The "Shark Tale" Protest is getting enormous coverage. I spend a great deal of time reading the flood of articles expressing the Italian communities outrage.
So often, those articles also include the
reactions of the "clueless".
But only when they say things particularly
stupid, will I comment.
Below are Stupid #1 Connie Sielicki, and Stupid #2 Prof. Moeller:
Stupid #1 Connie Sielicki:
Connie works at a Catholic Book store,
SO how would she feel if Catholic Priests were Consistently portrayed as
Pedophiles. Would she suggest having a thick skin, and a good sense of
humor????
Connie admits that: "Italians are always portrayed as having some connection to the Mafia,"... "People just assume. What are you gonna do"?
Connie (Spaghetti for Brains), did you
ever think of refuting, or disputing???
What if someone said you were "puttana"?
You merely say, What are you gonna do?
Stupid #2 Prof. Moeller: an "Egghead",
who is of the "If Pigs could Fly" school,
[Who hadn't seen the Movie!!!] actually
suggests that any negative impacts will be "tempered" (NOT negated by)
"good parenting".
"Good Parenting" which "naturally" includes Parents having an intellectual discussion with their children, about EACH and EVERY Movie AND TV show that their Kids watch. Not only those with Negative Stereotypes, but those with Sex, Violence, and Toilet Humor (South Park). Those parents also discuss the lyrics to all the Music their Kids listen to, in order to counteract the misogynist, anti social behavior encouraged. Right?????
The "Egghead" comments on only ONE movie, and completely ignores the PERVASIVE PATTERN of Italian Negative Stereotyping. How Myopic is that???
Prof. "Egghead" also naively thinks teachers
and parents "teach" their kids morality, when MOST kids spend more time
watching Movies/TV, and on the Internet and playing Video games than the
Combination of time spent in School or with Parents!!!
( I won't even mention whether "Peer Pressure"
trumps School and Parents:)
Is Prof Egghead familiar with "The Sopranos",
"Growing Up Gotti", "Family Bonds"
all currently on the TV screen contemporaneously,
with the movie "Shark Tale".
When have ANY people been subjected to such a tirade of vituperation???
Is it any wonder, that so many Italians "submerge", and do not want to identify with such a villified ethnicity??
Does the animated
kids' film 'Shark Tale' villify Italian-Americans?Featured
Advertiser
Fredericksburg-The
Free Lance-Star
By Michael Zitz
10/22/2004
Lawrence Auriana is so mad about what he sees as ethnic stereotyping in the hit animated film "Shark Tale" that he wants to whack Robert De Niro--or at least put a contract on the actor's ego...
Auriana, president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation in New York, said yesterday in a telephone interview that "Shark Tale" is causing millions of American children to believe anyone with an Italian-sounding name is a gangster.
Auriana has asked Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to nix plans to make De Niro an honorary Italian citizen.
He says the legendary actor doesn't deserve the honor because he has made a career of playing Italian-American Mafia heavies--including a cartoon fish baddie in this film.
He said several major Italian-American organizations have contacted Berlusconi to lobby against the De Niro ceremony--which has been postponed indefinitely...
Now, Auriana maintains that the ceremony will never happen because complaints have "resonated" with the Italian government...
Auriana argues: "'Shark Tale' is a cartoon movie for children that stereotypes Italian-Americans as gangster sharks--that's pretty clear."
He said no similar efforts have been made to protest previous Mafia films, but, "this movie really crosses the line because it's aimed at children."...
Italian-American phrases and slang such as "capeesh" (get it?) and "agita" (acid indigestion) are used by shark Mafioso types.
"It's amazing," Auriana said. "It's a uniquely damaging movie for children, and De Niro's a major player."
Thomas G. Moeller, a professor of psychology at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, said he hasn't seen the movie, but doubts it would have any lasting negative impact when tempered by good parenting.
"I think I would be concerned about how parents deal with the movie if they do choose to let their children watch it," Moeller said. "I think this or any other movie can be a positive learning experience if parents and children talk about the issues raised in the movie after they see it."
And Connie Sielicki, an Italian-American who runs Christ the King Catholic bookstore in Spotsylvania County, snorted at the idea that the public needs to be protected from stereotypes.
"At least they have an Italian playing an Italian part," Sielicki said about De Niro's "godfather" shark.
"Italians are always portrayed as having some connection to the Mafia," the transplanted Union, N.J., native said. "People just assume. What are you gonna do?"
If it was another culture, they would be complaining," Sielicki said. "But Italians have a good sense of humor."
Italians are also mentally tough, she said.
"We're not worried about kids," she said. "Kids are gonna say things. It's life, you know?"
But Auriana said Dreamworks honcho Steven Spielberg is a hypocrite. He pointed out a March 9 New York Times story in which Spielberg said: "We are in a race against time for the conscious mind of young people" and need to teach them "the dangers of stereotyping ."...
Italian-Americans make up one of the nation's biggest ethnic groups behind those of German and Irish descent. According to figures from the 2000 U.S. Census, of the 281 million Americans, some 13 million, or 5.6 percent, are of Italian ancestry.
To reach MICHAEL ZITZ: 540/374-5408 mikez@freelancestar.com
Fredericksburg.com
- 'Shark Tale' stirs ethnic controversy
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/
FLS/2004/102004/10222004/1542067
The Annotico Report can be viewed at:
Parliamo
- The Annotico Report
http://www.italiamia.com/cgi-local/
yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=annotico
AND
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