Intersections: Reality has very little to do with ‘Glendale Life’

The most asked question in the Armenian-American diaspora for the last few weeks has unequivocally been this one: “Did you see the trailer for ‘Glendale Life?’”

Yes, we all did see the trailer for “Glendale Life,” which I initially and honestly thought was a parody only to watch it again and realize it was, indeed, part of a genre that has largely dominated American television for the last 10 years: a reality TV show.

The USArmenia-produced series, in which we are meant to be following the glamorous lives of half a dozen Armenian-American socialites, has generated local press, been the subject of a discussion on portrayal of ethnic minorities in reality shows and become the focal point in a full-out social media war between the show’s supporters and those who would like to see it shattered into oblivion before it’s even begun.

Just a few weeks ago, you probably didn’t even know USArmenia existed if you weren’t Armenian. Now, you’re probably genuinely curious to see what has caused the recent dramatic and somewhat unbelievable outrage percolating on social networks.

The reaction — at this point, looking more interesting and worthy of analysis than the show itself — has ranged from praise to outrage, complete with accusations about alleged Turkish agents infiltrating Facebook pages to evoking the archaic and often misogynistic concept of “amot” or “shame” to judge the acceptability of our individual actions and their impact on the cultural collective whole.

In some ways, this type of program was inevitable. After the advent of “Jersey Shore,” all the various “Housewives” on Bravo as well as “Shahs of Sunset,” which details the adventures or perhaps misadventures of L.A.’s Iranian diaspora, “Glendale Life” is just the latest reincarnation in a category of television that appeals to the lowest common denominator as well as some of our worst human qualities of lust, greed and gluttony — and I say this as a longtime reality show watcher, my particular brand of poison being “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

There is just no amount of Teresa Giudice to satiate my appetite for the drama she brings, or that she’s told to bring. It’s terrible television, “reality” that isn’t reality at all, but when I don’t want to think, it’s pure entertainment.

It’s about larger-than-life characters and clever editing and illusion — asking for an accurate depiction doesn’t work because reality television knows no such concept. It exists to shock, to induce conversation, to feed our need for voyeurism. Real life is boring — and boring doesn’t sell.

Despite the fact that “Glendale Life” is not a show being broadcast on a national American level, the response has played out like it is. No, this is not a fair representation of Armenian culture, but can we admit that it is a representation of some part of the Armenian-American diaspora?

These people, however obsessed with money and status as they first appear, do exist. I know them. You know them. I cringe about it just like you do.

Is it a disgraceful depiction? Has this show put a microscope on a minute cross-section of the diverse Armenian-American experience and blown it out of proportion? Yes. But it is naive to deny that this reality exists — within and outside of Armenian circles. Is the inflated fear that non-Armenians will see and make sweeping judgments the core of what is causing the outrage?

It often feels like Armenians individually bear the responsibility of an entire culture and people on their shoulders — one wrong move, one “amot” or “shameful” act is perceived to damage the reputation of an entire population.

As much as this is about media narrative affecting the perception of an ethno-cultural group and egging on stereotypes — a valid point that no one can deny — these reactions also say more about us than we care to admit, and we must admit that we are a varied, diverse group with different needs and wants, with different issues we hold dear.

As much anger as we express toward the bombastic depictions in a show following the reality-TV formula, we must come to terms with the idea that being Armenian does not mean a one-size-fits-all mold.

We are lawyers and doctors and upstanding members of the communities we belong to. We’ve produced a long list of innovation to our collective global society — from Cyril Demian’s accordion to Raymond Damadian’s MRI machine, Andre Agassi’s tennis stardom, Cher’s music and Kirk Kerkorian’s building of the Las Vegas strip among so many others (with euthanasia pioneer Jack Kevorkian as one of my favorites). We are not all the sum presented in “Glendale Life” or other scandalous ventures that dominate the media.

But we are also gay or lesbian, we marry people who come from different ethnic backgrounds than us and we have the right to not get married at all if we wish. Some of us think the Armenian Genocide recognition is our most important issue, but others would disagree, pointing to the political landscape of Armenia and the modern social issues in our diaspora as much more worthy of our time and anger.

It’s true, “Glendale Life” is not a proper representation of Armenian culture or values and getting angry about it is anyone’s right. But maybe some of that anger can be turned into the understanding that real life is varied, that just as we realize a narrow spotlight on these depictions is wrong, it would be nice to admit that other alternative depictions do exist. And there isn’t any shame in that kind of reality.
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LIANA AGHAJANIAN is a Los Angeles-based journalist whose work has appeared in L.A. Weekly, Paste magazine, New America Media, Eurasianet and The Atlantic. She may be reached at liana.agh@gmail.com.