American history has caught up with the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, a race war that broke out between outraged white citizens who attacked an armed brigade of Black WWI vets trying to save a Black man from being lynched. But, did you know that one of the chief historians working on the story for over a decade was an Italian American professor, Paul Gardullo, Ph.D? Gardullo’s expertise is so vast that he even serves on the board of the National African American Museum in Washington, D.C.
At the end of May, we had Memorial Day, a time to remember those who sacrificed their lives in our nation’s conflicts. But, did you know that, in addition to the overwhelming number of Italian American soldiers who served in WWII (the largest ethnic fighting force in that skirmish), a soldier named Tony Vaccaro took a camera overseas with him along with his gun? Vaccaro (still alive at 98 years old) captured the horrors of war in stark, powerful images recently highlighted in a Yahoo News story about him.
–Tony Vaccaro
I bring up Gardullo and Vaccaro (and our WWII vets) not only because of their amazing achievements, but to make a point: None are recognized as examples of Italian American manhood by American society.
Instead, the “men of respect” whom the American media – and, by extension, our fellow Americans (who get their information about us via what they see in the media) – identify as “Italian” are people like Don Vito Corleone or Tony Soprano…both of whom, it should be noted, are fictional characters!
(Note: Italian American women are endlessly caricatured, too, as bimbos or dressed-in-black grandmas. But, that’s a blog for another day.)
The point was driven home by the current release of The Sopranos Sessions, a three-part film based on a book of the same name by TV critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz. A collection of essays, The Sopranos Sessions is now a two hour film divided into three “interview” sessions. The first is a discussion between Sepinwall and Zoller-Seitz; the second is a dinner party featuring two-bit actors on the show; and the third is a tag-team talk between Sepinwall/Zoller-Seitz and Sopranos creator, David Chase, whom they apparently view as the Mahatma Gandhi of HBO, a guru of creativity.
According to a blurb on the production company’s website (www.sirkproductions.com), The Sopranos Sessions explores the show’s artistry, themes, and legacy, examining its portrayal of Italian Americans, its graphic depictions of violence, and its deep connections to other cinematic and television classics.”
Please note the phrase “its portrayal of Italian Americans.” Granted, HBO’s infamous TV show, which ran from 1999-2007, was about Italian-surnamed characters in a certain area of New Jersey.
But, this is precisely my point: Such characters are identified as Italian American only when they, or the subject matter, is about “organized crime.”
(Note: The “mafia,” both as a noun and an adjective, is a misnomer; they are a terrorist gang in Palermo, Sicily; they have nothing to do with our thugs).
When a non-Italian sees a Gardullo or Vaccaro, do they think, “Hey, he’s Italian!” I’m not clairvoyant; I can’t read peoples’ minds. But, as someone with a surname that is sometimes taken for Hispanic, I managed to move around both liberal and conservative circles in my twenty-five years as an educator. I can tell you that the answer is “No.” An Italian male’s “Italianness” is never identified or discussed – and certainly not when they’re doing something positive.
The truth is that, thanks to the American media, Italian American men aren’t seen as inherently admirable. The only time their ethnicity is acknowledged or promoted is when criminals with Italian surnames are involved, either fictional or real ones. Then it’s “Vito” and “Tony” time.
Need more examples? How about Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). Has he ever been publicly identified as Italian American? How about Florida governor Ron DeSantis, seen by the press as a possible presidential contender in 2024? Over the past year, when he was seen by many as a voice of reason during the pandemic, was Dr. Anthony Fauci ever specifically identified by non-Italians, even casually, as ‘the noteworthy Italian American doctor?’ And so on.
In short, in the media’s eyes, the only Italian men worthy of respect are guys who carry guns and know how to use them; i.e. the low-lives amongst us.
Speaking of which: In 2011, a misguided soul named Louis Ferrante, an ex-thug in the Gambino crime gang in NY, published a book called, Mob Rules: What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman. That he was taken seriously by the press – including a publishing firm – speaks volumes as to the media’s view of what Italian men have to offer. In fact, a crude quote from Ferrante mirrors this crude perception: “Some things never change for Italians: their love of art, architecture, opera, pasta, and cutting peoples’ balls off when they misbehave.”
