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Image & Identity
Image & Identity >> Picks & Pans >> Fall 2003
THUMBS UP TO:
Richard M. Botteri, NIAF area coordinator in Oregon, for a letter to the editor of the Oregonian expressing his dismay over the newspaper’s printing of a Pat Oliphant political cartoon that uses a pejorative term to refer to Italians. Mr. Botteri asked that the paper treat Italians with the same sensitivity as would be given to other groups. Contact Mr. Botteri at r.botteri@comcast.com.
Paul Francischetti for questioning a vignette that was presented during the seventh inning stretch show during a recent Baltimore Orioles – New York Yankees game at Baltimore’s Camden Yards. The problematic vignette included a character named “Vinni Fonicelli,” supposedly a “typical” Yankees’ fan, who was portrayed as ignorant and disgraceful. So while joking about a baseball team’s rival may be in good fun, attaching an overtly Italian American name to a buffoon character reinforces a negative and demeaning stereotype and harms an ethnic group. Contact Peter Angelos of the Orioles at 333 West Camden Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
Laura Pazzaglia, president of Virtuaitalia.com, for a letter to The New York Post in which she urges more positive depictions of Italian Americans in television. In an environment where the bar has been so dramatically lowered, many Italian Americans are actually willing to accept periodic negative depictions and references in television programs because the show are not overtly portraying stereotypical gangsters or buffoons. Contact Ms. Pazzaglia at paz@virtuaitalia.com.
Roy De Barbieri, an attorney in New Haven and NIAF’s Connecticut area coordinator, whose discussion of the advertising industry’s enduring negative portrayals of Italian Americans appeared in the Hartford Courant. Many advertising firms continue to tap into unflattering depictions of Italian Americans even though the images are unoriginal and in poor taste. De Barbieri notes that most other ethnic groups have overcome this hurdle, with stereotypical images of them in advertising unthinkable.
Dr. Manny Alfano, national director of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, for a articulate letter to the editor that appeared in the Ocean County Observer, a New Jersey newspaper. Dr. Alfano sensibly points out that the image of Italian Americans as portrayed in the media does not accurately reflect real life. He calls for a more balanced portrayal of Italian Americans in film and television. Contact Dr. Alfano at Eaa097@aol.com.
Michael Bertolone, for a letter to the editor that appeared in USA Today in which he sets the historical record straight by noting that Italian Americans, like other ethnic groups, have suffered discrimination and even violence. He cites the 1891 episode in New Orleans where eleven Italian Americans were lynched as a result of blatant prejudice that turned violent. Contact Mr. Bertolone at MBertolone@ffrontiernet.net.
THUMBS DOWN:
Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President, for the new signs, “Leaving Brooklyn Fugheddaboudit,” that have recently appeared in Brooklyn, New York. In an effort to promote the borough, the colloquial expression, “Fugheddaboudit,” which is widely associated with Italian Americans, was inserted into signs. This expression, made famous on programs that slander and demean Italian Americans, reinforces a negative and harmful stereotype. NIAF, as well as numerous other groups, have asked Mr. Markowitz to remove the signs. Write to him at 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.
Marshall Field’s, for their inclusion of a signed photograph collectible, Tony (Soprano) and His Capos, in a recent catalog. NIAF pointed out that many in the Italian American community find the HBO program The Sopranos to be offensive and harmful because it associates Italian Americans with organized crime and abhorrent behavior. Moreover, we noted that this sentiment was reinforced by others outside of the Italian American community who oppose glorifications of criminality and decadent behavior. Write to Marshall Field’s at 1000 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403.
Special Thanks to: Manny Alfano, Michael Bertolone, Richard M. Botteri, Donna M. Chirico, Dona De Sanctis, Paul Francischetti, Richard Juliani, Angela Lardieri, Laura Pazzaglia, and Bert Vorchheimer.
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