Thatsa spicy-a meataballa....
During my anatomy class today the students were discussing what was on their mind as they were working on their histology assignment. Often as it does the subject of the conversation was racism. What worries me is that of this particular sample more than half of the students were finding racism in places where it wasn't located. The location of focus was blacks in entertainment.
One student was complaining that there are no good black role models on TV or in movies, I almost fell off my seat laughing. They then went on to complain that the game video game Tekken is racist because the black character dances in it. As if to say all black people can dance. I don't want to point out the obvious but isn't the ability to dance a good thing? So after they complained for awhile I asked them what the big deal was if someone points on stereotypes or differences in a culture? They really didn't have an answer to this and to be honest I am not even sure there is a great answer to that question. It seems they were more looking for an excuse of why they don't succeed.
Racism for some people is the scapegoat for failure. Why look for it? What is the point? People want to find a reason other than themselves for why they are successful. So I asked the students to name a movie where Italian-Americans are portrayed in a positive light. Not in the sense of the majority of Italians in the movie are mafia and there is one honest one who tries to keep his son from a life of crime. I was looking for a movie where Italian Americans were shed in a positive light. Think about it, majority of the films are mafia or gangster films, then you have Rocky, an speech slurring ignoramus who can punch people. The closest thing to positive you have is a fat pizza parlor owner in a white tank top with gold chains and chest hair.
Then to counter their video game gripe I mentioned one of the most famous games ever...Super Mario Bros. Look at this photo.....
Anythinga sterotypicala of-a this-a photo? Growing up I never noticed the stereotype that Mario Bros. portrayed. I never noticed it until I looked for it.
Then there is Fat Tony the mafia crime boss from the Simpsons...
Or Luigi Risotto the Italian restaurant owner and chef from the Simpsons...
Now look into TV ads portraying Italian Americans. They all revolve around eating, speaking in broken english, or organized crime. Doing a simple search I found this website....
http://www.osia.org/public/pdf/Advertising_Report.pdf
It is a report on how Italians are portrayed in advertising.
Some interesting points if you don't want to go to the page:
"An earlier poll by the Princeton-based Response
Analysis Corporation revealed that 74% of
adult Americans believe most Italian Americans
have some connection to organized crime."
Then some brief descriptions of some commercials....
• THE INTERNATIONAL DAIRY FOOD TV COMMERCIAL
“Vinny” and a friend try to break the bones of a man who owes them money, but since
the intended victim drinks milk, they can't hurt him."
• UNCLE BEN’S PASTA BOWL PRINT AD
“If you eat an Uncle Ben’s pasta bowl,” the ad reads, “don’t be surprised ifa youa starta
talking likea this afterwards.”
• STACKER 2 DIET PILLS TV COMMERCIAL
As an Italian melody plays, a man enters a store with two bodyguards and a buxom
blonde. Peppering his speech with “capisci,” he strong-arms another customer and the
store clerk.
• JERRY’S SUBS & PIZZA RADIO COMMERCIAL
An actor impersonating Tony Soprano threatens a Jerry Subs storeowner who is
competing with a pizzeria owned by the gangster’s friend. After tasting Jerry’s pizza, the
gangster offers to take the owner for a ride on his boat.
• VERMONT TEDDY BEAR PRINT AD
For Valentine’s Day, the company offers a “Gangster of Love” bear, wearing spats, a
fedora and carrying a violin case. Ad reads: “Be a goodfella. Send her this bear and she’ll
be singing like a soprano.”
Those are just a handful of ads they bring up. Now the funny thing is that none of these things even remotely bothered me nor did I even give them a second thought. However with all the diversity training I have been subjected to it has made me focus more and more on it. Why are we so hung up on discussing how we are different and why it doesn't matter. Well if it didn't matter we wouldn't be talking about it because what is the point of focusing on something that doesn't matter? I am guessing it has a lot to do with people wanting to express why it is not their fault they are not successful.
I had lasagna for dinner tonight, my non Italian girlfriend chose it, I wanted to the chicken wings.
One student was complaining that there are no good black role models on TV or in movies, I almost fell off my seat laughing. They then went on to complain that the game video game Tekken is racist because the black character dances in it. As if to say all black people can dance. I don't want to point out the obvious but isn't the ability to dance a good thing? So after they complained for awhile I asked them what the big deal was if someone points on stereotypes or differences in a culture? They really didn't have an answer to this and to be honest I am not even sure there is a great answer to that question. It seems they were more looking for an excuse of why they don't succeed.
Racism for some people is the scapegoat for failure. Why look for it? What is the point? People want to find a reason other than themselves for why they are successful. So I asked the students to name a movie where Italian-Americans are portrayed in a positive light. Not in the sense of the majority of Italians in the movie are mafia and there is one honest one who tries to keep his son from a life of crime. I was looking for a movie where Italian Americans were shed in a positive light. Think about it, majority of the films are mafia or gangster films, then you have Rocky, an speech slurring ignoramus who can punch people. The closest thing to positive you have is a fat pizza parlor owner in a white tank top with gold chains and chest hair.
Then to counter their video game gripe I mentioned one of the most famous games ever...Super Mario Bros. Look at this photo.....
Anythinga sterotypicala of-a this-a photo? Growing up I never noticed the stereotype that Mario Bros. portrayed. I never noticed it until I looked for it.
Then there is Fat Tony the mafia crime boss from the Simpsons...
Or Luigi Risotto the Italian restaurant owner and chef from the Simpsons...
Now look into TV ads portraying Italian Americans. They all revolve around eating, speaking in broken english, or organized crime. Doing a simple search I found this website....
http://www.osia.org/public/pdf/Advertising_Report.pdf
It is a report on how Italians are portrayed in advertising.
Some interesting points if you don't want to go to the page:
"An earlier poll by the Princeton-based Response
Analysis Corporation revealed that 74% of
adult Americans believe most Italian Americans
have some connection to organized crime."
Then some brief descriptions of some commercials....
• THE INTERNATIONAL DAIRY FOOD TV COMMERCIAL
“Vinny” and a friend try to break the bones of a man who owes them money, but since
the intended victim drinks milk, they can't hurt him."
• UNCLE BEN’S PASTA BOWL PRINT AD
“If you eat an Uncle Ben’s pasta bowl,” the ad reads, “don’t be surprised ifa youa starta
talking likea this afterwards.”
• STACKER 2 DIET PILLS TV COMMERCIAL
As an Italian melody plays, a man enters a store with two bodyguards and a buxom
blonde. Peppering his speech with “capisci,” he strong-arms another customer and the
store clerk.
• JERRY’S SUBS & PIZZA RADIO COMMERCIAL
An actor impersonating Tony Soprano threatens a Jerry Subs storeowner who is
competing with a pizzeria owned by the gangster’s friend. After tasting Jerry’s pizza, the
gangster offers to take the owner for a ride on his boat.
• VERMONT TEDDY BEAR PRINT AD
For Valentine’s Day, the company offers a “Gangster of Love” bear, wearing spats, a
fedora and carrying a violin case. Ad reads: “Be a goodfella. Send her this bear and she’ll
be singing like a soprano.”
Those are just a handful of ads they bring up. Now the funny thing is that none of these things even remotely bothered me nor did I even give them a second thought. However with all the diversity training I have been subjected to it has made me focus more and more on it. Why are we so hung up on discussing how we are different and why it doesn't matter. Well if it didn't matter we wouldn't be talking about it because what is the point of focusing on something that doesn't matter? I am guessing it has a lot to do with people wanting to express why it is not their fault they are not successful.
I had lasagna for dinner tonight, my non Italian girlfriend chose it, I wanted to the chicken wings.