Italian stereotypes

[MD]

I just finished lunch with some friends of mine and one of them is an old friend who's of Italian heritage. He has a PhD in applied mathematics and his father is an accountant.

During lunch my other friends would not stop barraging my Italian Canadian friend with questions about any ties his family has to the mafia and non stop jokes about Italians and organized crime. He became very annoyed towards the end as it was much more than horsing around.

Why is this prevalent in this day and age? Is it Hollywood? Godfather, Goodfellas, etc? The main Italian crime syndicates are either gone or much weaker. If stereotypes about Italian Americans/Canadians still persist to this day I cannot even imagine how long stereotypes about other minorities will linger on.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

What decade are your friends stuck in?

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Even The Sopranos is awhile back now...yeah, it's media, but it's also people who can't let people be who they are without some comment....one comment can be brushed aside, a barrage of them is bullying...If I were your friend, I would have threatened the others with a visit by my cousin Vinny and his associates...

 

[Quintessence]

Mind your stories: the ones you listen to, the ones you tell yourself, and the ones you tell others.
​

Nothing else needs be said by this one.

 

[Revoltingest]

The Simpsons is largely responsible for it.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Mind your stories: the ones you listen to, the ones you tell yourself, and the ones you tell others.
​

Nothing else needs be said by this one.

Can I use that quote? Absolutely excellent!

 

[Vinayaka]

Ethnic stereotyping will persist for a very long time, I'm afraid.

 

[Quintessence]

Can I use that quote? Absolutely excellent!

I don't mind. It is in the form of a "triad," a three-fold saying of wisdom used in Druidic traditions. This one is my own creation and represents one of the big take-home lessons I got out of journeying through the Bardic Grade with OBOD. It is about the power of story, of narrative, of mythos. Something that is all too often underestimated. American culture seems to shirk the responsibility of the bard or the storyteller. We see it as simple entertainment, but it is never so simple. The stories we tell convey the values of our culture, the things we want people to know, the things we like to share, things we love.

There is more to it than that, but this one shouldn't derail the thread... lol.

 

[metis]

Since my wife was born and raised in Sicily, imagine what we've heard over all these years. But I have to be nice to her because she has some cement boots that are just my size.

 

[Quagmire]

As an Italian (Sicilian) American, I do everything I can to encourage this stereotype.

Btw, nice thread (cleans fingernails). . .be a shame if anything happened to it. . .

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

As an Italian (Sicilian) American, I do everything I can to encourage this stereotype.

Btw, nice thread (cleans fingernails). . .be a shame if anything happened to it. . .

I'm thinking of starting a thread...how much do you charge for "thread protection?"

 

[Quagmire]

I'm thinking of starting a thread...how much do you charge for "thread protection?"

We don't charge, per se, but most of our "clients" are very generous with their "gifts" (the smart ones anyway).

 

[Mister_T]

I'm Italian and the stereotypes never bother me. Getting badgered by a group of people you just met though is rather annoying, not mention rude.

 

[Quagmire]

Hey, I just noticed you rated my post "Funny".

Funny how?

Spoiler: profanity

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Hey, I just noticed you rated my post "Funny".

Funny how?

Spoiler: profanity

You Talkin' to ME????

Clearly, though, you aren't getting irony...

 

[Mister_T]

We don't charge, per se, but most of our "clients" are very generous with their "gifts" (the smart ones anyway).

What he's trying to say is we'll make you an offer you can't refuse.