Franco Giannotti: Here is the rebuttal of Marianne Peri Sack, the "Il 
Pensiero" writer and editor that Mr. Tamboli refers to in the article titled 
'Enough is Enough'. I applaud Marianne for her candid and wise remarks.

[RAA Note: Mr. Tamboli had amazingly suggested that the Italian American 
community continue the soundly and long since discredited attitude of  "ignoring" 
I-A Defamation. 

Not the Jews, Blacks, or any other successful group, ignores defamation or 
embraces a "passive" and/or "do nothing" approach. Tamboli's comments defy 
Logic and Civics 101. ] 

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THE SOPRANOS HIT SOUR NOTE WITH MANY ITALIANS
By Marianne Peri Sack

    In answer to my esteemed colleague Vito Tamboli’s recent column  “Enough
is Enough”, I feel obligated to point out a few facts.  In his article he
took exception to a letter that was written by Rev. Andrew Greeley and
published in the Il Pensiero.  The priest, author and sociologist stated
that the vulgarity and violence of the popular program The Sopranos unjustly
stereotyped the Italian people.

   First, I was raised by a mother, wise beyond her formal education, who
often used proverbs to emphasize her teachings.   One of these is “If you
throw a rock at everyone that comes by you won’t have any rocks left.”  I
took this to mean that I should save my ammunition for the big fights and
not nitpick.

    I agree that to argue over every little thing is counter-productive; but
I cannot agree that ignoring the issue entirely can possibly bring about
change.  I don’t know if I am wise enough to always determine when I should
be silent and when I should speak out.  If someone markets a Teddy Bear
dressed in a pinstriped suit named Guido, it is of little concern to me.
Most Italians have a good sense of humor; but when anyone actually defames
my heritage, it is time to throw a few rocks.

    The Sopranos goes way beyond bad taste and no ethnic group would want to
be associated with its characters.  It insults me as an Italian, as a
Catholic and as an American.  The media calls it the greatest American pop
culture in 25 years.  To not speak against it would be to condone it in my
humble opinion.

    I agree that it is more productive for the Italian people to emphasize
the many positive things about our culture than to spend all of our time
complaining.  This is the best way to combat the negative.  The Il Pensiero
has strived for years to accomplish this by reporting on the wonderful
activities of our many Italian-American organizations, by feature stories
like “Italian of the Month”, by spreading little known facts about our
heritage under “Did You Know” and by numerous other articles, etc.
Unfortunately, that is not enough.

    National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), UNICO National, Sons of
Italy, Fieri National, Italic Studies and other large Italian organizations
all have units dedicated to anti-defamation of the Italian people.  They
work together under the One Voice Committee.  Personally, I am a proud
member of the UNICO Anti-bias Committee.  Members are asked to send letters,
e-mails, etc. and present our case in a reasonable but not in a rude manner.
They have had some measure of success in having abusive ads/programs cease
and have even gotten apologies from offenders who did not realize how their
actions have insulted the Italian people.  These organizations spend a great
deal of time spreading the word on many positive issues concerning the
Italian people and I have used some of the material for articles; for
example, “How the town of Bari, Italy, donated $500,000 to an old church
damaged on September 11 at the World Trade Center” and the article on war
hero Rocky Versace in this issue.

    A recent national survey on American teen-agers and stereotyping
revealed that when asked specifically to identify the role a character of
Italian background would be most likely to have in a movie or on television,
44% stated “crime boss”.  Surveys have indicated that it is more difficult
for an Italian to be elected to a public office than other ethnic groups
because they are perceived as being dishonest.  Let us be grateful that New
York City overcame those odds and had Rudy Giuliani to lead them in this
country’s darkest hour.

    Many non-Italians believe that The Sopranos is vulgar, violent and
defames Italians.  They believe we should complain.  On one episode of the
program, the “F” word was used 256 times.  Actress Edie Falco (Mrs.Soprano)
was invited to appear on Sesame Street, believe it or not.  My question is,
why don’t more people of all ethnic backgrounds complain about this program?

    Father Andrew Greeley is a  priest, a noted author, and a sociologist –
a man well trained in how certain actions have a negative impact on groups
of people.  When he states, “ Sopranos is non fit for public consumption”, I
say “Amen” as do thousands of others.
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