TimeForChange Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 I just want to share an interesting (I think) event that happened to me the other day. I am a manager in the mutual funds department of a Canadian bank. An employee transferred me a call of a customer who was furious because he couldn't see his account on the internet. He basically wanted to complain, and it's part of my job to handle complaints. He was so mad, that he didn't even let me speak. He kept interrupting me. At the end, I told him that I would see with IBM what they could do and then call him back. He then asked for my name. When he heard it, he suddenly calmed himself. ''Ah", he said, "you're Armenian!". "Yes", I said "not a lot of people know that names that end in IAN are Armenian". To which he replied: "That reassures me, because I know that you people work hard". "Yes", I replied, "we are renowned for that". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Very interesting! Out of curiosity, what kind of name did he have? By the way, I have to give you credit ... that whole "I'll call IBM and find out" is a very creative!!! LMAO. I guess you have to come up with things like that in the complaint department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
America-Hye Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Your higher-ups won't miss you until you are gone. They will not appreciate you until then. Perhaps they will try to lure you back again as they have tried with me. I returned once after finding other employment. Yet there is an old Chinese saying, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." Conservative Republicans are pure scum and that includes the Armenian ones. I really like the McCains and Riordans though and would clearly consider voting for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azat Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 I do have to tell you that when things like so happened to me and I call customer support and get the answer that the system is down or something I start laughing. I tell them that they are most likely not telling the truth to me as systems nowadays do not go down that much, but that it is a common answer that they all practice. If it does happen often(once every 2-3 months i do take my business elsewhere.) ---Edit -- my bad I accidentally deleted the message you are replying to below! --Sip--- You know what Hagarag. You are one boring dude. I think we should create a forum thread and pin it to the homepage so that it is visible all the time. it will have all your answers in it. 1. I am bi-curious sexual whatever...2. My Armenian wife left me...3. My Armenian wife aborted my 2 children...4. Those Republican so and sos...5. My conservative relatives...6. I look 20 years old...7. I can pick up much younger women...8. The Turks slaughtered by relatives...9. blah blah blah And that way everyone will see all your answers and you do not have to post off topic comments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
America-Hye Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 I will SHUT UP when the Armenian mentality comes out of the Middle Ages. And what makes you think she left me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Guys, let's not pick on Hagarag please. He did not say anything off-topic here until Vahe G started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Sorry guys I deleted Hagarag's reply accidentally when trying to remove Vahe G.'s reply. I'm sending him a message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOTH Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Hey Sip...I think you need to send me a message! I'm still doing some system tests and can't seem to figure a few things out...need some technical support as it were.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azat Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 I will SHUT UP when the Armenian mentality comes out of the Middle Ages. And what makes you think she left me? nobody is telling you to shut up, but once in a while maybe you can say something different than the few things that I listed above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-=VAHE=- Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 (edited) Hey I was just trying to give a messege to all the children that read this forum. What would make you think I was insulting hagarag? I was just as off topic as he was. Am I right? I mean arent we all equal here? Technically I did not mention or refer to anyone by saying Dont Smoke Crack. If someone can explain to me how I directly insulted anybody then I will take my comment back even though it was deleted. If I go post that messege in a different thread would it have been deleted??Someone please answer me. Edited November 10, 2003 by Vahe G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOTH Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 OK - I'll give you an answer Vahe - Don't worry about it...is it really such a big deal? And I'm not at all disagreeing with you...but give our moderators credit (can anyone believe that I'm saying this? )...but I really feel we have a very fine group of moderators now that are really working hard and trying their best...but can we expect them to always be perfect...so just try to chill out dude ...no biggie eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
America-Hye Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 And I answered Vahe, "MR. CONSERVATIVE by stating that I do not EVEN take drugs proscibed by my doctor. I don't even take asprin. Thank God we moderate DLC Dems have Anna Eshoo, Jackie Speier, Joe Simitian and the representatives in New England to balance out all the Armenian right-wing Republicans in the Central California, LA and San Diego areas. The only one that will go anywhere politically is the somewhat more moderate Sen. Poochigian. Now why don't you and your friends Vahe go out tonight and goose-step in your neighborhood's streets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Hey I was just trying to give a messege to all the children that read this forum. What would make you think I was insulting hagarag? I was just as off topic as he was. Am I right? I mean arent we all equal here? Technically I did not mention or refer to anyone by saying Dont Smoke Crack. If someone can explain to me how I directly insulted anybody then I will take my comment back even though it was deleted. If I go post that messege in a different thread would it have been deleted??Someone please answer me.Vahe I answered you and I PMed you. This wasn't the first time you did it and please don't do it again. "don't smoke crack" as a public announcement although may be a great message doesn't belong in every thread after every hagarag post. Come on!