The media should be cutting off people like Ferrante – or, currently, Michael Franzese, another ex-thug who initially became a born-again Christian but has since turned to the more lucrative business of exploiting his “Italian heritage” via YouTube mob videos and, as of late, opening a chain of pizzerias. Gardullo and Vaccaro, by being excellent, blend into the scenery. Ferrante and Franzese, by catering to stereotypes, are embraced as “Italian.” Go figure.
Too bad Lorraine Bracco’s witless, slow-talking Dr. Melfi on The Sopranos isn’t real, or even moderately intelligent. Perhaps she could do a ‘session’ with the media, prying their infatuation with linking Italian American men with amoral, anti-social behavior. It would be a solid first step toward some respect. -BDC
Bill, great article and pray that it reaches the printed media somehow. You are absolutely correct as to how we are portrayed and envisioned by the public. For many years, any and all attempts by the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy to meet with the leadership, CEO’s of the media stations and printed activities, has resulted in a nod of the head and merely “Well, we see it that way and it sells.” And another piece of this is that OUR people have never ever united fully in staying away from the programs and print media to hit them in the pocketbook. As for rallies and the like, how many…oftentimes only 6 people! Again and again, I thank the Italic Institute and appreciate the efforts over the years. Let us keep up the work, as it is endless!
Thank you, Joe, for your work, too, both then and now. We need leaders like you.
To borrow from my recent Bob Dylan piece, “The times, they are a-changin’.”
Alas, not fast enough. This process would speed up considerably if, as you say, our own people with “get with the program.” Self-respect, not only charity, begins at home.
Predictably American history has never “caught up” to the trumped up lynching of Sicilian Americans in 1891 New Orleans, the only immigrant group willing to replace the work that freed slaves at that time refused to engage in. When our think tank and other responsible Italian Americans cite these injustices we are often accused of self-indulgence with the excuse that we have made it, and that we are robust enough to warrant what they consider great entertainment. Alas, their tunnel vision cannot perceive how insidious these images are, and certainly no other group who has “made it” would ever tolerate. Excellent piece, Bill!
Thanks! I would also bring up the Palmer Raids (1919), Sacco and Vanzetti (1927), and the WWII stigmatizing of Italians (1942). This isn’t “whining.” It’s simply part of our history.
As if to prove your point, I emailed an anchor at WGN-TV just a few days ago, asking why there was a lengthy interview with the director and actor of The Sopranos Sessions.
I noted the glaring obviousness of how a twenty-two year old image of Italian Americans (The Sopranos began in 1999) is still considered OK in the woke America of 2021.
The anchor’s literal reply: “I think news editors aren’t ‘sensitive’ to Italian Americans because they feel that discrimination is no longer an issue, whereas hate crimes against Blacks, Asians, and Jews still continue.” (Yes, he put ‘sensitive’ in quotes. Condescending!).
I replied that defamatory images of Italians as buffoons and thugs is a form of CULTURAL discrimination—a pernicious one, as it reinforces these already entrenched stereotypes.
The anchor still hasn’t gotten back to me.
You’re absolutely correct: The criteria for having “made it” in America should also be how one is also viewed by our fellow Americans (i.e., non-Italians). We ain’t there yet!
Bill: I would add the Tallulah lynching of 1899.
Many other Southern Italians were lynched in the South (which explains why Italians stopped emigrating to the South and stayed mostly in the North East).
I believe there have been 30 or so examples of Italian lynchings in the U.S.
Rent a copy of H. Heather Hartley’s 2004 documentary Linciati: The Lynchings of Italians in America. She notes cases in Colorado, Florida, Illinois and Mississippi.
Though nowhere near the 4,000 or so cases of African American lynchings, the terror experienced by Italians does point to how much more complex our history has been than other “white ethnics.” The Irish and Poles weren’t lynched. There was the single case of Leo Frank, a Jewish man accused of rape.
Thank you for the video recommendation.
On the same subject (racism against Italian immigrants), I would recommend “L’Orda” by Gian Antonio Stella. Not sure if it was ever translated in English. It was a best seller in Italy about fifteen years ago.