Sloan:
Get YOUR MIND OUTTA THE GUTTER GIRL LOL
Do all Italians act like the Soprano's
by El Kabong 23 Replies latest jw friends
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Fe2O3Girl
Thanks to pr_capone, Utopian Raindrops and Country Girl for responding to my question.
My comment was not directed at one particular group, I was interested in the common thinking pattern displayed in many different groups. I was not criticizing, I was asking Why?
pr_capone - I can certainly see how someone who has been brought up in two different countries would see themselves as a part of both.
U_R - Thanks for the insight on the American history of Italian immigrants. That poster made me smile - "Speak American". It gives me a clue why us British posters are always being pulled up for not spelling certain words the American way. I am sure we will be fully assimilated in time.
Country Girl - I am inclined to agree with your ideas. I have heard America described as a melting pot of cultures. Maybe it is more like a stewpot with lots of stuff bobbing around in it, but not mixing together.
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DanTheMan
Do you feel that most Italians or Italian-Americans have ties to the mob? Honestly? Do you feel that shows like the Soprano's really show "the way the mob works?.
Well, being from Ohio, if I were to meet a person of Italian heritage that had a thick east coast accent, I'll be honest and tell you that my initial reaction would be, "yikes, he's a good fella or something, better steer clear! My legs have never been broken and I'd like to keep it that way!"
But then again, I tend to assume that all black men who wear their hair in corn rows are crack dealers & pimps. I'm very susceptible to media stereotyping.
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Utopian Reformist
For the most part, as an actual italian-born citizen of Italy, living in the US, I can say with honesty that most of the efforts made to "italianize/latinize" oneself are at best weak.
Especially weak are those efforts originating from the current population of second, third or fourth generation americans of italian ancestry.
I have watched apsiring so-called "italo-americans" try everything under the sun to establish and project their ancient latin roots. Most attempts have been ill informed and wrought with revisionist history.
Most of these well intentioned individuals are unfortunately suffering from a social inferiority complex and an obscurity of identity. In an age of of grand acceptance of afro-american and hispanic culture, those with similar ethnic backgrounds (Portuguese, Mediterranean, Arab, Italian) find themselves at times grasping for a piece of "ethnic notoriety".
This is America and all groups desire representation and a few minutes of fame. However, I STRONGLY beleive that if you were born in the United States, AND your parents and grandparents were also born in the United States, and the FIRST language you were taught from birth was american english, THEN YOU ARE NOT ITALIAN YOU ARE AMERICAN!.
It is difficult to accept when the world highlights culture, language, and music from the past, but it does not grant license to jump on the ethnic bandwagon.
Don't we have enough "poseurs" in this world? I was born in Catania, Sicily and my profile and background is known here amongst some veteran members. I still speak, read and write italian and my native island dialect in complete fluency, along with Spanish and English. But, the difference is I was BORN there, and began school there and arrived in the US when I was ten years old.
I am ITALIAN and an italian citizen to this day, still carrying an alien residency card from the INS. I am proud to have served in the US Marine Corps during two small scale conflicts. America has been great to me, but I wish americans would be happy and satisfied being american, if that is what you really are at heart.
I watch so-called italo-americans very closely and realize how many do not have a realistic viewpoint of their italian heritage and its impact on modern american history.
For example, out of all of the major immigrant groups (Irish, Polish, German, Jewish, Russian) the italians by far and large were the group LEAST likely to adopt US citizenship and the group MOST likely to return to their homeland. I will later provide links to some interesting studies in immigration and ethnicity which will likely raise some hairs.
Italians were also the least educated, frequently violating truancy laws by forcing their children to work rather than attend school. The list of statistics is large. The important thing is to speak the truth and not capitalize on current social trends and politicize ancestries with which one is so far removed, it is impossible to identify one's actual origins.
How many NY & NJ italians know the names of the villages their families came from, or still remain in contact with relatives in Italy? We all know the answer is VERY few. How many have visited the real Italy (not the turist cities in the north) of their ancestors in the south?
Did you know that for every one dollar the italian government spends on aid per individual in the north, they spend 46 dollars in the south? It is a modern welfare state in southern italy. Did you know that there is a movement to separate the northern half of the country, divide the peninsula and join the rest of mainstream europe? The movement is called "PADANIA".
Northern italians despise southern italy with all of its social issues, crime, welfare, corruption and lack of modernization. MMy parents retired to Italy in 98 and we speak on a weekly basis discussing important issues.
All of you "wanna-be" italians are so busy mimicking stereo-types for attention, and then complaining about them for sympathy at the same time, its pitiful. You were born here, raised and educated here eating cheerios and mcdonalds. You did not herd goats, pick olives or fish in the mdeiterranean, therefore I wish you stop laying claims to other people's true heritages!
As we say in Catania vussia ava na oca commu'budagi.