Italian Bashing

Letter to The Chicago Tribune, January 4, 2012

Though the media tells us that America no longer tolerates blatant ethnic or religious bashing in our society, the adage continues to ring hollow when referring to Americans of Italian heritage.

How else to explain an otherwise intelligent columnist like John Kass presenting Mayor Rahm Emanuel with a painting of the mayor as "The Rahmfather," or an otherwise sensitive mayor like Emanuel accepting it?

Once again, everyone has a good laugh at the expense of Italian Americans. Hollywood and the media are to blame, largely by mainstreaming the acceptance of images of Italians as amoral and evil.

There seem to be three certainties in life: death, taxes, and the idea that Italians are the poster children for criminality.

Bill Dal Cerro
National President
Italic Institute of America
Chicago Office