Let’s get the disclaimer out of the way first: I am not related to the subject of this article. I say this because of my surname and because yeghpayr (in Armenian) = kardash* (in Turkish) = brother (in English).
With that, I say “ENOUGH” to those who are fond of criticizing Kim Kardashian and her sisters. Of course the latest bout of the snide snickering on the part of these “enlightened” critics comes on the heels of the sisters’ arrival in the Republic of Armenia. You know what I’m talking about and who the critics are.
A warped sense and conception of “morality” lie at the root of most of the “commentaries” we are treated to, usually laced with derogatory terms and descriptors. There is a “concern” for what others will think of us because of the Kardashians’ presence and their being Armenian.
It’s farcical that these critics seem to have essentially no problem with those of our compatriots who are chiropractors/doctors/lawyers engaged in insurance fraud, or jewelers diluting the proportion of gold in their products, or criminals running drugs and extortion rackets, or miscellaneous fraudsters preying on the ill-informed (like telling Armenians from Syria they can get into the U.S. for a price). You get the idea, no doubt, and can probably add many more examples.
The Kardashians have succeeded in our media-saturated world. They have a strong enough sense of Armenianism that they want to use that success and access to help in our struggle for justice. What right has anyone to object to, denigrate, or impede such participation? What contribution do the critics make to further our cause? I mean other than sitting on their behinds, doing nothing, and criticizing others’ actions. These critics are likely of the same mindset as those who used to try to exclude Serj Tankian because he had long hair! Yet, Serj has unquestionably done more for our cause than almost anyone else.
The Kurds have a saying, “He is a Kurd who says I am a Kurd,” that we would do well to adopt. Any Armenian willing to lay on the line their credibility, energy, and talent for our cause is to be welcomed to our army of activists.
Besides, in the realm of public relations there is a saying, “I don’t care what you say about me, just spell my name right.” The implication is that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. We must get the word out about our issues in any way we can and engage the conscience of the non-Armenian public in our cause and efforts.
Which brings me to a friend’s, Peter Musurlian, unprecedented achievement. He has succeeded in arranging to have TWO, not just one, but TWO documentaries air on KLCS, a Los Angeles-area public TV station. And, they will be shown TWICE, not just once, back-to-back on Sun., April 19 from 5-7 p.m. and on Tues., April 21 from 8-10 p.m., Pacific time. Don’t miss “Historic Armenia” and “The 100-Year-Old Survivor” when they are shown, along with an interview of the documentary filmmaker, Peter.
Watch and enjoy the media, whether it is Kardashian, Tankian, or Musurlian based. But more importantly, stop panning others’ efforts and get active. Work on getting the two documentaries shown by a public TV station in your area, for example. Our struggle is at least partially a battle for the hearts and minds of all people of conscience.
*Editor’s note: In Armenian, Kardash means someone who cuts stones, or a mason.
Garen Yegparian
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You are so right!!! They have done more for Armenia then most Armenians. It is very unattractive to criticize and judge….and really we should support each other. I love Kim and I really think it changed
their lives to go there.
Well said! The way some try to designate who is and isn’t Armenian, you’d think we suffered from a surfeit population. A little pragmatism would go a long way.
Kardash = Qar Tash in Armenian which means “stone mason”. Stop giving our last names Turkish definitions.
“Tash” is a very old turkic word for Stone.Huns and Gökturks ravaged the place called Armenia way before Ottomans and Seljuks – beginning in pre-islamic times.Furthermore,genetic testing revealed strong turkic dna markers in the armenian population.
I think the discrepancy between Turks and Armenians is more of a cultural-religious component – not genetically.
*** Mr Yegparian, I totally agree with your comments, on the mark..!!! and thank you.
WELL SAID
Garen, you just don’t look that fat! Any tips for helping get the documentaries on my PBS station (KUOW in Seattle, or KBTC in Tacoma) would be appreciated. We finally did get our own church up here, so there is a small presence. I, personally, am not involved with any local Armenian movers and shakers, but I’m pretty sure the churches communicate amongst themselves.
Very well put,good job…….
That’s all well and good but the author has committed precisely the same misstep that she is chastising exactly as harshly.
Furthermore, to equate all those who question the Kardashians’ motives to people who don’t accept Tankian for his long hair and are judging others’ “Armenian-ness” is some shameless sniping on an Azeri or Turk level.
I question not their Armenian-ness (with my own personal disclaimer being that I am, like them, half-Armenian) but the timing of their visit and the way in which they won their fame to be a sort of victory in the social media paradise we currently inhabit seriously makes me question: why now? Why not at any time in the past? Surely they have had the means to see their homeland for quite a while and frankly the whole thing just stinks.
