Anonymous wrote:They sometimes proudly remind you that their family is from the north of Italy.

Even in some cases the city that they claim is not anywhere in the north. Even if one grandmother was from the north and three grandparents were from Sicily, they say that they are from the north.
Can someone explain this?

BTW, I have been all over Italy and the southern part is more fun with a nice climate, so I am curious.

Race baiting troll.

South italy is closer to Africa and NOBODY is from Africa.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A bit off topic but I can't take Italian-Americans that can't speak/comprehend Italian seriously when they swell up in pride over their Italian heritage. Like-wise Irish-Americans, who are laughed at in Ireland as being Plastic Paddies.

Language is a huge part of cultural identity. If you've lost it, you are just another american no matter how much you try to connect to your roots. Blame your parents for not learning from your grandparents so they [your parents] couldn't teach you.

Liking Cacciatore and wearing clothing with il tricolore on it does not make you an italian-american.

Sorry, bitch. Most Italian-Americans have parents who were actively forced to assimilate (i.e., the grandparents would not LET them speak Italian) because of discrimination. Many (like me) relearned Italian via college or study abroad. It's sad that discrimination worked that way, but it's not like Italian-Americans wanted to give up any part of their culture, more that they wanted to "fit in" (and with lots of senators, supreme court justices, doctors, lawyers who are Italian-American, I think they succeeded. And yeah, idiot reality TV stars, too, sigh).

And Italians in Italy aren't douchebags to Italian-Americans the way Irish are to Irish-Americans. So there's that.

I am first generation - and I'm old, hon. I grew up bilingual, as my parents and grandparents never lost the language.

Anonymous wrote:A bit off topic but I can't take Italian-Americans that can't speak/comprehend Italian seriously when they swell up in pride over their Italian heritage. Like-wise Irish-Americans, who are laughed at in Ireland as being Plastic Paddies.

Language is a huge part of cultural identity. If you've lost it, you are just another american no matter how much you try to connect to your roots. Blame your parents for not learning from your grandparents so they [your parents] couldn't teach you.

Liking Cacciatore and wearing clothing with il tricolore on it does not make you an italian-american.

agree

Sono Italiana ma sono nata qui. Siamo dal Sud.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost 20 years ago, I had a roomate from Milan who wouldn't be caught dead in Rome. She explained that the south (disdainful twist of nose) was racially distinct from the north because it was once under "Moorish domination". And Moors were really the same "race" as sub-Saharan Africans, only just a little less so. Yeah, really.

And this was from a highly educated European who came from a wealthy family. I've googled her recently, and she has a pretty cool career. But wow, was she ever a piece of work as a young woman.

This is also my understanding, people from the south potentially have Moorish blood i.e. North African.

When I was pregnant I had to take a blood test similar to tests taken by African Americans - a form of sickle cell, I guess.

- Southern Italian here often mistaken as a Northerner

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Melissa Gorga from Real Housewives of NJ is dark skinned Italian.

Here is her high school photo: http://cdn3-www.realitytea.com/assets/uploads/2011/07/melissa-gorga-before.png

Here is her now: http://www.okmagazine.com/sites/okmagazine.com/files/imagecache/node_page_image/article_images/melissa-gorga-sept-23-001.jpg

Wow, her high school photo looks like a biracial black/white child.

Seriously. Nose job for sure. Phhhht. why do people hide their background this way? This is clearly a biracial person B/W. It saddens me so much. I am white have adopted biracial b/w kids. I find the attitude of hiding this to be very prevalent among southern europeans--really all europeans.

They say that they are100% Italian. Here are her sisters : http://anythingnjhousewives.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/marco.jpg

All three look biracial to me.

Anonymous wrote:A bit off topic but I can't take Italian-Americans that can't speak/comprehend Italian seriously when they swell up in pride over their Italian heritage. Like-wise Irish-Americans, who are laughed at in Ireland as being Plastic Paddies.

Language is a huge part of cultural identity. If you've lost it, you are just another american no matter how much you try to connect to your roots. Blame your parents for not learning from your grandparents so they [your parents] couldn't teach you.

Liking Cacciatore and wearing clothing with il tricolore on it does not make you an italian-american.

