Pride or Prejudice?

[darkerhorse]

In general, how were Italians who permanently immigrated to the U.S. during the Great Immigration Era viewed by those Italians who remained in Italy?

Were emigrants admired as intrepid, or were they criticized as disloyal? After all, many emigrants renounced their Italian citizenship to become naturalized Americans, and some even fought against Italy in the World Wars.

I suppose reactions varied, and depended, in part, upon whether they were relatives or not. I would guess there was some animosity or prejudice toward those who left (maybe some jealousy?)

My Sicilian family was relatively small. From the immigrant generation, no siblings were left behind, and most cousins also came over, so no close relatives remained, only some extended family.

I wonder how town residents felt about emigrants, both relatives and non-relatives.

In my lifetime, the old home town seems to welcome descendants of those who emigrated.

On a related note, some of my relatives have been critical of "latecomers", those who have immigrated more recently, say after 1950, deriding them as "greenies" meaning newcomers of lower class.

[darkerhorse]

Maybe not lower class, but less assimilated in that they stick out more as immigrants. I'm not sure. But they did use the term "greenies" in a derisive manner. I guess 2nd generation Americans are often prone to be critical of newcomers.

[qualdom]

Maybe not lower class, but less assimilated in that they stick out more as immigrants. I'm not sure. But they did use the term "greenies" in a derisive manner. I guess 2nd generation Americans are often prone to be critical of newcomers.

My experience with Italians in recent times is that Italians (generally speaking) have a very low opinion of Americans, and rarely distinguish between Italian-Americans and Americans of any other ethnicity. This has been my experience living, travelling, and studying in Europe.

I would assume that the USA was held in higher regard by Italians during the Great Immigration Era, so perhaps there was actually more favorable opinions of Italian-Americans at that time.

[joetucciarone]

Articles in Italian newspapers published in the 1870s show that the Italian press viewed some emigrants with pity. On December 25, 1872, the editor off the Roman paper, Fanfulla, commented on his "unhappy compatriots" who were deceived when they emigrated:

"Poor things! They entrusted themselves to the Emigration Agencies, paid the price of a trip to Buenos-Aires, and were sent to New York instead. A stretch of a few thousand miles: this is what it means not to know geography."

In the February 18, 1873 issue of Il Commercio Savonese, that paper's editor seemed to mock Italian going to America, calling them "poor believers" in the "mirage of a promised land," which he described as filled with "distant happy and laughing districts of magical fruitfulness." He also described America as an "Olympus of inexhaustible wealth and immaculate splendor."