When Does It End?FEBRUARY 8, 1999 When does it end? That is a question that many Italian-Americans want answered. Especially after cable television has the gall to pollute the air with their latest deluge of mob movies. Leading the charge are HBO's "The Sopranos," USA Network's month of mob movies in January; the History Channel will feature "Hoover Fights The Mob;" and, soon to follow, the mini-series "Bonanno" on Showtime. Many Italian-Americans are beginning to feel that there may be a conspiracy by the media to discredit them while making a fortune. A scheme that has caused many of our Italian-American actors, writers, directors and producers to not only sell their souls for the almighty dollar -- or should I say, 30 pieces of silver -- but also since they are Italian-Americans, they have legitimized these offensive stereotypes. We must hold these insensitive individuals accountable for promoting the myth that Italian-Americans are synonymous with bums, buffoons, bigots and bimbos. Make them accountable for not providing positive role models for our youth and not using their influence in casting Italian-Americans in positive roles, producing positive programs and films. Try to recall the last time you saw -- on either the big screen or the little screen -- a positive character cast as an Italian-American judge, teacher, nurse, doctor or lawyer (not the miserable physician on Melrose Place, or the 'lawyer' in My Cousin Vinnie) -- let alone a feature role. When does it end? It ends when Italian-Americans unite, take the necessary action and demand an end of the destructive malignancy that is destroying our good name. We, as Italian-Americans ask only to be treated fairly. If there was balance, this statement would not be necessary. We can start by:
I have said time and again that we have two enemies, the media (motion picture and television industries) and Italian-Americans. If we intend to win this war, we must know who our enemies are. They are not just the ones mentioned above, they are some of our own friends and relatives. The ones that tell us to "lighten up," "don't be so sensitive," and those that think it's cool to be in the mob. And, of course those that sit back and say and do nothing. If we hope to achieve our goal then we must unite as one, fight back letting everyone know it is time to put a stop to this unfair practice of bigotry and defamation against the culture and character of Italian-Americans. It is important for Italian-Americans to be heard. Silence is our biggest enemy. If most people knew we were offended, they would stop the defamation. We must speak out, fight back, put our money where our mouths are and take action. THAT IS WHEN IT WILL END, THEN, AND ONLY THEN! Dr. Emanuele Alfano Italian-American One Voice Coalition Chairman
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| The Italian American One Voice Coalition is a national
network of activists enabling the 25 million members of the Italian
American community to act as one united voice when dealing with
defamation, discrimination and negative stereotyping of our grand
culture and heritage.
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Copyright 1999-2006 © - Italian American One Voice Coalition |
