* “- The Soviet Union was a finishing school for thugs and gangsters?”
Yeah, when the Soviet Union ended the thugs took over it.
* The late USSR was an extremely law-abiding society. The 1990s however were an elementary, middle AND finishing school for gangsters in the post-Soviet world.
* There’s trash all around, but American influence turns trash into super-trash.
It’s old world gangsterism + American individualism/libertine-ism. Terrible mix.
* A lot of the “Men with Gold Chains” (Armenians, Persians, Israelis, Caucaus region types, Bukharians) tend to be highly emotional and protective of their women. Very Mid Eastern in their personalities. You see a lot of Armenian guys who like to wear flashy jewelry (often gold or silver chains), iron bracelets, gel in the hair, silk shirts. Very gaudy.
Compared to docile Mexicans and Asians, Armenians and the other Gold Chainers are really obnoxious. Very quick to anger and low class. When Borat was made, I think Sacha Baron Cohen was parodying the Gold Chainers of LA.
* Reminds me of an episode of the Adam Carolla podcast I was listening to a couple of years back. Adam was contrasting the Fresno Armenians with the So Cal (specifically Glendale) Armenians. And he summed it up the difference rather hilariously when he told a caller from Fresno who was complaining about all the Armenians in Fresno, “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing. We’ve got Africanized Armenians down here.” I think the Fresno area Armenians have been here longer than the So Cal Armenians, so that might have something to do with it.
* Low class is certainly right. A lot of their kids in the San Fernando Valley were big in the gangs (drugs and auto theft) and used to rumble with the Mexican gangs. I don’t know how that played out, but in general Armenians aren’t a group I want to deal with.
In general I’ve never heard anyone from LA who has a good thing to say about them. They seem to be viewed as little better than Gypsies.