Count me among their vocal critics, in practically everything about them. Armenian or not, not all attention is good attention. They might have done better to honor their past more humbly and privately.
since many get their education from TV why analyze it? she brought awareness where many other competent people failed, be a judge of the message not the messenger
Jaycox, put a sock in it. You are the type who spreads nonsense. We have to stop putting members of our nation down. We need to support each other and not denigrate and attempt to find fault at every corner. I am extremely proud of Kim and her sisters as many Armenians are. They are part of those who have put our name on the map. Something the likes of you can only dream about, if you have any sense of patriotism at all, that is -which I doubt. They are beautiful, smart, business savvy and brave! Yes brave, for doing the things they know will draw the ire of the Turks and worse, criticism from those of us ignorant and analyze issues from their subjective set of flawed morality. (Who among you is without sin? He asked)do you even know who said that? I presume you are the paragone of virtue and perfection. The likes of you do nothing but damage our cause and show the world how disunited we Armenians can be. Go take a hike and keep your faulty remarks to yourself. I am sick and tired of Armenians like you who thrive on knocking others down and feast on gossip. If you have nothing intelligent to say saying nothing is the intelligent thing to do!
It needed to be said and you did it well!
To those who ask, “Why now?” Better now than never!
Mr. Yegparian,
“kartash” means a stone-carver. It has nothing to do with any Turkish word. And their name is not Kardeshian, it is Kardashian.
Otherwise, I agree with you. We should be thankful to the sisters for all the publicity they generated for our cause.
Kartash means stone carver in Armenian indeed, but even the words Kar Tash has a turkish origin. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the word for Stone in Turkish is Tash.
But the origin of the name Kardashian is actually not stonecarver, it originated from the turkish word Kardes. At the same time it may mean stonecarver (which still has a turkish origin), and yes, it’s spelled differently since the Ottoman turkish was renewed and the latin alphabet was introduced, but many eastern turks still pronounce Kardes as Kardash, kurds even pronounce it as Gardash. The truth is that many armenian words, and last names have turkish origins, and the -ian suffix is of persian origin. Armenian last names are everything BUT Armenian. Don’t be ignorant and educate yourself.
Kardashian came to Armenia to nring aweareness to the Armenian genocide. issue.
she has millions of fans and every word she utters is heard worldwide. Our task is to tell our truth to the world.thru her many ppl for the first time heard of Armenian Genocide.
ps.to the author of the article.KARDASHIAN isnt yeghbaryan .their surname mean Qartashian -Stone cutter.
You hit the nail right on the head. We can do without harsh criticism of our sisters or brothers who do their best to further our cause. And as to the family name Kardashian it can be either meaning-the Armenian meaning of mason, or the Turkish one meaning brother. Most Armenian family names’ meaning are very clear, but this one can go either way. The only way to determine which is the right one, the family needs to find the profession of their grandfather or great grandfather, that would put an end to this discussion and confusion.
Armenians trying to put a positive spin on this “family” are more concerning and disturbing to me than a group of Americans with an Armenian name (who incidentally made it by previously engaging in the world’s oldest profession).
Do any of the above actually know the story of the “family” in question, to what low level the daughter stooped to gain attention, and worse, what the mother did next to exploit it all for money and fame? I think so many people are blinded by an Armenian name, they’ve actually left reality in order to defend a “family” which for all intents and purposes displays the opposite values of an average Armenian family. Do you people even know what you’re defending? At least I’m hoping your ignorance is the case, for the sake of any cultural integrity left in you.
In a worse scenario, apparently there are other ‘Armenians’ out there who also get extremely excited when the status quo of the integrity of the traditional Armenian culture is brought under assault. These are the western-bred pseudo-visionaries with an agenda. Call them what you like, frauds, parasites, NWO operatives, Soros employees, etc its all the same.
I don’t particularly like the Kardashians, but then again, I don’t like the derderians, or the bagdasarians, but I came to realize that millions of kardashian fans that follow them are learning about Armenia, our history, and the millions of us that were murdered by the hands of the Turks a 100 years ago. Yes timing is everything, this 100 year campaign isn’t over either, forget a bad day for the turks, the Kardashians are doing their part in making this a bad year for the turks.
At the occasion of the 100 anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Kardashians visit to Armenia had a very powerful publicity and effect around the world, they are world renowned celebrities. We have lots of Armenian talented celebrities who did nothing to the Armenian cause.I think we need to mention about the Kardashians visit to their Hayrenik in many Armenian lectures and proper occasions. If we spend millions of dollars for publicity on the Armenian Genocide,the effect will not be like the Kardashians pilgrimage to Armenia.I am proud of them for remembering the Armenian Genocide.