The mandatory politics/Eurovision post
Lately I have been struggling with my identity. As much as I identified myself as an Armenian in America, here I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. And I don’t mean that in a teenage “No one gets me ‘cause I’m different” kind of way. But rather in very many minor things I see that my opinion deviates from what is considered the norm here mainly because my point of view has been shaped by what is considered normal in the country where I have spent the last 10 years of my life.
One of the things I’ve been doing lately is reading a lot of Armenian blogs. And the two prevalent topics that seem to be chewed over and regurgitated in every single blog: regional politics and Eurovision (and not always in that order).
While I am all for validation and vindication, I see no point in shaking our fists westward in the general direction of our neighbor and the countries that lay beyond it, while keeping the fingers on our other hand crossed for the decision of the US Congress about the long passed history of some country they can’t even find on a map.
(Romantic interlude:
At the time of the Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008 most Americans wondered why a country as large as Russia would want to attack some state down South.
The only association the American populace has with Turkey is Thanksgiving. Yum!)
The moral of the story is that it is in fact true, it’s easier to move on with any relationship and make amends when the sides admit their mistakes, apologize, kiss and make up. And that applies to foreign policy as much as to romantic relationships. I think the most important issue for us as a nation should be recognition of historical facts not the return of any lands and the hope of a glorious future as a country that spans “from sea to shiny sea”.
I am proud to be an Armenian, proud of the history of my people, proud of all the achievements, of all the adversity that we have overcome, all the struggle that we put up. We are resilient, we are tough, we are survivors, and it is definitely something to be proud of. But to be so stuck in the past so as not to be able to move forward in any way is not exactly constructive. I think as a nation it is more important for us now to visualize our future and move towards it, rather than to weep over our past.
And as far as visualizing the future - tune in on May 29th.
One of the things I’ve been doing lately is reading a lot of Armenian blogs. And the two prevalent topics that seem to be chewed over and regurgitated in every single blog: regional politics and Eurovision (and not always in that order).
While I am all for validation and vindication, I see no point in shaking our fists westward in the general direction of our neighbor and the countries that lay beyond it, while keeping the fingers on our other hand crossed for the decision of the US Congress about the long passed history of some country they can’t even find on a map.
(Romantic interlude:
At the time of the Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008 most Americans wondered why a country as large as Russia would want to attack some state down South.
The only association the American populace has with Turkey is Thanksgiving. Yum!)
The moral of the story is that it is in fact true, it’s easier to move on with any relationship and make amends when the sides admit their mistakes, apologize, kiss and make up. And that applies to foreign policy as much as to romantic relationships. I think the most important issue for us as a nation should be recognition of historical facts not the return of any lands and the hope of a glorious future as a country that spans “from sea to shiny sea”.
I am proud to be an Armenian, proud of the history of my people, proud of all the achievements, of all the adversity that we have overcome, all the struggle that we put up. We are resilient, we are tough, we are survivors, and it is definitely something to be proud of. But to be so stuck in the past so as not to be able to move forward in any way is not exactly constructive. I think as a nation it is more important for us now to visualize our future and move towards it, rather than to weep over our past.
And as far as visualizing the future - tune in on May 29th.