The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Shark Bites

9.17.04 @ 12:01AM

SPIELBERG'S SOPRANOS
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s Ugly Jaws:

I was heartened to read your intelligent piece on "Shark Tale" in the Spectator. As an Italian-American and one of the lawyers who filed an action against Time Warner for "The Sopranos" series based on the Illinois state constitution which condemns group defamation based on ethnicity,

I lately had felt disheartened by the enormous efforts it takes to make the American public aware of negative Italian-American stereotyping. Whatever view one takes of "political correctness," Italian-Americans are probably the only major group in American society that the doctrine does not protect, together with growing stereotypes of Catholicism, as you point out.

It is refreshing to read a piece that operates on the principle that freedom from ethnic slurs and stereotyping is a freedom for all group and not just for minority groups favored by political elites. Bravo !

I will post your article outside my office door.
-- Michael Polelle
Professor of Law
John Marshall Law School
Chicago, Illinois

Rarely, if ever do I so strongly disagree with The American Spectator as I do with the PC maunderings of the normally acidic Mr. Tyrrell concerning Spielberg's "Shark Tale." Animated cartoons feed on characters easily identified by voice. They often reference known cultural markers to get children (and adults) into the story quicker without a lot of explication. Like it or not the Godfather movies and their progeny have created a free floating cultural marker. The Italian mob is a (dying) fact. It's not some slander made up by Spielberg or the Sopranos. The language, rituals and demeanor of Italian Americans sometimes in this criminal class are well known and easily identifiable.

Nothing has pounded the joy out of animated cartoons more than the PC claptrap Disney has injected into its movies. Take a look at Pocahontas or the removal of Song of the South from circulation even to adults.

Lady and the Tramp featured the Italian pizza parlor owner who gives the dogs spaghetti. What a horrible stereotype of Italian Americans: insinuating they are fit only to run Italian restaurants and indicating others aren't equally capable of running them! Why its amazing the little tikes ever grew up able to look at lasagna again.

The bottom line is that Italian Americans don't suffer horrible discrimination in this country. More Americans know DiMaggio, Sinatra (maybe a bad example), and Sophia Loren as know John Gotti (and his horrible spawn). There are famous non-mobbed up Italian-American entertainers, CEO's (Iaccoca), politicians, and actors who provide ample counter-examples to any claim that the only depiction of Italian Americans in popular culture is the mob. Take a look at Moonstruck and (a Tyrrell favorite, I'll warrant) Breaking Away. Nothing could be more repugnant or damaging to Italian Americans than seizing on the humorless victim status preferred by feminists and frauds like Al Sharpton.

Sit down. Put a little anisette in your espresso and fuggadaboutit.
-- John J. Vecchione

Didn't the politically correct Mr. Spielberg go back an remove the guns from the hands of E.T.'s pursuers and digitally replace them with walkie-talkies in the latest release of his 1982 classic?

Wouldn't it be easy for Spielberg to change those Italian names to "Connor" and "Bryce" and "Devin," names to which the little ones might relate and over-dub the sound track, and possibly describing the killer sharks members of the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"?

Nobody in Hollywood would object to that.
-- John Carrigg
Downers Grove, Illinois

Please, lighten-up! As an Italian-American, I can honestly say that these images do not bother me.

Far from being offended by images of the mafia, most Italian-Americans have embraced them. Don't believe me? Then why is "The Sopranos" the most talked about, anticipated show on TV? Why does Victoria Gotti have her own reality show? And why is "The Godfather" considered by many (myself included) to be the greatest American film ever made?

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Education, Bill Clinton, Business, Catholicism, Islam, Hollywood, Movies, Constitution, Law