Required Reading for Italian-Americans...

Sicilian Culture: News & Views

The Sopranos Hit Sour Note with Many Italians
By Marianne Peri Sack

In answer to my esteemed colleague Vito Tamboli’s recent column “Enough is Enough”, I feel obligated to point out a few facts. In his article he took exception to a letter that was written by Rev. Andrew Greeley and published in the Il Pensiero. The priest, author and sociologist stated that the vulgarity and violence of the popular program The Sopranos unjustly stereotyped the Italian people.

First, I was raised by a mother, wise beyond her formal education, who often used proverbs to emphasize her teachings. One of these is “If you throw a rock at everyone that comes by you won’t have any rocks left.” I took this to mean that I should save my ammunition for the big fights and not nitpick.

I agree that to argue over every little thing is counter-productive; but I cannot agree that ignoring the issue entirely can possibly bring about change. I don’t know if I am wise enough to always determine when I should be silent and when I should speak out. If someone markets a Teddy Bear dressed in a pinstriped suit named Guido, it is of little concern to me. Most Italians have a good sense of humor; but when anyone actually defames my heritage, it is time to throw a few rocks.

The Sopranos goes way beyond bad taste and no ethnic group would want to be associated with its characters. It insults me as an Italian, as a Catholic and as an American. The media calls it the greatest American pop culture in 25 years. To not speak against it would be to condone it in my humble opinion.

I agree that it is more productive for the Italian people to emphasize the many positive things about our culture than to spend all of our time complaining. This is the best way to combat the negative. The Il Pensiero has strived for years to accomplish this by reporting on the wonderful activities of our many Italian-American organizations, by feature stories like “Italian of the Month”, by spreading little known facts about our heritage under “Did You Know” and by numerous other articles, etc. Unfortunately, that is not enough.

National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), UNICO National, Sons of Italy, Fieri National, Italic Studies and other large Italian organizations all have units dedicated to anti-defamation of the Italian people. They work together under the One Voice Committee. Personally, I am a proud member of the UNICO Anti-bias Committee. Members are asked to send letters, e-mails, etc. and present our case in a reasonable but not in a rude manner.

They have had some measure of success in having abusive ads/programs cease and have even gotten apologies from offenders who did not realize how their actions have insulted the Italian people. These organizations spend a great deal of time spreading the word on many positive issues concerning the Italian people and I have used some of the material for articles; for example, “How the town of Bari, Italy, donated $500,000 to an old church damaged on September 11 at the World Trade Center” and the article on war hero Rocky Versace in this issue.

A recent national survey on American teen-agers and stereotyping revealed that when asked specifically to identify the role a character of Italian background would be most likely to have in a movie or on television, 44% stated “crime boss”. Surveys have indicated that it is more difficult for an Italian to be elected to a public office than other ethnic groups because they are perceived as being dishonest. Let us be grateful that New York City overcame those odds and had Rudy Giuliani to lead them in this country’s darkest hour.

Many non-Italians believe that The Sopranos is vulgar, violent and defames Italians. They believe we should complain. On one episode of the program, the “F” word was used 256 times. Actress Edie Falco (Mrs.Soprano) was invited to appear on Sesame Street, believe it or not. My question is, why don’t more people of all ethnic backgrounds complain about this program?

Father Andrew Greeley is a priest, a noted author, and a sociologist – a man well trained in how certain actions have a negative impact on groups of people. When he states, “ Sopranos is non fit for public consumption”, I say “Amen” as do thousands of others.

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