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vava Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Well, I suppose I missed all the crack smokin' but nevertheless, back to the topic: ''Ah", he said, "you're Armenian!". "Yes", I said "not a lot of people know that names that end in IAN are Armenian". To which he replied: "That reassures me, because I know that you people work hard". "Yes", I replied, "we are renowned for that". First of all, I hate being referred to as 'you people'. That being said, I think that like most other immigrant groups, Armenians have their stereotypes to deal with... additionally the perception of the 'typical' Armenian here (in Montreal), may be completely different than the 'typical' Armenian in Glendale. It is increasingly becoming difficult to retain our squeaky clean, honest, shwred, hard-working image. The new north american perception of armenians, is tilting more towards 'corrupt, organized-crime types' than 'honest, hard-working, educated immigrants.' We even see it modern american pop-culture - I have viewed at least half a dozen times, Armenian characrters playing the antagonist, whereas a decade ago, these characters would have been Albanian, Russian, or likely Italian. TFC, as much as I agree that Armenians have a pretty decent reputation for hard-work and integrity, i think reputations are pretty fragile, and we'd best not count on these perceptions being positive for too much longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-=VAHE=- Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 No personally its a not a big thing really but when you think about it we should be free to say whatever we want as long as it is in the rules. I mean its pretty strict already but me telling people not to smoke crack doesnt directly insult hagarag which that was the reason for deleting my post. How do you know maybe I personally want to rid the world of drugs and have a goal to remind people to not do a certain drug. You never know but even if I wasnt on that mission I should be able to post as long as its in the owners rule book. Some of you people should think about it. Now I know you guys are gonna come back and tell me that it's privately owned or some crap were if I dont like it I should leave so dont t tell me Im just rambling on with some things I feel are wrong here. Just like some other wackos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-=VAHE=- Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Whats a Goose-Step?? What the hell does that even refer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 N. And I am circumcised. Why is that so funny? I have yet to meet a Parska-Hay who is not circumcised... You're not alone Hagarag! On-topic: I agree with Vava. For quite some time we were able to hide behind "Armenian". Nobody knew us and nobody prejudged us. We were neither Turks nor Moroccans. That was enough reason to be respected among Dutch people. But ever since the great migration wave from the Soviet Union in the last decade, our rep has turned from unknown and harmless, to known and harmful. As for helping newcomers: if they want help, they'll get it. Sadly most are too arrogant to ask for help, and when you try to give it to them because you notice that they are doing something unacceptable, they diss you as they would do in their own country. I don't want to generalize though. I have also met some very decent Hayastancis who learned very quickly. But sadly, they are not the ones that stand out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeForChange Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 You guys are weird. I think you're just reinforcing Vava's argument that we shouldn't take our reputation for granted. Vava, I agree with you. I told this story to one of my relatives who lives in Germany. She told me that Armenians there are renowned as being corrupted, and that they smuggle Russians illegally into Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeForChange Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 I forgot to say that the guy who complained was what we call a ''Quebecer", or a local French-Canadian. I think our reputation is largely thanks to Charles Aznavour who goes around saying good things about us in the francophone world. I heard one of his friends say that Armenians, like all other people who have faced "extermination", are hardworkers and good entrepreneurs. They tend to be first in class, having very good grades in school. By the way, the story about IBM is true. You'd be surprised, but when the problem becomes so complex (the guys who make the bank's website can't solve it), the problem is handed over to IBM. IBM is also responsible for coding every banking transaction that a client makes as a transaction that generates fees or not for the customer. They screwed up once, so customers were paying fees for some types of banking transactions when they shouldn't have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
America-Hye Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Vahe, Goose-step is the method of the march of Nazi soldiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted November 11, 2003 Report Share Posted November 11, 2003 For Circumcised Armenian Men, please continue here: http://armenians.com/forum/index.php?showt...wtopic=7468&hl= Let's keep this thread on-topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnoushBabyGirl1 Posted November 23, 2003 Report Share Posted November 23, 2003 I think we are hard-working and smart, but most people in CA see Armenians as corrupt, ect. even though we have accomplished more as a people than most immigrant groups in America, and under more difficult circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted November 23, 2003 Report Share Posted November 23, 2003 I think we are hard-working and smart, but most people in CA see Armenians as corrupt, ect. even though we have accomplished more as a people than most immigrant groups in America, and under more difficult circumstances. It used to be, not any more. The new mentality in Armenia has been to get rich without work (let alone hard work). That is something that originated in the last 2-3 decades of Soviet Armenia and later on became a mainstream line of thinking. So don't be surprised that Armenian newcomers are in the habit of looking for opportunities to steal and cheat than starting to work hard. Of course, not everyone is like that, but many are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnoushBabyGirl1 Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 "It used to be, not any more. The new mentality in Armenia has been to get rich without work (let alone hard work). That is something that originated in the last 2-3 decades of Soviet Armenia and later on became a mainstream line of thinking. So don't be surprised that Armenian newcomers are in the habit of looking for opportunities to steal and cheat than starting to work hard. Of course, not everyone is like that, but many are." I know all of this, but still I think that we have a better reputation than some people, i.e. blacks, Russians, Mexicans.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagopn Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 (edited) Can we stop comparing ourselves to justify our existence? Do we have to be "better than others" to be ourselves? Humility is the most important and empowering human trait. It lets you know that you are human, only human. I am a nationalist Armenian who is proud of his ancestry and culture, but I don't get that pride from making others look "worse than I" in my mind! Edited November 26, 2003 by hagopn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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