The stamp of Italy is unmistakable on Western Civilization. What institution has been as influential as the Catholic Church or the Roman Empire upon the West? Yet the depiction of Italian Americans in popular culture is often one of crude, uncultured knuckle-draggers.

The formula is a proven success for MTV: the Dog Brothers (actually Greeks?), the scally-capped Tommy, and Sabrina & Charlie (the latter famously threatened to "gut" a limo driver) have proven entertaining fare on the cable network at the expense of ethnic pride. The latest of MTV's anthropological fieldwork among Guido Americanus is The Jersey Shore. Viewers of the program get steroids, silicone, fake tans, and hair gel in abundance. Watch long enough and you might start to smell their cologne or catch a bad case of herpes.

The characters on the Jersey Shore all have nom de guidos: JWOWW, The Situation, Snooki, DJ Pauly D. The ladies of the beachhouse are prone to issuing pot-calling-the-kettle-black epithet accusations of "whore" to rival whores. The roided up gentlemen partake in nightly staredown rituals of unfamiliar roided up gentlemen in dance clubs that devolve into Taxi Driveresque shouts of "You looking at me!" On ocassion, the Guidos fight to determine the silverback ape; the Guidettes kiss each other to outwhore rival whores. Saturday Night Fever came out before these kids were born, and yet many of the dwellers in the Jersey Shore house pass for real-life versions of Saturday Night Fever characters minus the bell bottoms. The torch is always passed to a new generation of Guidos, apparently.

One suspects that the closest that Manhattan hipsters come to experiencing an America beyond their tiny island are their encounters with the Italian-American inhabitants of the boroughs, and the tri-state area, who pour into Big Apple nightclubs on the weekends. These Close Encounters of the Guido kind, one imagines, have not been pleasant for the MTV hipsters. Witnessing a pack of "Guidos" grinding on one's date in a dance club, or perhaps getting one-punched by a "Guido" overdosing on testosterone, must have sent MTV producers into passive-aggressive revenge mode. What better explains the network's vicious portrayal of Italians? These "Guidos" are the closest thing Manhattanites have to hicks, and they are condescended to accordingly.

We're entertained, but at the same time left wondering if MTV would craft a whole series upon stereotypes of Jews, blacks, or gays. The rules of political correctness, for whatever reason, don't cover Italian-Americans. The double standard is bad for society, but it's unclear if it would be better to vigilantly protect every group from unflattering portrayals or lighten up the prohibitions upon laughing at exaggerated versions of cultural representatives.

"Our intention was never to stereotype, discriminate, or offend," MTV contends in an Orwellianism whose translation reads: "Our sole intent was to stereotype, discriminate, and offend because it's good for ratings." Casting and editing can create any reality "reality television" seeks. Viewers of MTV's Jersey Shore might want to remember that the same culture that produced the program's fist-pumping, steroid-sculpted hedonists also gave the world Christopher Columbus, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Dante Alighieri.

Hi Daniel,

just precisely these thoughts crossed my mind within the last month: why are Italian migrants (to Canada in my case) treated in such a bigoted manner?

It's not that everyone assumes that people of Italian descent are in the mafia, these days.

But is there an example of a North American of italian descent being portrayed in any but a bad, stereotyped way?

Stereotypes aren't just made up out of thin air. In the case of the Italian-Americans, 90% of the ones I have come across are arrogant, Italian- flag waving jerks.

Italians are like candy. they taste good but aren't good for ya... or something like that.

*Stereotypes aren't just made up out of thin air. In the case of the Italian-Americans, 90% of the ones I have come across are arrogant, Italian- flag waving jerks.*

Ken, maybe you should get to know them.

They may get to know you, too, and think of you as other than a cold-mannered, money-grubbing, racist WASP.

Could not agree with you more my distant Mick cousin Flynn.

The contributions of the sons of Italy are enormous and in this country have enriched our American ingenuity and our culture.

What I will add to the notion that I.A.'s are stereotyped though is that often times they work at maintaining the illusion that it denotes.

I Have good friends of Italian @ncestry who are bright, educated people but who often revert to the model written about here. Not sure why. Identity connection maybe?

But, then again: I drink.

Budda-Bing!

R.B.:
I have gotten to know many of them very well. Even lived with one for a year in a 15x15 ft. dorm room. (The first thing he did on move in day was hang up an Italian flag and show me his tatoo of Italy.) My interactions with Italian Americans are more than just superficial, I have spent serious time with many. It is why I carry with me the stereotype I listed above.