do you think you're italian?

[bokura]

Hi everyone ^__^

I would like to share with you my point of view:

All the people born outside Italy are NOT italian. Most of the ''italoamericans'' don't understand italian or they think they can. They speak a mixture of dialect, english or something... Plus they don't have a european mentality and so on. They are just a clichè of an italian.

I really don't understand why you insist on saying that you are italian when your not! Of course I'm not speaking about those emigrants (born in Italy and here growed up) who went in America trying to get a better life, I'm speaking about their sons or grandson.

Let me tell you also that all the things they (ex-emigrants) do or think are relegated to a very deep past! Italy has changed a lot during these years, and chanced are the traditions,mentality, life style...

Than I don't understand why you call yourself italoamericans, you are just americans, not italian, not european!

Once I knew an american son of immigrants from Neaples (Napoli). It was like speaking with my grandpa! He had a very very old mentality like: women must be in house and grow up children .... Sincerely I really didn't understand all the things he said 'cos it was a strange language and at the end we spoke in english!!


I would really like to know what do you think about this.


Riscrivo il testo in italiano nel caso in cui ci fossero persone che non capiscono l'inglese:

vorrei condividere con voi un mio punto di vista

Tutte le persone nate al di fuori dell' Italia NON sono italiane. La maggior parte degli ''italoamericani'' non capiscono l'italiano o pensano di capirlo (in realta' non lo parlano nemmeno!). Parlano in uno strano miscuglio di dialetto inglese e chissa' cos'altro. In piu' non hanno una mentalita' europea e via dicendo. Sono solo lo stereotipo di un italiano.

Non riesco a capire,poi, perche' cerchiate di dire che siete italiani quando non e' cosi'! Ovviamente non sto parlando di quegli emigranti (nati in Italia e qui cresciuti) che andarono in America in cerca d'una vita migliore, sto parlando dei loro figli e dei loro nipoti.

Lasciatemi dire inoltre che tutte le cose che fanno (gli ex-amigranti) o pensano sono relegate ad un passato molto molto lontano. L'Italia e' cambiata enormemente durante questi anni cosi' come sono cambiate le tradizioni,mentalita', stile di vita...

Poi non riesco a capire perche' vi chiamiate italoamericani, voi siete solo americani, nè italiani, nè europei!

Una volta conobbi un americano figlio di emigranti da Napoli. Era come se parlassi con mio nonno! Aveva una mentalita' vechissima come: le donne devono stare a casa a fare figli. sinceramente non sono riuscito a capire tutto quello che mi diceva e alla fine ci siamo ridotti a parlare in inglese!

Mi piacerebbe molto sapere cosa ne pensate eavere anche il vostro punto di vista

BYE CIAO

[ptimber]

Their roots are italian and they are culturally Italian in food,customs to some extent and family life. Because they have these physiucal and cultural roots, they ARE italian American and rpoud to be so like people who are Greek or Norwegian or Polish are proud to be greek,norwegian and polish Americans. They are by physical presence Americans in the USA, they are by culture Italian and American and their DNA is 100% italian until they intermarry. Peter

[bokura]

That's exatly what I've said: They are NOT ''culturally italian food'' (I've eaten italoamerican food and I can tell you it's absolutly NOT ITALIAN! -If you want I can tell you what they do and what is a real pizza or spaghetti or whatever-) About customs: they have an american lifestyle, of course, if they live in America. It's impossible to have an italian lifestyle if you don't live in Italy!! Meaby you think it's an italian ''family life'' but it is not!

Just because you look like an italian it doesn't mean you're an italian. You think you need only black hair and a pair of moustaches to be italian? Yeah, meaby in a mafioso b movie!

I don't know why they are so proud to be italian if they are not! I can understand the people who were born in Italy and have memories, parents ,pain all left behind, but what can be proud of a 12 year old boy born in America in 2000 with a grandpa who left Italy when he was 8 in 1903 ??!?
Where are the cultural roots he has? His surname, at least.

[ptimber]

What is Italian to some people is Italian and what is not italian to some people is not italian. Both positions are correct so there is no need to say one is right and other is wrong. This forum is for genealogy and not for intellectual discussions whcih are not sigfnificant to genealogy. Thanks for your input but there is really ntohing to discuss any further. Peter

[Lenats]

Hello Bokura and Peter!
I must weigh in with my personal views...which agree in part with both of you.
I was born in Italy of Italian parents, so I am, as my friends jokingly say, a REAL italian....so I agree that in that qualification, I am "approved"!!! I don't consider the italoamerican culture of the US, "Italian". It is an American sub-culture. My parents still keep most of the Italian customs, like large vegetable gardens, including fig trees that are buried in autumn.
(Deliziosi!!!) and of course the food, as close to the Southern Italian original dishes as can be possible.

So, when you say that Italo-american food is NOT Italian, you are correct. It has evolved into a mishmash of baked ziti, deep dish pizza (hut), calzones, and various other mongrel and american inventions.

I decided, when I was in college, to study Italian...so as to learn proper Italian. I have understood and read Italian all my life, but wanted to study some literature and practice speaking. So, I did that for 2 years. Most of my "italian" friends do not speak the language...or very little, and that's a shame....but my son and my nieces & nephews speak very little Italian. My one niece, like me, has become quite proficient in Spanish.

I must say that being Italian has a wide variety of meanings...it can be seen technically, but also in a wide cultural way...the way Italians have populated the world and brought their own special qualities not only to America, but to Australia, Great Britain, Canada and many other parts of the globe.

CIAO e grazie, (hope to hear from you!!)
Lina

[ptimber]

AMEN ! Peter

[Lenats]

Thanks, Peter!
Think we'll hear from our friend???