Publishers and Editors of Saint Augustine Record:
rhughes@aug.com, kbrannon@staugustine.com, 
recae@staugustine.com, jbaltzelle@staugustinerecord.com

The piece by Hansen Alexander, attached below, was forwarded to me.  
I wish to comment on that piece.

How is it that this man is an "expert" on Italian-Americans.....???????
How can an editor allow one of his writers to publish a piece of prejudiced
nonsense such as this?????

The piece is outright disgusting....

ONE example:
Alexander writes:
> In a disturbing paradox, polls also show that Italian-Americans are
> the least trusted ethnic group to serve in leadership positions. That
> no doubt reflects the taint of the Mafia and is an unfair prejudice.
> But strategists of both major U.S. parties admit privately that they
> do not believe that an Italian-American, particularly one from the
> Northeast, could be elected president of the United States. And that
> is why many political analysts believe former New York Governor Mario
> Cuomo dropped out of the 1992 New Hampshire Primary literally hours
> before the filing deadline.
>
 He says, this is NO DOUBT, a reflection of the taint.....  Yes, indeed, it
IS a reflection of the taint.

But then he goes on with,
BUT, as if the disjunctive BUT has anything to do with the validity of the
taint....
The point should be, because of the unfair prejudice produced by the
constant presentation of Italian-Americans as goons and buffoons, any smart
politician would never back an Italian-American for a major elected office.

SECOND Example:
> It is no accident that the great theoretical tract of Italian
> politics, Machiavelli's The Prince, is advice to rulers on executive
> action, not a polemic on democratic cooperation. Italian statesmen
> and Italian-American statesmen tend to make good leaders in positions
> where they can use their creativity and imagination to make tough
> decisions on their own.

Why does he bring in Machiavelli (did he ever read Machiavelli, or is he
simply taking the Anglo generated negative view of Machiavelli as a given)??
What does Machiavelli have to do with Italian-Americans???

THIRD Example:
This paragraph is a model of illogic and nonsense:
> They do not shine, however, in situations where leadership requires
> building a collegial consensus. For example, there has never been a
> speaker of the House or Senate majority leader of Italian heritage.
> Watergate produced New Jersey's Peter Rodino, who presided in
> impressive fashion over the House Judiciary Committee. But the other
> prominent Italian-American of the era, Judge John Sirica, served in
> more typical fashion as a federal judge in several trials of White
> House defendants.

In a previous paragraph he tells us about unfair prejudice and the
hesitation to promote Italian-Americans into elected leadership positions,
then he tells us that Italian-Americans don't shine in consensus building
situations. How can they if they are not put into positions to do so?????
Aside from his illogic, he simply is totally off the wall.  He just doesn't
know the subject he is addressing...
Let me name a few people he should read about -- Vito Marcantonio, Joseph
Aliotto, Albert Rosellini, Henry Suzzallo, Robert Mondavi (who built, almost
single-handedly, a positive consensus about the wines of California), Henry
Mancini (who built a long-lasting consensus about background music in movies
and drama), Frank Sinatra (who built a total consensus on how popular song
should be delivered and enjoyed), etc, etc.

FOURTH Example:
This is totally a totally insulting overgeneralization:
> Italians tend to be good speakers and good writers who are not
> bashful about extolling their own talents. They have trouble
> adjusting to the American political tradition of dumbing down. And
> they do not hesitate to put their Italian customs on a higher plane
> than more recent democratic traditions.

He should give me an example!!!  Like who????  Give me one example of an
Italian American who is a good speaker and/or a good writer who is not
bashful about extolling his own talent.  Then, he has the temerity, the lack
of shame, the inability to be, at least, politically correct -- He not only
fails to give any examples, he used the generic "they."  Is this, or isn't
this sick prejudice.... childish, inane, ignorant????
"THEY" have trouble dumbing down.

And, outright insulting . . . .  devastatingly so -- "THEY" put "THEIR"
Italian customs on a higher plane than more recent democratic traditions."

I ask, again, how can an editor have allowed this kind of slander against a
whole group to have been published in his/her newspaper?

I had better stop, before I have another aortic dissection.....

                                    Disgusted.....
                                                Jim Mancuso
= . = . = . = . = . = . = . = . = . = . = .. = . = . = . = .= . = . =
Emeritus Prof. of Psychology         15 Oakwood Place
Department of Psychology             Delmar, New York    12054
Univ. at Albany  SUNY                    (518) 439-4416
Albany, NY 12222
http://www.capital.net/~soialban    http://www.capital.net/~mancusoj
Italian-Amer.interests site               Personal Construct Psychol. site
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