 |
| Andrè DiMino |
Speaker Linda Stasi made some good points about the show “Jersey Shore.” Perhaps the most important thing she said was that to stop media outlets and advertisers from supporting anti-Italian stereotypes and slander you need to hit them where it hurts the most, their wallets. These entities care about profit, interfere with that and you get their attention. This is nothing that many of us haven’t said before, but coming from a familiar and “mainstream” public figure that message will reach more people.
She also read from her Dec. 10, 2010, column “Italian exec behind ‘Jersey Shore’”:
"('Jersey Shore' furthers) the popular TV notion that Italian-Americans are gel-haired, thuggish ignoramuses with fake tans, no manners, no diction, no taste, no education, no sexual discretion, no hairdressers (for sure), no real knowledge of Italian culture and no ambition beyond expanding steroid- and silicone-enhanced bodies," … "Would that programming ever have been allowed if the group were African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Jewish people?"
She also encouraged Italians to contact and link up with the anti-defamation organizations of other racial and ethnic groups and get them to support our cause. This sounds logical, but the reality is that if these aggressive and influential groups truly cared about anti-Italian discrimination, then MTV would have already pulled their offensive show off the air. There might be some effort that I am unaware of, but as far as I know only Italian ethnic organizations have taken any interest in stopping the latest defamation of Italians.
 |
| Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa |
Other ethnic groups are not going to do our fighting for us; the cavalry isn’t coming. If we are unwilling to defend ourselves then we cannot expect others to stand by us, or respect us.
The second speaker was more in tune with this perspective. Andrè DiMino, the UNICO National President was well spoken and very clear about his organization’s position and goals. I could not have been more impressed.
He didn’t just focus on MTV’s derogatory “Jersey Shore.” He brought to light several other recent instances of Italian defamation, illustrated how this has been an ongoing problem for generations, and how UNICO National was formed 88 years ago to fight against it and promote a positive view of Italians and their culture.
One of the many points he made was how a negative stereotype of Italians could affect a young adult on a job application or interview. Some people may not take this seriously, but it happened to someone close to me and I assure you that it is very real. As Dr. Scelsa stated, perspective affects everything. If people believe a negative stereotype about you then they will treat you accordingly.
I personally feel that this concept can be applied to other things as well: if people don’t think that you’ll defend yourself, then they will bully you. Bullies like their victims to be helpless, they like them to beg, they avoid people who fight back. UNICO National refuses to be bullied. The point is not just about defending Italians against defamation, it is to make people understand that we will not tolerate it. The more people understand this the less they will attempt to disparage us.
Entirely too many people have gotten so used to being abused that they see fighting back as something wrong. Well, it isn’t wrong, it’s normal and when other groups of people do it they are praised for it. We can take a lesson from them. It was mentioned that UNICO National doesn’t just dwell on the negative things, that they also promote a positive image of Italians and their culture. I must say that defending your people and culture against defamation is a positive thing, not a negative one. So the way I see it, everything I learned about UNICO National during this event was positive.
Dr. Scelsa said it best: “If you don’t fight the negative people will not listen to the positive.” UNICO National does both, and I’m happy that they do.
~ Submitted by Lucian
