Sopranos tonight!!

[Berwyn Patsy]

All you Tony, Carmella, and etc. fans, tonight 8:00 P.M. the start of the last episodes of my favorite T.V. show next to American Idol and Dancing with the Stars!!
Any bets on how it will all end?

[Matryoshka]

All you Tony, Carmella, and etc. fans, tonight 8:00 P.M. the start of the last episodes of my favorite T.V. show...
...Any bets on how it will all end?

It's my fave too...the only reason (other than the food channel, of course) to have Comcast

[Curious George]

What a shame, that people watch a show that denigrates Americans of Italian descent!!!!  If a show was depicting Jewish people or Muslims or Americans of Africans descent or Mexicans, the way  this show depicts Italians, the media would be all over it like a cheap suit and would be screaming DISCRIMINATION!!!!

As an AMERICAN of ITALIAN descent, I find this show very offensive to the great history my people have given to this country and the world.  Think of all the great Americans of Italian descent.

Enrico Fermi
Mario Cuomo
Rudy Guilianni
Joe DiMaggio (one of the greatest ballplayers of all time)
Frank Sinatra
Tony Bennett
Fiorello LaGuardia

and so many more.......

We need to see more positive images of Americans of Italian descent rather than a small criminal element.

[Matryoshka]

What a shame, that people watch a show that denigrates Americans of Italian descent!!!!  If a show was depicting Jewish people or Muslims or Americans of Africans descent or Mexicans, the way  this show depicts Italians, the media would be all over it like a cheap suit and would be screaming DISCRIMINATION!!!!

As an AMERICAN of ITALIAN descent, I find this show very offensive to the great history my people have given to this country and the world.  Think of all the great Americans of Italian descent.

Enrico Fermi
Mario Cuomo
Rudy Guilianni
Joe DiMaggio (one of the greatest ballplayers of all time)
Frank Sinatra
Tony Bennett
Fiorello LaGuardia

and so many more.......

We need to see more positive images of Americans of Italian descent rather than a small criminal element.

Giuliani...just HOW Italian are you?...

I don't take offense to anyone who makes fun of/puts down my heritage...whatever tf my heritage may be (I'm a mutt)...I have the pride and knowledge to realize that someone else's take on a stereo-type may or may not be true, and the sense of humor to be able to laugh at certain things about my own ethnicity (ies), however true or false the generalizations may be

[P-PANTHER a/k/a La Pantera]

Boy Rita, I guess I'd have to be mighty PO'd at the producers of My Big Fat Greek Wedding then. LOL!!!!

Although the show doesn't depict my own in a criminal element, nonehteless it IS based on stereotypes. In any event, I did get a BIG laugh out of it.

[OakParkSpartan]

And for all us Irish out there, how about that dumb assed leprechaun over at Notre Dame?

Cheers,
Brian

[P-PANTHER a/k/a La Pantera]

How about that goofy Spartan at MSU???

LOL!!!

[OakParkSpartan]

How about that goofy Spartan at MSU???

LOL!!!

Hey, be nice!

[Bear]

And for all us Irish out there, how about that dumb assed leprechaun over at Notre Dame?

Cheers,
Brian

Very dumb, the Chief at Illinois had class, and look what they did to him.

My dislike for Notre Dame runs deep....Arrogant asshats to say the least. Any ND grad I have met
always makes a point of saying they went there, and they are always people I would not trust to tie
my shoelace.

It always made me think of the Randy Newman song Rednecks, on his take of the arrogance of LSU...

"Went in dumb, come out dumb too"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q7I1wtPUOtM

[Bonster]

Boy Rita, I guess I'd have to be mighty PO'd at the producers of My Big Fat Greek Wedding then. LOL!!!!

Although the show doesn't depict my own in a criminal element, nonehteless it IS based on stereotypes. In any event, I did get a BIG laugh out of it.

LOL!  My favorite line from that movie has been my sig for the last week or two!

[Curious George]

We need to see more positive images of Americans of Italian descent rather than a small criminal element.

I don't take offense to anyone who makes fun of/puts down my heritage...whatever tf my heritage may be (I'm a mutt)...I have the pride and knowledge to realize that someone else's take on a stereo-type may or may not be true, and the sense of humor to be able to laugh at certain things about my own ethnicity (ies), however true or false the generalizations may be

Rita- the point I was trying to make was, why not show positive images of Americans of Italian heritage instead of the age old Hollywood stereotype of Italians as mobsters.  IMHO, there is nothing laughable about the Sopranos or the Godfather trilogy nor Goodfellas or any other movie that depicts Americans of Italian heritage in a non-positive role.

If anybody has ever seen the movie "The Big Night" that is a positive image of Italian-Americans, (changed it this time because they were brothers who were born in Italy and came to America). Just one example
Did you know that when Disney made the Aladdin cartoon a few years ago, the Arab-Americans screamed bloody murder about the lyrics in the song because it said something about being bloodthirsty?  Disney remade the song and bowed to pressure.
When Americans of Italian heritage question or complain about their own heritage being depicted in a non-positve manner, we are told to calm down and don't be so sensitive.

I say BASTA!!!!

