Italian American stereotypes
Italian American stereotypes primarily revolve around two major themes: the association with the Mafia and the portrayal of Italian Americans as fun-loving buffoons. The Mafia stereotype suggests that Italian Americans are heavily involved in organized crime, a notion rooted in historical ties to the Mafia in Sicily. However, sociological research indicates that organized crime in the U.S. is influenced by broader cultural and economic factors rather than being dominated by any single ethnic group, with only a minute fraction of Italian Americans actually participating in such activities.
Conversely, the buffoon stereotype implies that Italian Americans lack ambition and are merely easygoing individuals. Contrary to this belief, data shows that since the 1960s, Italian Americans have achieved significant levels of education and income, often surpassing national averages. Media portrayals in films and television series have perpetuated these stereotypes, reinforcing negative images that do not accurately reflect the diverse and complex realities of Italian American lives. While some individuals may embrace the fun-loving aspect, it is essential to recognize the wide range of personalities and experiences within the Italian American community, which are often overshadowed by these entrenched stereotypes.
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Italian American stereotypes
The two major stereotypes regarding Italian Americans are that this group is inextricably linked to the Mafia and that Italians are fun-loving buffoons. The Mafia stereotype involves a belief that Italian Americans developed and control organized crime in the United States, which is a by-product of the Mafia, a criminal organization in Sicily, and that a significant percentage of Italian Americans are involved in organized crime. The buffoon stereotype involves the belief that Italian Americans are not achievement-oriented but simply fun-loving, easygoing individuals. Sociological investigation demonstrates that neither image of Italian Americans is accurate.
Major studies of organized crime such as The Mythology of Crime and Criminal Justice (1996) by Victor E. Kappeler and Gary W. Potter, On the Take: From Petty Crooks to Presidents (1988) by William Chambliss, and Organized Crime in America (1967) by Gus Tyler show that any one ethnic group did not develop organized crime in the United States and that its roots lie deep within the nation’s culture. These works show that the high demand for illicit drugs, sex, and gambling (and the desire for profit) are largely responsible for the creation of organized crime groups. Books such as The City and the Syndicate: Organizing Crime in Philadelphia (1985) by Gary W. Potter and Philip Jenkins, The Mafia Mystique (1975) by Dwight Smith, and Blood of My Blood: The Dilemma of the Italian Americans (1974) by Richard Gambino make clear that there is no evidence supporting the belief that organized crime in the United States is an offshoot of the Mafia in Sicily. Moreover, studies, such as Organized Crime (1985) by Howard Abadinsky, Disorganized Crime (1983) by Peter Reuter, and The Politics of Corruption: Organized Crime in an American City (1970) by John Gardiner found that no ethnic group exercises control over organized crime activities such as gambling and the drug trade. Furthermore, the article “America’s Most Tolerated Intolerance: Bigotry Against Italian Americans,” in The Italian American Review (Spring/Summer, 1997) by Richard Gambino, points out that only a fraction of 1 percent of all Italian Americans participate in organized crime. The research does not provide support for the Mafia stereotype of Italian Americans. Still, images of gangsters in suits and fedoras and large, hairy, men with gold chains remain entrenched in the public consciousness as stock characters of organized crime and Italian American culture.
In rebuttal of the buffoon stereotype, the 1990 and 1980 US census and books such as Italian Americans into the Twilight of Ethnicity (1985) by Richard Alba and Italian Americans (1970) by Joseph Lopreato provide data demonstrating that since the 1960s, Italian Americans have experienced high levels of occupational and educational achievements. Moreover, starting in the 1960s, the average household income of Italian Americans has been well above the US average. Since the 1970s, the percentage of Italian Americans who have graduated from college has been well above the national average. These statistics also counter the related stereotypes that Italian American men are violent and uneducated and that Italian American women are overweight and spend most of their time cooking pasta and other "Italian" foods or are elderly grandmothers.
Although a very small number of Italian Americans are involved in organized crime, these represent a minority of Italian Americans. Although some Italian Americans may very well be fun-loving, they show as wide a range of personality types as any group of people and no predilection toward any one trait. The negative images of Italian Americans created by these stereotypes have greatly distorted reality concerning this ethnic group. These stereotypes are often reinforced by media portrayals of Italian American characters, especially popular depictions of organized crime as seen in the films The Godfather (1972) and House of Gucci (2021) and television series like The Sopranos (1999) and The Bear (2022). The association is so well known that mobster imagery is often used in advertising for stereotypically Italian American products such as pasta sauce and pizza, while gangster themes used in advertising for other products often take on an Italian American connotation, whether intended or not.
Bibliography
Adams, Guy. "Shadduppa Ya Stereotype! Italian-Americans Fight Back." Independent, 1 Jan. 2012, www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/shadduppa-ya-stereotype-italianamericans-fight-back-6283808.html. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Chambliss, William. On the Take: From Petty Crooks to Presidents. Indiana UP, 1988.
Cottone, John G. “Hollywood's Regressive Stereotypes of Italians.” Psychology Today, 17 Jan. 2024, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-cube/202111/hollywoods-regressive-stereotypes-of-italians. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Gambino, Richard. Blood of My Blood: The Dilemma of the Italian Americans. Doubleday, 1974.
Grazia Serra, Alessandra O. "The Bear: New (Stereotypical) Representations of Italian Americans in Contemporary Television Series." Forum Italicum, vol. 58, no. 1, 2024. Sage Journals, doi.org/10.1177/00145858231223974. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Kappeler, Victor E., and Gary W. Potter. The Mythology of Crime and Criminal Justice. Waveland, 1996.
Piersanti, Kristina. “Portrayals of Italian Americans in U.S.-Produced Films.” Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communication, vol. 10, no. 1, 2019, pp. 111-119. Elon University, eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/153/2019/05/12‗Piersanti.pdf. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Tyler, Gus. Organized Crime in America. University of Michigan P, 1967.