THE MAFIA or How To Be Well Connected in Italian Circles
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- gret
- pauladamiano
- kedito
- pauladamiano
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» gret - Mafia? Maybe back east, or remaining in Sicilia.
Hi, Paula,As an Italophile who lived in Italy, in Manhattan, and most of my life in California, I must speak out. In northern California, most of the original immigrant Italians were northern, and they came for the opportunity to get away from political unrest as well as because of the chance to obtain land. The Gold Rush provided another attraction. There were no Mafiosi here in California until the "second wave" arrived, mostly in the urban areas of the East Coast, and mostly around 1900. Some of them came out here to California then, but that was long after the original Italian settlers. Now, it seems to me that all Italians and Italo-Americans are painted with that broad "mafia" brush, mostly because it is sensationalistic, I guess. In my experience, Italians would not make very exciting movie or TV fodder - family-oriented, fun-loving, and generally just good people. Who would want to make a movie of settlers carving out new farms and ranches in California, or planting the first vineyards and orchards, or starting bakeries and restaurants and going to work all the time, and teaching their kids to be responsible citizens? Too boring for movies & TV.
But this is the actual majority of the cases in the mid-1800s and also around 1900. The Mafia was/is a minority who have made interesting copy.
Too bad! I hope you can get into the real culture of Italians! It is many centuries old - even millennia, and is wonderful and rich. My former husband, a Roman, couldn't understand why people would smirk and say "mafia" when he was around. I didn't, either. I have not, nor will I watch those exploitative Hollywood productions! What did Brunelleschi and Galileo and Michelangelo and Donatello & countless other Italians do for their country - and the world? So many wonderful artists and craftsmen, and writers. So many timeless contributions to the betterment of us all... and people call Italians i mafiosi...
Ma, tanti auguri, and on to the Italian culture!
(for a little idea, go to: http://www.vps.it/)
Cari saluti,
-- posted by gret
» pauladamiano - Re: Mafia? Maybe back east, or remaining in Sicilia.
In response to message posted by gret:Thank you for taking the time to comment on my article. I agree: there's more to Italian and Italian-American culture than the Mafia. Just like there's more to Russian culture than Rasputin. And more to Indian culture than the Kama Sutra. But as you pointed out, "family-oriented, fun-loving, and generally just good people" don't make interesting copy. And NOT mentioning the mob would put me in the same group as J. Edgar Hoover et al. and his classic denial that the organization didn't exist. I'll be covering other aspects of Italian culture like art and food in future columns. Please stop by again, and thank you for your tanti auguri (many good wishes).
-- posted by pauladamiano
» kedito - Welcome
Hi Paula,I enjoyed your article and look forward to more!
Another Italian,
Karen Dito
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/danc...
-- posted by kedito
» pauladamiano - Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by -- and for your welcoming words.-- posted by pauladamiano
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