What would a list of Italian stereotypes look like?
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It is important that you know what Italian stereotypes
are that way you can properly identify them when they pop up in the
media or in social situations.
The most common Italian stereotypes:
- Italians are dumb - The media has a habit of consistently stereotyping Italians as dumb, illogical or “sweet but stupid.” Check out our full article on the history of the "dumb" Italian, from the 1970s to today.
- Italians are violent- This stereotype stems from the media portrayal of Italians involved in crime- not just organized crime. Be it gangs or local street toughs, Italians are usually shown as being heavily involved in such activities. Check out our full article on the history of the "violent Italian" stereotype.
- Italians are womanizers/adulterers- This stereotype actually has very old roots- stemming all the way back to the 1700s ( as best we can tell). Italians were always deemed “exotic” and as such could seduce otherwise happily married women. The same could be applied to Italian women who could be labeled as seductresses. Check out our full article on the history of the "lustful Italian" stereotype.
- Italians are loud/rude- A stereotype of unknown origin. However, it seems to tie into the "Italians are violent stereotype"- insofar as Italians just don't know how to act civilly.
- All Italians are “connected” to the mafia-
Before the great Italian migration to America, Italians were considered by Americans to be artistic, intelligent and refined. Remnants of this view still exist today- for example, “Italian craftsmanship,” and “Made in Italy” are valuable descriptions for goods and services.
After Italian immigration- Americans viewed these “new Italians” as dirty, (greasy), monkey-like, and above all- criminal. Yes, a small percentage of Italians came here as members of the Black Hand and yes, the Mafia does exist. But, it is important to note that an Italian in the Mafia is a rare occurrence in the Italian community.
According to our research, the above is a comprehensive list of Italian stereotypes. For more in-depth research, please read our articles on the Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Mob Wives or My Big Friggin' Wedding.
We are doing our best to document all media based Italian stereotypes. Visit our database and keep up-to-date with our research and the Italian community.
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Worth noting is the fact that, according to a recent study by Princeton University, 74% of Americans believe most Italians have *some* connection to the Mafia. Of course, this belief is held in face of the fact that only 0.0078% of Italian-Americans are involved in organized crime, according to F.B.I statistics.
ReplyDeletehttp://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Stereotype:_All_Italian_Americans_have_a_Mafia_connection#Surveys_that_suggest_this_is_an_oft_used.2C_relevant_stereotype
It's not helped by the fact that there are a lot of Italian-American, especially the youth, who encourage the belief that Italians are connected to the Mafia. It's apparently cooler to be connected to the Mafia then bragging about how you hail from a nation that has been the center of Western civilization for the past two thousand years.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all those stereotypes are real except for the madia one and i would know being an Italian-American
ReplyDeleteI am Italian and we are not fully white, we are White Ethnics. We can have light skin but have Italian features as well so we don't fully fit in with white people. I have been teased and called names from a young age because it was obvious I was Italian (however some people did think I was Latina), and I have really white skin. We are stereotyped and our ancestors were discriminated against really badly. We can also have different cultural norms, looks, and ways of life than other European White Americans.
ReplyDelete