Defamation and discrimination
of Italian Americans are serious problems that cannot go on
without some action to bring it to a halt, but before any action
can be taken we must have our community recognize what others
have seen for many years.
Robert MacNeil, TV news anchor and journalist, has stated that
criminal slang now comes with an Italian accent because of the
media and not the Mafia. Columnist and writer, Jack Newfield
said that prejudice against Italian Americans is the most
tolerated intolerance and New York Congressman Charles Rangle
has recently said he was confounded as to why Italian Americans
remain silent in the face of blatant defamation.
I have become greatly disappointed whenever I hear individuals
and especially Italian Americans in our communities take the
side of the people who have given us movies, television shows
and programs that constantly portray Italian Americans as the
lowest of the low; mobsters, bums, bigots, buffoons and bimbos.
Because of this Italian Americans are now placed in a situation
were they have to prove they are not similar to the stereotypes;
that they are not connected to the mob, especially if they come
from New Jersey, New York or Chicago.
Although there were Italian gangster movies and Italian
stereotyping in the early part of the twentieth-century it was
"The Godfather" movie series in the 1970s that opened the
floodgates of the negative perception of Italian Americans. Many
individuals including Italian Americans, indifferent to their
heritage, jumped to the opportunity to make a quick buck.
And then David Chase enters the scene with a show that
incorporates all the worst Italian stereotypes … "The
Sopranos." This show may have been tolerated in a community
that had Italian Americans living there.
That integrated community would be well aware that this negative
element is but a small percentage of Italian Americans. But
communities in the mid west, down south and other areas who see
few if any Italian Americans are being taught that these
perceptions of Italian Americans are true. Especially when they
are produced, written, directed and acted by Italian Americans.
These same individuals see and hear Italian Americans praising
and in many cases acting and wanting to be like these
stereotypes.
Yet, their response in their defense of these programs has been
"it's only a television show."
A racist, violent, and stereotypical series show like "The
Sopranos" … "only a TV show?"
Is there anyone who believes that these characters don't rub off
on the rest of us… then you must be living in a cocoon.
The Italian Americans portrayed on The Sopranos act like jerks
90 percent of the time on the show. They beat and kill their
women, they sell drugs, they commit murder, and they are
generally cruel and ugly people.
However, if you don't think this popular program affects how
people perceive Italian Americans, you are absolutely wrong. Ask
anyone in telecommunications about the power of television. If
television didn't have any influence, why would so many
candidates spend billions of dollars in advertising this time of
year. And the billions of dollars on TV ads during the Super
Bowl.
If 90 percent of the time on 'The Sopranos' all you are seeing
is Italian Americans doing awful things to other people, you are
going to get the message that Italian Americans do awful things,
that they are less than honest and can't be trusted, that they
are violent people, and that they abuse their women physically
and emotionally.
To those who ask us to "Lighten Up" or to "get over it," I say
look at the damage caused by the negative images embedded in the
minds of many Americans.
A Zogby study has shown that 74% of young people have formed
their image of Italian Americans from the media. This negative
imagery has been scientifically proven to be later manifested in
discrimination
Nick Addeo from Speranza reminded me, “that those who do not
know history are doomed to repeat it" but do we believe it? He
went on to say, “How soon we forget how effective Joseph
Goebbels and the Nazi propaganda machine was in the use of
'negative stereotyping' in films, radio, print, etc., to plant
an evil seed that would bear 'bitter fruit' at Auschwitz,
Bergen-Belsen, Sobibor and others. We have a thousand fold more
media at our disposal today, and what do we do with it?
”Negative stereotyping never leads to anything good or positive.
And massive negative stereotyping can be absolutely destructive.
The Italians and their heritage have seen a 'pattern of abuse'
perpetrated on them that is unprecedented,” he stated.
Mr. Addeo has documented that American media culture has
endured negative stereotyping for more than six decades in the
entertainment Industry and shows no signs of dwindling. The sad
or even frightening thought is that while images of other groups
and individuals are considered very carefully by producers,
writers and directors (and well they should be) Italian
Americans have been left out of this PC environment. We join him
in wondering, “Is it intentional? Is it malicious? Or worse,
people see nothing wrong in presenting the Italian culture in
this negative fashion and the public at large sees no problem.
If this is the case, 'then the internalization of this image is
complete' … that WOULD be dangerous!”
In Addeo’s opinion, the term negative stereotyping has long been
outdated. It has been replaced by 'defamation and ridicule.' My
question is why do we, especially Italian Americans, tolerate
this injustice.
