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| The Capones - Reelz |
Have you ever walked around wondering, “What are
Al Capone's descendants doing?” Well, great news- Reelz
has given his family a reality show! You remember Al Capone, right?
He's the gangster/suspected murderer/tax-evader that terrorized America for
decades.
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| Capone - Lovingly referred to as "Scarface." |
When I first saw the trailer for the show, I did two
things: 1) I had to remember to close my mouth and; 2) all I could
say was, “Why?” Is the state of television programming so bad
that this show was the best available idea? Do we really need another
show where Italians are a punching bag for the general public? Who thought this was a good idea? I am
at a loss for words.
More importantly, I cannot think of
a more offensive figure to base a reality show on. Al Capone was, for
all intents and purposes, a warlord that wreaked havoc in the
streets. He is widely considered responsible for the largest “hit” ever perpetrated
in America – the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In that incident, seven men were tricked into thinking they were being arrested by police officers. As they had their backs turned, the fake cops machine gunned them all. Only the finest of princes could orchestrate such an act. Capone bribed,
stole and murdered his way to the top, and now we're checking in on
his family. Are we supposed to be interested because we want his
“legacy” to be intact?
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| Capone's handiwork on St. Valentine's Day |
Now, before anyone says the show is not about Italian stereotypes and is not offensive to Italians – let me draw your attention to the description of the show on the Reelz website:
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| No Italian stereotypes here. At. All. |
Here are the low-lights:
1) The Capones own and operate a restaurant called Capone's - with an image of Al Capone as their icon. Their motto? "Try our pizza - or else."
2) Look out guys - this family loves lasagna! *Ugh*
3) Dominic Capone is called “the Boss.”
4) "...the family always ends the week with the traditional Sunday dinner, where the drama is always spicier than the pepperoni."
5) Look out for Momma Capone – she'll hit you with
her rolling pin!
As if that promotional material weren't filled with enough Italian stereotypes, we have this video – where we cannot escape the fact that Al Capone is a god-like figure for this family – a standard bearer for them all to live by.
The Capones | Movie Trailer | Review
As Uncle Lou eloquently states in the video, “If Big Al could see how things are being run, he would crap in his coffin.” Charming. Who cares what “Big Al” would think – he was a criminal! If you're doing something he would disagree with, you're probably doing the right thing.The video also talks about non-Capone relatives who were involved in the Mafia, as if it were a badge of honor. I'm sorry – but, if I had three hitmen in my family, the last thing I would be doing is broadcasting that fact to the entire world. Che disgraziato!
I suppose that brings me to my final point, so please indulge me. Did you know that direct relatives of Adolf Hitler are living in the United States? For a long time, the family was located in Long Island, NY. If you didn't know that, it is because after World War II, the family took every precaution and pain to ensure that it remained a family secret. They were ashamed of their past. The only reason this information came out is because investigative journalists finally tracked them down after decades.
Up to that point, the family were model citizens. They served in America's forces, had small-town jobs and were spectacular neighbors. After World War II, no one showcased their wretched past. No one bragged about “Uncle Adolf” and no one certainly complained that Uncle Adolf would disapprove of the family's decisions. No one grabbed the limelight, no one was given a reality show.
Uncle Adolf was one of Satan's minions – and the family
acknowledged that. So embarrassed was the family, that the current
line of Hitlers (boys pictured above) will be the last. All four descendants are brothers.
None of them have married. None of them have children. It is
speculated that this was done intentionally – to end the family
line and rid the world of Hitlers once and for all. How hauntingly
poetic.
Come to think of it – only Italians seem to revel in the “glory” of their Mafia connections. We saw this on display with Growing Up Gotti – and now again with the Capones. What is wrong with them? The Mafia is not a thing of which to be proud – it is an organization that built itself by terrorizing and extorting honest, hardworking Italian immigrants.
Shows like The Capones are the absolute worst for our image and community. They portray us as imbeciles who enjoy the Mafia stereotype. This, in turn, hurts us doubly: we're portrayed as idiots and we're giving the message to the public that it's ok to continue the Mafia stereotype - because Italians are ok with it.
Basta with these shows - they do nothing more than demean our culture and break it down into its worst stereotype. Bravo for the Huffington Post taking shots at the show. You want an Italian reality show? Go to Rome and walk around in the glory and magnificence that your people built. Your people gave rise to the greatest civilization the world has ever seen - revel in that. Do not revel in cafoni roaming the streets in thousand dollar suits and ordering "hits" on people.
As if that promotional material weren't filled with enough Italian stereotypes, we have this video – where we cannot escape the fact that Al Capone is a god-like figure for this family – a standard bearer for them all to live by.
The Capones | Movie Trailer | Review
As Uncle Lou eloquently states in the video, “If Big Al could see how things are being run, he would crap in his coffin.” Charming. Who cares what “Big Al” would think – he was a criminal! If you're doing something he would disagree with, you're probably doing the right thing.The video also talks about non-Capone relatives who were involved in the Mafia, as if it were a badge of honor. I'm sorry – but, if I had three hitmen in my family, the last thing I would be doing is broadcasting that fact to the entire world. Che disgraziato!
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| They seriously need to take that rolling pin away from her |
I suppose that brings me to my final point, so please indulge me. Did you know that direct relatives of Adolf Hitler are living in the United States? For a long time, the family was located in Long Island, NY. If you didn't know that, it is because after World War II, the family took every precaution and pain to ensure that it remained a family secret. They were ashamed of their past. The only reason this information came out is because investigative journalists finally tracked them down after decades.
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| The four living Hitler descendants |
Up to that point, the family were model citizens. They served in America's forces, had small-town jobs and were spectacular neighbors. After World War II, no one showcased their wretched past. No one bragged about “Uncle Adolf” and no one certainly complained that Uncle Adolf would disapprove of the family's decisions. No one grabbed the limelight, no one was given a reality show.
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| Father of the four boys above, William Patrick Stuart Houston (ne: Hitler) |
Come to think of it – only Italians seem to revel in the “glory” of their Mafia connections. We saw this on display with Growing Up Gotti – and now again with the Capones. What is wrong with them? The Mafia is not a thing of which to be proud – it is an organization that built itself by terrorizing and extorting honest, hardworking Italian immigrants.
Shows like The Capones are the absolute worst for our image and community. They portray us as imbeciles who enjoy the Mafia stereotype. This, in turn, hurts us doubly: we're portrayed as idiots and we're giving the message to the public that it's ok to continue the Mafia stereotype - because Italians are ok with it.
Basta with these shows - they do nothing more than demean our culture and break it down into its worst stereotype. Bravo for the Huffington Post taking shots at the show. You want an Italian reality show? Go to Rome and walk around in the glory and magnificence that your people built. Your people gave rise to the greatest civilization the world has ever seen - revel in that. Do not revel in cafoni roaming the streets in thousand dollar suits and ordering "hits" on people.
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