Introduction
The Italian culture has been coupled with a lot of stereotypes, some truth, generalization, and exaggeration of their character continue to dominate in the TV shows in America. In most cases, unjust stereotype negatively impacts the perception of the Italian people. This mainly occurs whenever there is negative ethnic publicity on a certain community. The continued stereotyping nature of the Sopranos show continued to hurt the Italian people ethnically. Italians are often portrayed as violent, dishonest, and as people who engage in organized crimes. The image, therefore, continues to affect the interaction between Italians and Americans.
Main body
The American people will in most cases fear associating themselves with the Italians due to their aggressive nature. The continued generalization of the Italian culture, therefore, continues to worsen integration even in the modern world. The mobster cultural perception describes the Italian people as violent and provocative (Campbell, 1998). As a result, people end up being scared to associate themselves with the Italians due to their aggressive nature. The mobster character depicts the Italians as people who can easily kill for personal gain. The stereotype also acknowledges violence which is not common and normal. It also severely tarnishes the image of the Italian communities making it hard for them to easily transact with other people (Italic Studies Institute, 2001). The dishonest perception which is portrayed by the media greatly reduces the trust bestowed on them. Majority of people whom by any chance must associate with the Italian exhibit extra care due to the misguided fear. At times people fear reporting an Italian to the authorities since they might avenge by killing them on discovery. The misguided fear also worsens the co-existence between the Italians and other American communities.
The role of media in Italian stereotyping has continued to impact many American citizens day by day. The influential power of the media distorts people’s perception towards the Italian-American people in American society (Campbell, R. (1998). The wide coverage of the media also shows the extent of influence the stereotypes extend. The TV shows should thus be discouraged to air misguided perceptions about a certain community considering their networking and influential power. The sopranos TV show has continued to impact negatively on the Italian-American communities even in recent times. The majority of the American people, therefore, view Italians as people who constantly likes feeding on Italian food specifically pasta. The mafias films exaggerate pasta consumption something that would even make someone wonder whether the Italians consume other foods. The Italian men are also exhibited as business lovers while their women are mainly concentrated in domestic chores.
Although the media intends to use the Italian stereotypes for entertainment purposes, their impact on society should be weighed. Only positive attributes should be used aired considering the influence of its impacts on people. But to effectively exercise its educative role, the use of violent stereotypes by the media offers some in-depth character that the community would rarely portray publicly. The continued use of such stereotypes at least link modern films to historical ones. It also enhances the current generation’s learning of their traditional culture and values (Italic Studies Institute). Likewise, the cultures explain the cultural roles of the Italian people. Although in the past the Italian-American people used to fear such stereotypes, the current generation has exhibited their absolute commitment to reverse the cultural trend. Their active involvement in the national development has improved people’s trust and faith among the Italians. The current generation also maintained a peaceful relationship with their counterparts as opposed to the violence stereotype. Although the building of reputation is not an easy task for them, their consistent determination has always assured them success. The American people have also come to understand that the media uses Italian stereotypes to market and entertaining films and programs. For instance, the three Italian- American stereotype characters in mafia films are just but some of the key marketing strategies for the film. The food, family, and violent character just show the Italian culture and not the reality. Similarly, cultural advancement and integration have significantly transformed the Italian culture to suit any other culture in the region.
Conclusion
Some Italian stereotypes depicted in mafia movies had some truth since the American people were suffering from a heightened crime rate in the region. The crime business was boosted by the increasing immigration of the Italian people into America in the early 20th century. The gangster character in the Italian communities has undergone some changes to suit the changing environment. About a century ago the Italian mobsters were depicted with poverty but this has transformed into wealthy gangsters in the current generation. Modern Italian gangsters drive expensive cars and live classic lifestyles as opposed to the ancient ones who used to live a poor and miserable lifestyle. This, therefore, shows us that the stereotypes are dynamic and that although they do not change completely, they adjust to suit the prevailing situations. The American people have therefore opted to interact well even with the violent and criminal Italian gangsters due to their wealthy status.
References
- Campbell, R. (1998). Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. New York: St. Martin’s Press
- Italic Studies Institute. (2001). Image Research Project: Italian Culture on Film. (1928-2001). New York: Italic Studies Institute