domenica 24 ottobre 2010

Corleone vs Soprano, the gangster stereotype still affect Italian American identity

Loud, vain, overweight, rude. Terrible weakness for gambling and gluttony. Easily corrupted gangsters, thieves and liars who strongly emphasize family ties while they can't stand each other and backstab constantly. Popular mithology and unfair stereotypes about the Italian American community have deep roots.

Though similar gangster stories have been told before in films, tv drama and games, "Mafia II" has recently hit a nerve with the US's largest Italian American heritage foundation. The popular action game was accused of "inappropriate and insulting perpetuation of the pervasive and denigrating stereotype of organized crime being the exclusive domain of Italian Americans".

Good people in real life far outnumber any bad apples: throughout the United States history, Italian Americans have made significant contributions in the Arts, in the field of education, science and innovation. Not to mention show business, sports, politics. The current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has Italian origins. Geraldine Ferraro, whose parents were Italian, was the first woman vice presidential candidate for a major American political party (segue..)

photo©silviaz.com  

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