Wednesday,
November 08, 2006
Italian "Mob" Stereotypes to
Overwhelm "Impressionable" 12-15 year olds in
The ANNOTICO Report
Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, Illinois (60 miles west of Chicago) will be presenting a play entitled Fuggedaboudit, subtitled a little mobster comedy, that will be performed by the Bada Bing Players for the schools children and their parents Nov. 17 & 18th.
Apparently inspired by
the HBO series, "The Sopranos", the play's plot involves
characters with ITALIAN last names who are Mobsters running an ITALIAN
restaurant while under surveillance by the FBI. They speak ungrammatical
English with heavy
Anthony Baratta , president of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, OSIAs state chapter, said We find this play offensive, And we intend to give our full support to the parents and students who OBJECT to it. We will NOT GIVE UP until these performances are cancelled.
What is MOST Disconcerting is that the OSIA's National Headquarters protests to the school principal and the district school superintendent were RUDELY DISMISSED!!!!!.
The CSJ (Commission for Social Justice) and OSIA are stunned by the inappropriateness of the school officials response, De Napoli says. They surely would not allow Mr. Myers to put on a black-face Minstrel Show or a play that denigrated American Indians, Latinos or Jewish Americans, he says. Why is it acceptable to cast characters of Italian heritage in such an unflattering light and present them to impressionable children?
I say, it is Unacceptable that Bigotry be accepted in the Adult Commercial Market!!! But it is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE for BIGOTRY be TAUGHT in our Schools!!! .........This is Outrageous!!!!!!!
What Next??? Matthew Myers writing and producing a play called "Get the Gelt" featuring a hook nose Jew and his Hasidic brethren, figuring out how to best cheat the Goy? As an Italian Jew, he could then Insult me Twice!!!!!!
You
may make your sentiments known to the School Principal
Donald McKinney and the
In a Message from Dona DeSanctis, Deputy Executive Director of the Sons of
As you see from the attached press
release we sent out today, there is a school in
Please take just a minute to add your voice to ours by sending an email to both these officials at the addresses below.
Please identify yourself as "a concerned parent", if that is the case, or as one who is opposed to bigotry, if that is the case, and and briefly tell them why you think a play about mafiosi in the SCHOOL is wrong.
School Principal Donald McKinney: don.mckinney@bps101.net
Sons of
Stereotypes
Italian Americans
Washington, DC-- November 7,
2006 A play to be performed at the Rotolo Middle
School this month stereotypes Italian Americans and is most
inappropriate entertainment for children, charges the Sons of Italy
Commission for Social Justice (CSJ), the anti-defamation arm of the Order
Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the oldest and largest Italian
American organization in the United States.
The play, entitled Fuggedaboudit, subtitled a little
mobster comedy, will be performed by the Bada Bing Players to the schools children
and their parents Nov. 17 and 18th. It was written by Matthew Myers who teaches drama an d! communications at the school.
Apparently inspired by the HBO
series, The Sopranos , the plays
plot involves characters with Italian last names who are mobsters running
an Italian restaurant while under surveillance by the FBI.
They speak ungrammatical English with heavy
In early October, a concerned
parent whose child attends the school sent a
copy of the play to OSIAs national headquarters in
In response both Drs. McKinney
and Barshinger denied that the play stereotyped Italian Americans
and confirmed that it would be performed. Dr. Barshinger said that the parent involved should
schedule a conflict resolution meeting with the
teacher, Matt Myers.
Bot h! officials
also noted that since this is a local issue they would rather
hear from local parents instead of an organization in
We do not understand why
they give greater weight to the complaints of
local people than to the biggest Italian American organization
in the country, says CSJ President Albert De Napoli, Esq.
Would they ignore a complaint from
the NAACP or the Jewish Anti- Defamation League? Ethnic stereotyping is unacceptable no matter who complains about it,
he says.
The CSJ and OSIA are
stunned by the inappropriateness of
the school officials response, De &n b! sp;Napoli says. They surely would not
allow Mr. Myers to put on a black-face Minstrel
Show or a play that denigrated American Indians, Latinos or Jewish
Americans, he says. Why is it acceptable to cast characters of Italian heritage in such an
unflattering light and present them to impressionable children?
In an Oct. 18 letter to both
Drs. Barshinger and
The CSJ requests that the
documentary be shown at a full faculty meeting of the Rotolo
School as well as to the students and will provide the school with a
copy.
We find this play
offensive, says Anthony Baratta , president of the Grand Lodge of
Illinois, OSIAs state chapter. And we intend to give our full support to the parents and students who object to
it. We will not give up until these performances are
cancelled, Baratta says.
Want
to add your voice to ours? Email Superintendent
of schools in
The
ANNOTICO Reports
Can
be Viewed, and are Archived at:
Italia
USA: http://www.ItaliaUSA.com (Formerly Italy
at St Louis)
Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net