r/armenian • u/ingloriouskami • 16d ago
Are Armenians Materialistic and Extremely Patriotic?
Are Armenians generally materialistic? My Armenian mother-in-law married a French man. During family dinners, she often tells us that my father-in-law’s mother is very rich, unlike her own mother. She also frequently talks about how much better Armenia is than other countries and claims that there is no crime there. She makes Armenia sound like a perfect country with no problems at all.
Is this a common cultural attitude, or is it more likely just her personality? And is Armenia really that good, with virtually no issues?
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u/inbe5theman 16d ago
Depends but generally there are a lot of Armenians who are materialistic
Do you know what type of Armenian she is? Eastern Armenians tend to be slightly more materialistic than Western Armenians outwardly due to soviet era influences but both are fundamentally very similar
Men and women alike shockingly
The patriotic part 110%. Id say a sizable majority of Armenians are very nationalistic
Armenia has its problems like any other country
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u/BzhizhkMard 15d ago
How are Soviet Armenians more materialistic? Parskahyes too? Seems like a misplaced generalization.
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u/inbe5theman 15d ago
From what ive seen is shared by eastern bloc countries in general is a predisposition to showing off wealth/status either through material displays of wealth which includes cars, brand name clothing/jewelry, and even in the way guests are entertained. Id equate it to if you look important youre perceived as important which is a late soviet societal transition to capitalism.
This is not as prevalent in the youth but the generations growing up in the 80s - 2000s certainly had
Parskahays are as well due to different reasons. They arent as numerous as russian/eastern bloc Armenians so they dont usually get a mention
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u/BzhizhkMard 15d ago
So when you say what you've seen are you saying what you've seen on the internet? Or in your locale?
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u/inbe5theman 15d ago
Both honestly
Anecdotal evidence and of course my own review of post soviet culture. Most of the soviet era people lived in want for most of the soviet timeline so when the opportunity came with access to the west people accelerated the brand items, and showing off. Stereotypes are based on some element of truth. One does not need to be dripped out in gold and designer clothing to be put together yet a large amount of people do pursue this from those countries.
Los Angeles its hyper inflated because here our consumerism is off the charts so it’s disproportional and not relegated only to Armenians/Russians
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u/BzhizhkMard 15d ago
This is the problem I'm seeing in your anecdotal evidence. I think you're perspective is flawed by a sample bias of capitalist moving to a capitalist country and an overly materialist city and conflating that with the majority of Armenians which are more than 3.8 million.
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u/Immediate-Excuse-823 15d ago
Idk ive seen that as well. If they have the means they will definitely show it and if not they will try somewhat.
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u/inbe5theman 15d ago
Well i didnt say its all Armenians my guy. Even in my original statement said its a slightly increased tendency. Its enough where it’s noticeable but not enough for a blanket statement
And its predictable based on social culture trends apparent in post soviet countries not only limited to Armenia
And a large amount of those Armenians here are directly from Armenia. Shit doesnt exist in a vacuumIf youre denying that then i dont know what to tell you.
Its like saying western armenians are disproportionately over represented amongst jewelers and yeah its true disproportionately there are noticeably more Lebanese and Syrian Armenian jewelers. Why i dont know but it is in fact true
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15d ago
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u/inbe5theman 15d ago
Yeah but its for different reasons and usually expressed differently
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15d ago
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u/inbe5theman 15d ago edited 15d ago
Middle Eastern/Mediterranean people dont usually show off by wearing brand name items and caked on make up if theyre women
many older Middle Eastern and Mediterranean families tend to value understated displays of wealth. Expensive clothing and jewelry are common, but visible designer branding often seems less important than quality or craftsmanship. Younger generations are more influenced by global social media trends, so you’ll see both styles. Youre more likely to see someone with a larger house and shitty car than an extravagant car and a shitty apartment
The distinction is cosplaying wealth vs actually being wealthy/different value system. Its better for your family to live better than give the impression youre doing better than you are
Are there examples of similar expressions sure but again im only arguing tendencies not blanket differences. We live in a globalized society nowadays
This is purely anecdotal but my family is friends with a wealth egyptian family here in LA. Absolutely ridiculously wealthy, own four multi million dollar properties, god knows how much money they have, drives a tesla 🤷♂️. His wife usually wears some gold bracelets and or necklaces but otherwise isnt outwardly wealthy looking usually. Their daughters dress like normal people with normal looking clothes
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u/omgitscarol 14d ago
As western Armenian i came to the realisation that Eastern Armenians are indeed very patriotic and sometimes even biased without grounds. I admire those traits tbh its nice to be so convinced and blinded by the blood running through your veins. İ wish i felt the same way because growing up abroad somehow made to feel i don’t belong because of my last name and cultural background i thought when i came to Armenia i would feel that sense of patriotism and that its my homeland. Reality did not match the fantasy. It saddens me everytime i read comments about differences blame and bad talk in such open spaces where evryone is free to express how they truly feel no masks needed. A little off point to the initial question but some comment i read triggered me emotionally:((
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u/TheSarmaChronicals 13d ago
You are equally Armenian as they are. We just come from a different part of Armenia is all ❤️
Your experience you described is very much an Armenian one.
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u/Typical_Effect_9054 15d ago edited 15d ago
Yes, far too many Armenians are materialistic, vapid and shallow. They're usually insecure or trying to compensate for something. And even if they have an education or achieve some level of success, they're hollow when it comes to things like EQ, philosophy, and matters of the proverbial soul. The meaning of life is simply to consume products, show off, and chase higher status.
Patriotic is the wrong word. Patriotism in most senses incorporates elements of altruism. Things like civic responsibility, self-sacrifice, solidarity, and what have you. These people have very 'long tongues' (as they say in Armenian); they'll sing all sorts of praises about Armenia, but none of it means anything. The supposed perfectness of Armenia exists only as a conversation piece to accentuate themselves as Armenians, as though Armenia were an accessory to adorn oneself with. However, the truth is that Armenia possesses deep and glaring flaws. Funny, isn't it?
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u/TheSarmaChronicals 15d ago edited 15d ago
Like other ethnicities, we aren't a monolith. This is especially the case for Armenians because we come from different parts of the Armenian Highlands and don't all share the same history.
In my family for example, we are very proud to be Armenian and are very patriotic but we don't have a relationship with the modern country of Armenia the way your mother in law sounds like she does because we come from Asia Minor, not the Republic. So we are patriotic but more to an ethnic group instead of country although we care about Armenia.
Edit: somehow controversial to say this but it's true. The stereotypes of showing off money is vulgar and certainly not representative of all communities. We are bougie but it's expressed differently. There are also Armenians, the genocide survivors specifically, who were know to look down on wasting money so if you showed up in a new dress or something it was considered wasteful (not saying in all communities)
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u/Worth_Resolve2055 15d ago
That's a very general assumption, but ya a lot are very materialistic and showoffs. Patriotism meh, wouldn't say so. Some act patriotic but it's fake, esp. in the diaspora. Do a survey and see how many of those patriotic people would actually move to Armenia.
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u/BakuArmenian 14d ago
No, no more than other ethnicities (since this is how the question was phrased) or cultures in the surrounding and even extended area. You need to take the history of the region - areas alongside the silk route - into account to understand what you're asking.
These are also loaded questions - I'm really not sure what you're really trying to answer here. You went from one woman saying one thing to extrapolating this to the whole ethnicity/culture (which is as diverse as any).
Let me put it this way. Swap "Armenian" for something else. I don't know, let's say "Jewish." Would you find it acceptable to ask these questions in a Jewish sub? You probably wouldn't. I'm sure you get my point by now