I try very hard not to be a person to judge based on nationality. But sometimes a nationality propagates its own stereotype. I live in a LARGE Armenian community. Our schools are pretty mixed of white, Hispanic, Black, Asian and Armenian. But every other teacher is or speaks Armenian. The fliers home come in 4 languages, English, Spanish, Armenian & an Asian language I cannot distinguish. Hell, I think even the mayor is Armenian.
My City has the highest Armenian population in the nation... the NATION!!! According to the Census.
I’ve had Armenian friends & once even had it out with an Armenian grandfather who felt HE was entitled, for whatever reason was in his addled head, to double park in from of the Kindergarten to pick up his charge blocking the flow of traffic. I’ve worked for Armenians and I’ve been a customer of Armenians.
And I understand the need to cling to your culture when you are new in a new land and when you are displaced. But I beg of you to DROP the arrogance. The “I am Armenian, we are better than ALL of you” is truly, truly annoying. And worse, watching your children be the bullies in school because they are raised with the attitude that EVERYONE who isn’t Armenian is below, beneath, less, than them. I know.. the bullies in my school district, every one of them, are Armenian. I’ve had my sons point them out in the class photos. And I’ve seen the boasting when I’ve helped out in the classroom.
Lucky for my Evan Armenians run skinny the day he decided he’d had enough and fought back. He out-weighed them by at least 50-60 lbs.
The point to this rant? My middle school son last week went to get his bike from the bike rack at school and it was gone. I went to the school & was told they’d handle it then I was off to SF for a conference. Of course, it wasn’t handled by the time I returned. So I finally talk to the vice-principle & she says the boy who was found with it claimed it was his when challenged. But couldn’t describe it to her whereas Evan could so it was deemed his and he came home with it.
I emailed her telling her I think his parents should be informed that upon finding an unlocked bike at school he just arbitrarily decided he would take it, that it was his. If ANY of my kids EVER had that crazy idea in their heads I’d like to know it! I wouldn’t want the school to cover it up as “resolved”. But I get an email back from her saying just that. That they considered the matter resolved.
I’m so tempted to file a police report… because with THIS attitude in a middle schooler, how long until he’s just ‘taking’ cars because he fancies them. Except I’d rather not waste the cops time.
Do I know this boy is Armenian? No, actually they won’t tell me nor Evan anything about the boy. But other cultures are raised with the sense that if you see a thing and know its not yours and you take it, its called THEFT. And if most are going to commit theft… they are NOT going to ride it back to school the next time they are in school and claim its theirs! But Arrogance will.
Nationality is one thing but if it leaves your child slightly Alienated in your adopted country you do them a disservice. Worse if it leaves them a reputation of untrustworthiness. And sadly that is the reputation amongst my other friends of my city’s Armenians.
Caveat to all these facts and opinions I know that not EVERY Armenian treats everyone else as a pigeon to be scammed, no matter how prevalent that is in my city. And I know that by the 3rd generation they’ll be so Americanized that you’ll not distinguish them from any other American, because they themselves will. I just wish we’d stop catering to the ego-demands of some of these parents walking about.