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Italians are very family orientated and also tend to prefer living with or around others of their own kind. Nothing bad about this but it explains why you find so many Italian-American families historically in places like South Brooklyn, "Italian Harlem", Staten Island (even before the Bridge was built) etc....
Rising housing prices on SI have caused many younger generation Italian-Americans to move off the Rock. First to NJ but now PA, NC and even Florida. However everyone tends to come "home" for the holidays as witnessed by the heavy traffic on the NJ bridges on for Christmas Eve (a *VERY* big Italian American holiday). At some point often the older generation to be near their children or grandchildren follow, especially the widows.
When the film "Moonstruck" came out a group of friends from the Rock (some of who were Italian Americans) all went to see. Everyone kept saying "that's Aunt "X" or "that is uncle "Y"" because characters reminded them of their own New York Italian American families. For myself I saw it in an instant. How all the action takes place in the kitchen even though the Castorni's had that large house. How the family settled their business "indoors" etc...
A lot of what killed the image of Italian Americans on the Rock was the idolization on both television and film of "Godfathers' and the "mob". Suddenly everyone wanted to be (or thought they were) not only Italian but made men. Mind you most weren't anything of the sort and wouldn't know a MM if he pissed on them because they were fire. But still
Move to Staten Island if you wish to seek out Italian Americans, but don't do so with blinders on because you'll soon have your eyes opened for you my friend.
As with any other ethnic groups IAs come in all flavours and you'll find them on the Rock. Some are liberal, others conservative. You have social liberals who take persons (gay, straight, black, white, etc.... ) as they find them, others every other word is "moulinyans" this or "dirty" Latinos/Hispanics, gays this and so forth. They talk about the North Shore as if it were one large sewer of crime and degenerates but yet when the same crimes (drugs, guns, etc.... ) happen on the South Shore all you get are crickets chirping.
As with any other ethnic groups IAs come in all flavours and you'll find them on the Rock. Some are liberal, others conservative. You have social liberals who take persons (gay, straight, black, white, etc.... ) as they find them, others every other word is "moulinyans" this or "dirty" Latinos/Hispanics
Heh, the whole dirty Hispanic thing seems a bit scary. Since half of my family are Italian-Americans, and the other half are of Spaniard descent, sort of makes me think that I may be racially targeted. But then again, I don't know since the last time I walked around Staten Island (Woodvale avenue) and didn't get any hate then I'm left a bit skeptical. Whether it was because maybe I looked a bit more Italian and less Hispanic... I honestly don't know lol.
Bit of a scary thought. It sucks being Half and half. :/
Heh, the whole dirty Hispanic thing seems a bit scary. Since half of my family are Italian-Americans, and the other half are of Spaniard descent, sort of makes me think that I may be racially targeted. But then again, I don't know since the last time I walked around Staten Island (Woodvale avenue) and didn't get any hate then I'm left a bit skeptical. Whether it was because maybe I looked a bit more Italian and less Hispanic... I honestly don't know lol.
Bit of a scary thought. It sucks being Half and half. :/
Hate seems more directed towards Mexicans and other "immigrant" Hispanic/Latinos. Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and the rest of the "white/European" Latinos get a pass. You find plenty of Italian-American/Puerto Rican, Italian-American-Cuban, etc... not just on the Rock but all over NYC and elsewhere in the USA. Miami/South Florida.
Race relations are better than say as late as the 1980's or 1980's on SI, but not everyone has "evolved".
Back in the day starting with Rosebank and looping around to South Beach and stretching around the South Shore it was mainly if not totally *white*. Indeed darker persons often valued their lives cheaply going into those areas without a reason, especially after dark. The schools one SS both public and private
were overwhelmingly white. Black kids just didn't go to Monsignor Farrell Or Tottenville HS.
Now you've got AAs, Hispanics, Asians, gays and every other minority represented out there. Again not everyone is happy but there is little they can do.
Damn, sure makes me a bit worried when I think about being half Spanish. :/
Like I said there are plenty of half Italian-American and Spanish on Staten Island and elsewhere. Puerto Rican is the main mix but there are others. It mostly comes down to (sadly) skin color and or features. The "whiter" northern European descent Cubans, PR, South Americans etc.. just as in their own countries mix well and are accepted by Italians (there are plenty of Argentines and other South Americans of Italian descent). It is the "darker" persons of the races that can have problems.
Being as this may even back in the days plenty of Italian-American men hooked-up with and or even married African American women. The late Donna Summer's husband (and father of her children) is Italian.
The only problem with being "mixed" Italian American would be if you intend on becoming a Made Man, other than that don't see any real problems.
Damn, sure makes me a bit worried when I think about being half Spanish. :/
Gabriel: Staten Island has a diversity now of many nationalities, including lots of Hispanics, which by the way have been born in NYC, (the Puerto Ricans, which many are married to the Irish and Italians.) We have myriad of Mexicans working very diligently in the construction/landscaping business, and no one bothers them. You must be proud of who you are....
There is ONLY one group that it is not so much welcomed, and that it is not because of their color, but mostly because of their BEHAVIOR and CRIME propensity.
and now the send up skit which from the language, bowling shirts to style of house pretty much nails it: Mad Tv skit 1 - YouTube
Bugsy Pal:
I take offense to your interpretation that the above skits are representative of all the people living in the South Shore of Staten Island.
The Sopranos is representative of low-class, uneducated people, so are the people that watched it, and made it a hit. The South Shore has myriad of educated people, many of them attorneys, physicians, and engineers. Too bad that we do not have many Staten Islanders on C/D that can corroborate the innuendos of people here that know very little about S/I....
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