Wednesday,
June 06, 2007
The
ANNOTICO Report
The occasion was a
Mayors Gala, the $150-plate,Charity fundraiser that pulled in more than
$155,000 by paying tribute to Hamilton
The evening featured
Eisenberger roasting his predecessors, so from that
perspective he was looking to be funny and irreverent.
However, days
after Eisenberger joined the rest of city council for
a three-hour sensitivity workshop, he stood in front
of several hundred people and made Italian
mobster jokes at former
mayor Larry Di Ianni
To
the credit of the audience, and perhaps being representative of
Unanimously
the attendees thought Eisenberger comments were not
only "inappropriate
stereotype and slur." but something Italo-Canadians have fought against for decades since they
first arrived as new immigrants to this country and, particularly, to our
community."
Why
do Canadians get it, and Americans seem so dense?? I
The
By Andrew Dreschel
June 6, 2007
It looks as if
Mayor Fred Eisenberger may need some remedial
sensitivity training.
Days after Eisenberger joined the rest of city council for a
three-hour sensitivity workshop, he stood in front of
several hundred people and made Italian mobster jokes at former mayor Larry Di Ianni
Besides moans,
groans, and dropped jaws, the mayor
Eisenberger say he
"It
The occasion was
last Friday
Besides dinner
and performances by local music groups, the evening featured Eisenberger roasting his predecessors, a performance which
would have been distinguished only by its flatness had it not been for the
targeting of Di Ianni with ethnic stereotypes.
Di Ianni, who was born in
Twice Eisenberger dredged up disparaging cliches
about Italians and organized crime.
The first was a
brief Godfather-like impersonation of Di Ianni
intimidating the provincial government into giving
The other was the
suggestion Di Ianni should use The Sopranos theme
song for his campaign anthem when he runs in the next federal election as
Liberal candidate in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek.
In an interview,
Di Ianni said even by the rules of a roast, where
people are supposed to bleed a little, Eisenberger
"The whole
stereotyping of people based on their heritage, their ethnic background, or
their colour is just not appropriate or becoming of
anyone, let alone someone who is a community leader," said Di Ianni.
He believes Eisenberger meant no harm, but he still wants to talk to
him about it.
"I think the
message I will have for him is ethnic stereotyping is a form of racism and even
if you don
Councillor Tom Jackson, one of a
handful of city councillors who attended the event,
was also taken aback.
He doesn
"I felt it
was not only inappropriate but something Italo-Canadians
have fought against for decades since they first arrived as new immigrants to
this country and, particularly, to our community."
Hamilton East New
Democrat MPP Andrea Horwath says jaws dropped at her
table and surrounding ones. In her view, Eisenberger
She thinks the
incident was particularly unfortunate given the good work Di Ianni and his
predecessor Wade did building relationships between cultures and ethnic groups
through Strengthening Hamilton
In his defence, Eisenberger points out he also took some pokes at his own Dutch heritage. He was
born in
"It was a
roast so from that perspective we were looking to be funny and maybe a little
irreverent, but certainly not offensive.
"If anyone
took it that way, I would say that wasn
According to Eisenberger, his material was put together and worked on
collectively by his office staff, but he made the final call.
If so, it was a
dumb one. Obviously Bernie Morelli isn
The difference is, it appears the mayor may need to take one or more of his
advisers with him.
Andrew Dreschel
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/
ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed and are Fully Archived
at:
Italia
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed at
Italia
Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com
Blogspot: http://annoticoreport.blogspot.com
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net