15 Outrageous Things I'm Truly Sick Of Hearing As An Armenian American

Throughout my life, I've heard a lot of things about being Armenian that range from ridiculous to downright horrible.

Hi! I'm Haley, and I'm a 28-year-old Armenian American. Throughout my life, I've heard a lot of things about being Armenian that range from ridiculous to downright horrible.

Haley Zovickian / BuzzFeed

That's me, very happy, in Armenia!

So in an effort to raise awareness, here are 15 outrageous things I've heard about Armenia (AKA 15 things you should absolutely not say about Armenia):

(Keep in mind that I can only speak for myself and not the rest of the Armenian community.)

1. "Is Armenia even a country? Is it on the map?"

Peterhermesfurian / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Yes, it is. Modern-day Armenia is a small country in Southwest Asia, though historic Armenia was much larger and included most of what's now known as Eastern Turkey. There aren't many Armenians in Turkey anymore because of the Armenian genocide, but that is our indigenous home and is where my family is from.

2. "What language do Armenians speak?"

They speak Armenian, which is its own language and has multiple dialects.

3. "Armenian — like the Kardashians?"

Karen Minasyan / Getty Images

Yes, Armenian like Kim Kardashian. But Armenians will be the first to tell you not to base your understanding of Armenians off of Kim. There's much more to us than that. 

(PS: Obviously, she is top-tier for GIFs...so please allow me to indulge in this post.)

4. "Why do you still care about the Armenian genocide? It's been over 100 years. Why can't you just move on?"

E!

There is no moving on when our genocide is unacknowledged and ongoing. Azerbaijan, Turkey's self-proclaimed brother, is currently instigating an ethnic cleansing of indigenous Armenians from our homes in Artsakh. Denialism has only paved the way for more violence against us. 

Did you know the US didn't recognize the Armenian genocide until 2021?

5. "There was no genocide."/"It was a civil war."

E!

Any reputable historian will tell you that this is factually incorrect. 

6. "It was Armenians' fault the genocide happened."

Again...not the way this works.

7. "Hopefully, we will wipe Armenia off the map."

Community members attending the march on January 28, 2023 found fliers posted on several poles that included calls to "wipe Armenia OFF the MAP" and celebrating "Erasing Armenia off the World Map." These were reported by organizers and allies of AYF-WUS. pic.twitter.com/Pb9xXvVxae

— Armenian-American Action Network (@ArmenianAmAct) January 31, 2023

Twitter: @ArmenianAmAct

This flyer was circulating around Los Angeles a month ago, just in time for Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

8. "Why do you want to go back to Armenia/occupied Armenia so badly?"

Because it's our indigenous home. Wouldn't you want to go back to yours?

9. "You're so exotic."

E!

In the words of one of my favorite Southwest Asian North African (SWANA) Instagram personalities and wonderful Armenian ally @burqasandbeer, we are not exotic. We are exhausted. TL;DR: This is not the compliment you think it is.

10. "Where are you from? No, where are you actually from?"

I'm likely in the minority here, but I don't mind this question too much, since I see it as an opportunity to explain to others who Armenians are. That said, it's really important to be respectful with this question and understand that many people won't appreciate the assumption that they're not "from here."

11. "You're not Armenian because you're not 100% Armenian/don't speak Armenian fluently."

E!

This is untrue, and honestly, it's no one's business policing how Armenian I or anyone else is. Speaking Armenian fluently is a privilege, especially since the Western Armenian dialect is literally on UNESCO's endangered languages list.

12. "Armenians are not natives, they are foreigners."

Despite the denialism and historical revisionism that Armenians have faced, the fact remains that we are indigenous to our land, and despite having been pushed out of it by genocide, we will never be foreigners.

13. "You're Armenian? I studied abroad/vacationed in Turkey!"

E!

Lucky you. We know it's beautiful because we're literally native to the region. Plus, a lot of the amazing architecture and ceramics you see there were actually made by Armenians. 

But many Armenians won't go to Turkey or spend money there because of Turkey's denial of the genocide and their ongoing violence against us and the other indigenous groups of the region. Needless to say, if someone tells you they're Armenian, this should probably not be your IMMEDIATE response.

14. "Why are you so angry?"

Armenians have the right to be angry while Turkey continues to deny the Armenian genocide and threatens and supports further violence against us alongside Azerbaijan. It's a matter of our human rights to safety and dignity.

15. "I've heard about what's happening with Armenia and Azerbaijan. I hope they can figure it out peacefully."

This is otherwise known as "both sides-ism." There's no such thing as "both sides figuring it out peacefully" when one side is repeatedly attacking the other and kidnapping civilians to torture and murder them. This take actually means you are enabling the oppressor.

Thanks for reading along!

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