armenia or even calling it home.

I'm just expressing my emotions.lol How do u like my patriotism?????

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by reading your postings, i come to the concluision that i'm the only one in here, who's very proud of being an armenian.

No one said that they are proud, or even something close to it.

What's wrong?

Wake up!

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quote:
Originally posted by elen:
by reading your postings, i come to the concluision that i'm the only one in here, who's very proud of being an armenian.
Wake up!


Did you read my posting, too?
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quote:
Originally posted by elen:
by reading your postings, i come to the concluision that i'm the only one in here, who's very proud of being an armenian.
No one said that they are proud, or even something close to it.
What's wrong?
Wake up!



Come now, don't get all Nazi on us... Are you just basing that on this thread? Read the other zillon posts from the past and you'll see every f'ing one of us is 100% proud of our heritage! That's the main reason nearly all of us even arrived at this Forum in the first place.



[This message has been edited by Pilafhead (edited December 08, 2000).]
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