Oxygen Network's Brooklyn 11223

Brooklyn 11223: A Zip Code AND an Italian Stereotype

In keeping with the tradition of Italians ruining the Italian community, we have a new reality show- Brooklyn 11223. I’d like to say that the Italian stereotypes on Brooklyn 11223 are an isolated event- but then I’d be in my delusional world where the Jersey Shore doesn’t exist. 

What is Brooklyn, 11223?

A "reality" show about (mostly) Italians running rampant through the streets of Brooklyn ( particularly Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Gravesend). It will be on the Oxygen Network- which seems to have adopted the marketing strategy of, "hey, let's do Jersey Shore in Brooklyn." From what I can tell, a majority of the cast is Italian. Rest assured,  100% of them are loud, obnoxious, ill-mannered and just plain dumb.  

Pictured: A cast member being intelligent

Being a Bensonhurstian (Bensonhurstan?), I needed to see what a cable network thought of my zip code. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t think too highly of it. My opinion is based on the Oxygen Network's  "super-preview" of the show- and for all intents and purposes, I can tell this show is going to give me grief. 

I wasn't alone- it turns out State Senators Vincent Gentile and Diane Savino have adamantly opposed the new show. In an interview, Savino said:

”There seems to be a prevalence among some of the producers in Hollywood to consistently target Italian-American women, and portray us in the most negative light,” (Senator Savino) told The Politicker before she took the stage. “And what’s even more distressing is Italian-American women are participating in this.”

“The American public has been almost conditioned to believe Italian-Americans are all either stupid, loveable characters like Joey on ‘Friends,’ or we’re mobsters like we are on ‘The Sopranos,’ or we’re basically young women who have no morals and are willing to degrade ourselves in public,” she continued. “It’s enough.”

Sen. Gentile said during a press conference that, in brief, "The show is crass, rude and classless."

Here's the press conference in its entirety:

Community organizations also got involved. Protests seem to have cropped up across the area, with Brokelyn.com indicating that one was taking place in Bay Ridge on February 23rd.

Based on what I have viewed, the show isn't pretty. For starters, the show essentially ran down the usual Italian stereotypes checklist:

Promiscuity? Check. Violence? Check. Stupidity? Check.

Check, please.

What drives me absolutely insane is that a large portion of the cast is Italian, allegedly from the zip code of  11223. This zip code comprises most of Bensonhurst and Gravesend. 3 of the main women (out of 6) and 3 of the main men (out of 4) are Italian. Why is that a problem? It proves that the network wanted Italians acting like idiots on camera- not just people from Bensonhurst. The area isn't as Italian as it used to be- and even had problems organizing an Italian feast back in August. But apparently, there is never a shortage of Italians in an area when a network needs stereotypes:

Like Italians being violent!

Moreover- a check of the show’s facebook let me know that I had dozens of friends in common with the cast. After deleting a few facebook friends (a coincidence, I swear),  I realized something: some of the people we are mutually friends with are now college graduates and working professionals, who were all 1)Italian and 2) born, raised and currently living in Brooklyn.


 That’s what “real” Brooklyn is all about in 2012- the sons and daughters of blue collar people excelling in the fields of law, medicine, accounting and teaching. Bensonhurst (and any Italian community in general) is the same, feel-good story. It is not about a rag-tag team of buffoons who try to outdo each other in their capacity for stupidity on a daily basis. You want a story on Brooklyn 11223? Read the success stories of the local  entrepreneurs or the bios of Senators Gentile and Savino.

Want more on Italians and stereotypes in Bensonhurst? Read our article on The Bensonhurst Spelling Bee