BS. My grandmother (now 102) was second generation German, born in Indiana in 1910. Everyone in her family spoke German and went to German language schools until the start of WWI when it became unpopular to be heard speaking German. My mother never learned German but many of the things we did were still culturally German. I was an exchange student to Germany when I was 14 and was surprised at how similarities there were. I was spent significant amounts of time in Italy (I have a BA in Classical Languages) and Asia. Those cultures were not nearly as familiar to me as German culture.

It doesn't really matter if you consider someone Italian-American or German-American. In America, we're allowed to self-identify.

Anonymous wrote:Something about not staying without you, Tania?

I've never properly studied Italian, so, you know, I'm not gonna be the best translator. But I think that's on track, no?

Certo! "te Tania", non "Tetania". Grazie. But that "fu'" I don't get. "There's no --- to be without you, Tania"?

Anyway, it seems like a great improvement over the one I remembered. I love the fact that Google let me check it out.

It's elitist and racist IMO. People from the south are thought to be simple and dark. North the opposite. Really goes back to the days when Italy was made up of many, distinct pseudo-countries pre-WWII

Anonymous wrote:A bit off topic but I can't take Italian-Americans that can't speak/comprehend Italian seriously when they swell up in pride over their Italian heritage. Like-wise Irish-Americans, who are laughed at in Ireland as being Plastic Paddies.

Language is a huge part of cultural identity. If you've lost it, you are just another american no matter how much you try to connect to your roots. Blame your parents for not learning from your grandparents so they [your parents] couldn't teach you.

Liking Cacciatore and wearing clothing with il tricolore on it does not make you an italian-american.

Sorry, bitch. Most Italian-Americans have parents who were actively forced to assimilate (i.e., the grandparents would not LET them speak Italian) because of discrimination. Many (like me) relearned Italian via college or study abroad. It's sad that discrimination worked that way, but it's not like Italian-Americans wanted to give up any part of their culture, more that they wanted to "fit in" (and with lots of senators, supreme court justices, doctors, lawyers who are Italian-American, I think they succeeded. And yeah, idiot reality TV stars, too, sigh).

And Italians in Italy aren't douchebags to Italian-Americans the way Irish are to Irish-Americans. So there's that.

So the Northerners dislike Southern Italians and Sicilians because of their skin coloring?

Something about not staying without you, Tania?

I've never properly studied Italian, so, you know, I'm not gonna be the best translator. But I think that's on track, no?

Not directly relevant, but it gives an idea of how northerners feel about southerners: Years ago in Pisa there was a prominent graffito that said "Meglio Ebrei que Terroni" [better Jews than southerners]. I was never sure whether that really indicated more dislike for the latter than the former, but it was pretty clear there was no love for either group. "Rednecks" might give a better idea of "terroni".

Last time I was there, it was gone, but I just took a virtual trip to the street where I think I saw it (via Google Maps) and found a different one. Can anyone translate? Looks to me like someone really digs the band Tetania, but I could be way off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Melissa Gorga from Real Housewives of NJ is dark skinned Italian.

Here is her high school photo: http://cdn3-www.realitytea.com/assets/uploads/2011/07/melissa-gorga-before.png

Here is her now: http://www.okmagazine.com/sites/okmagazine.com/files/imagecache/node_page_image/article_images/melissa-gorga-sept-23-001.jpg

Wow, her high school photo looks like a biracial black/white child.

Seriously. Nose job for sure. Phhhht. why do people hide their background this way? This is clearly a biracial person B/W. It saddens me so much. I am white have adopted biracial b/w kids. I find the attitude of hiding this to be very prevalent among southern europeans--really all europeans.

They say that they are100% Italian. Here are her sisters : http://anythingnjhousewives.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/marco.jpg

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northern Italians also are lighter/prettier so it's considered that you are complimenting yourself, not matter how swarthy you are.

Huh. Care to unpack that one, for us, PP?

Seriously. I was about to say the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Melissa Gorga from Real Housewives of NJ is dark skinned Italian.

Here is her high school photo: http://cdn3-www.realitytea.com/assets/uploads/2011/07/melissa-gorga-before.png

Here is her now: http://www.okmagazine.com/sites/okmagazine.com/files/imagecache/node_page_image/article_images/melissa-gorga-sept-23-001.jpg

Wow, her high school photo looks like a biracial black/white child.

Seriously. Nose job for sure. Phhhht. why do people hide their background this way? This is clearly a biracial person B/W. It saddens me so much. I am white have adopted biracial b/w kids. I find the attitude of hiding this to be very prevalent among southern europeans--really all europeans.