[Curious George]

Boy Rita, I guess I'd have to be mighty PO'd at the producers of My Big Fat Greek Wedding then. LOL!!!!

Although the show doesn't depict my own in a criminal element, nonehteless it IS based on stereotypes. In any event, I did get a BIG laugh out of it.

Point well taken Panther.  It did not depict the Greek people in a criminal element. (Uncle Gus Alex) And yes was it stereotyping, absolutely!  But it was written by a Greek who was making light of funny situations in her life.  Your wedding was probably not too different from my own brothers wedding, right? Or any different from some Italian weddings.  It was fun and funny!  Not degrading or depicting just criminal elements.

[mustang54]

And for all us Irish out there, how about that dumb assed leprechaun over at Notre Dame?

Cheers,
Brian

Very dumb, the Chief at Illinois had class, and look what they did to him.

My dislike for Notre Dame runs deep....Arrogant asshats to say the least. Any ND grad I have met
always makes a point of saying they went there, and they are always people I would not trust to tie
my shoelace.

It always made me think of the Randy Newman song Rednecks, on his take of the arrogance of LSU...

"Went in dumb, come out dumb too"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q7I1wtPUOtM

You are right as rain Bear about ND grads. I was thinking about the Illini mascot when I watched the frozen four and nobody said boo about the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota. Tired of all this political correctness crap.

[Curious George]

Not to beat a dead horse, but please check out the site I am providing for a quick insight into how Americans of Italian descent feel about being stereotyped.

http://www.jccia.com/antidef.htm

It is a quick article written by a friend of mine for the FRA NOI an Italian-American newspaper based in Stone Park, Illinois.

[P-PANTHER a/k/a La Pantera]

Boy Rita, I guess I'd have to be mighty PO'd at the producers of My Big Fat Greek Wedding then. LOL!!!!

Although the show doesn't depict my own in a criminal element, nonehteless it IS based on stereotypes. In any event, I did get a BIG laugh out of it.

Point well taken Panther.  It did not depict the Greek people in a criminal element. (Uncle Gus Alex) And yes was it stereotyping, absolutely!  But it was written by a Greek who was making light of funny situations in her life.  Your wedding was probably not too different from my own brothers wedding, right? Or any different from some Italian weddings.  It was fun and funny!  Not degrading or depicting just criminal elements.

George,

I don't think anybody with even half a brain thinks all Italians are gangsters. Most sensible minded people realize the movie is about a fictional Mafia family. The fact that they're Italian is secondary in nature.

You are right thought, there is a stereotypical image of the Italian American and I guess those of us non-Italians should be sensitive to it, especially since said image involves a certain degree of unlawfulness.

the above being said, I do not take offense to most stereotypical depictions of Greeks, but I was offended at Nia Vardalos' lamb roast scene in the front yard. Anybody who has ever been to a Greek home here in the States knows the lamb roast takes place in the BACK yard!!!

LOL!!!  

[Curious George]

Panther, been there, done that.  Remember the ones on Ridgeland Ave too!  Did you read John Kass column today regarding his Easter tradition?  He was roasting a lamb in the garage today because of the cold weather.

[OakParkSpartan]

Mustang,

Check this letter out...it is a good read.

http://www.und.edu/president/html/statements/NCAAletter.html


Hmm...State of ND suing the NCAA...

http://www.und.edu/president/html/statements/ncaa.html

[Berwyn Patsy]

I think most people of any descent do not like to be stereotyped every single moment or for every single trait of their background, but lighten up here, it's a T.V. program . There have been many like it , and I am sure there will be many more to come.
Our very different backgrounds, and cultures, good or bad are what the world is all about.
One of the things I always loved about my life, was I am all Irish by nationality, but had been blessed to be adopted by a Polish family.  I could be Polish or Irish on any given day and see the humor in a ethnic joke and not be terribly offended. But then that's just me and how I look at things.  We are all different.
Getting back to the original thread of the Sopranos, I was surprised to see Bobbie whack his first.

[mustang54]

Mustang,

Check this letter out...it is a good read.

http://www.und.edu/president/html/statements/NCAAletter.html


Hmm...State of ND suing the NCAA...

http://www.und.edu/president/html/statements/ncaa.html

Thanks Bri, excellent stuff!

[Curious George]

I think most people of any descent do not like to be stereotyped every single moment or for every single trait of their background, but lighten up here, it's a T.V. program . There have been many like it , and I am sure there will be many more to come.

Patsy, therein lies the problem that most Americans of Italian descent have with this TV program.  We seem to be stereotyped every single moment on every single TV show.  You made my point by saying "lighten up here".  We are always told to lighten up.  If there was a show about Jewish people taking advantage of others because of their "shrewd" business sense and all the characters had big noses and sounded like they were from New York, wouldn't the Anti Defamation League go crazy and demand the show be pulled?  Don Imus, who I personally think is an idiot made a very stupid remark and look at the uproar that is causing.  Americans of Arab  and/or Palestinian descent are now worried about being profiled because of 9-11.  

I understand the fascnination about Italians, ( happens when you are the greatest group of people the earth has ever seen or known-ok Greeks too) but sometimes enough is enough.

BASTA!!!

Hope you all had a Happy Easter!!!!