Most of Keeping Up With The Kardashians episode "Kim’s Last Ditch Effort," is about, well, Kim Kardashian’s emotional last ditch effort to be able to conceive and carry a third baby. But, there’s an another meaty story hiding in Kimberly’s tear-soaked journey, which is about her brother Rob’s drive to get in touch with his Armenian heritage as impending fatherhood inches closer. There’s only one problem: Rob is acting like his then-unborn baby daughter is only Armenian.
This uncomfortable realization comes to light when Rob, his pregnant on-again, off-again girlfriend Blac Chyna, and resident Kardashian family straight-talker Khloe Kardashian are chatting about little Dream’s imminent arrival.
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"I cannot wait to have an Armenian baby," Rob tells Khloe when she asks if he’s scared of becoming a dad. Koko gives her little brother an important reminder, saying, "And probably a little bit Black." This would have been the perfect time for Rob to acknowledge this simple fact… except he doesn’t.
Instead, Rob counters, "It’s gonna be an Armenian baby." Yes, she — not it — is a quarter Armenian. But Dream is also Black, and various other ethnicities thanks to Kris Jenner’s genetic contributions. Khloe continues to be the voice of reason, saying with a smile, "It’s gonna be [like] a little Northie." North West is a quarter Armenian and half Black, just like her baby cousin Dream.
Still, Rob won’t stop dismissing his daughter’s heritage, ending the conversation by saying, "Let’s not make this a race war." Respecting your baby’s complete cultural background shouldn’t be a battle — it’s just accepting reality. It’s especially difficult to watch Rob equate saying Dream is biracial with inciting a "race war" since Chyna is silently sitting right there. It couldn’t have been easy for the young Black woman to hear the father of her child say such insensitive things.
Later, Chyna watches on as Rob and Khloe cook traditional Armenian food. It’s never explained if the very pregnant woman is not feeling up to joining in, or if she was simply never asked.
Rob’s entire new fixation with connecting to his Armenian heritage is deeply sad, since it obviously comes from a place of grief. The only Kardashian brother still deeply misses his proud Armenian father Robert Kardashian, who died in 2003. Rob is delving into Armenian culture as a way to recreate the wonderful father-son memories he had as a child and pass them on to his own daughter.
Now if only he could do that very important work without ignoring the fact Dream is Black too.
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