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Were there laws on the books preventing your italian grandparents and/or parents from living/eating/working where they chose to? And at the end of the day, Italians were still considered white by law. Other white people might have called them "dark" but the law sure didn't.
For what it's worth, I was just reading this the other day...
Quote:
In the United States, Italian immigrants were subject to extreme prejudice, racism, and, in many cases, violence. During the 19th century and early 20th century, Italian Americans were often seen as non-American and criminals. Some anti-Italianism had roots in the same cause of violence against Jews.
...
The largest mass lynching in American history involved the lynching of eleven Italians in the city of New Orleans in 1891.
I don't know about laws and such, but immigrants faced their own sorts of trouble.
Blacks, Hispanics, gays, etc. do not base their hurt feelings on their ancestors. They base it on the present. The past is history and we all learn from history. Just like Jews have to be cautious around certain groups of people because of history.
The majority of the people who have discriminated against me are white people. What type of discrimination? Different treatment e.g., lying to make me the butt of a joke but not doing that others, making it deliberately difficult to befriend or act friendly with, withholding information, starting arguments, making snide body language that a stupid punk teen would make, shouting, accusing, being called gay when they don't even know me, etc. That's current day discrimination that I experienced mainly from white Anglo people and rarely from rude older mean black feminist women who have a chip on their shoulder.
You say to forgive and let it go? So if somebody harms you with harassment or what not do you not call the police and want them to rot in prison or jail? That seems to be the attitude of white people. White Anglo people can harass all they want. But you cannot harass back or they will call the police on you. Or do you mediate and work it out, ask they correct the mistakes, and forgive?
White Anglo people want a docile and subservient minority class. They do not want the minorities to expose and change corruption or hostility. Whites want to keep their privilege. It's a crutch or training wheels that they never took of their bicycle. They are virtually impotent and feeble without their training wheels.
White people never took their white training wheels off their bicycle? I'm sorry, but those "training wheels" are built-in and cannot be removed.
People can base their hurt feelings on the individuals who have done something to them, not on the whole race in general. So basically, you're admitting right now that you dislike whites as a race b/c of the few who have done something "wrong" to you. The things you find wrong aren't even really that bad. If someone doesn't like you for your ethnicity, then you don't want to be friends with that person anyway. Same would go for a black person who wouldn't be my friend cause I'm white. I actually had a friend not come to my birthday party in 5th grade b/c she was black and her family didn't want her hanging around non-black people. Jokes are made about everyone everywhere, I could be the butt of a joke just as easily as anyone else, just because I'm white. I actually have lots of people call me things like "boat floater" and try to say I came here on a raft when they find out I'm half Cuban. I've never left the country, I was born here, and they know that, but I'm the butt of a joke, and I really don't care that much, they're JUST JOKING and they don't honestly think I came here on a raft and therefore I'm not worthy of being alive. People used to think I was a lesbian b/c I had short hair...who cares? Not me! I would joke about it, too. You can't get bent out of shape b/c someone makes a joke, thinks you're gay, etc. just b/c of your race, which I highly doubt is the only cause. You're really reading too much into it. You can find racism anywhere you look, but just b/c you find it doesn't mean that was the intent of the person who said/did whatever it was you're offended by. Oh, and you said whites have been deliberately rude to you and make it hard for you to be friendly with them...I use the Walmart that's in the not-so-good part of town b/c it's the closest to me, there are 90% black people who work there, and many of them make it hard for me to be friendly with them b/c if I smile and say hi, make small talk while checking out, ask where something is, etc., they are short and act like they couldn't care less about me. That's their problem, though, if they want to act that way. I'm not losing out on anything by them acting that way. Some aren't like that, though, so I'm not going to stop being myself just b/c I think they might not appreciate my kindness.
Yes, I do say forgive and let it go. Slavery, that is. And honestly, yes, the right thing to do, in my book, is to forgive the people who wrong you. It sets you free, there is no reason to hold a grudge against someone b/c it only brings YOU down. I'm not saying I wouldn't prosecute someone who did harm to me, but eventually, I would even forgive them for what they did.
I never denied that. Even so, the Italians still knew who was firmly below them on the totem pole at the end of the day...
Fast forward to 3:20
And you quote the god father? eta: HA! Talk about stereotyping. I want to assume you're joking, but I know that the media has a hold over people's minds. Even tho I don't belong to the camp of Italian Americans that rail against shows like Jersey shore, etc, in many ways they're right. If it's on the boob tube people are going to be influenced. Frankly, it's quite scary how many people on the net cite TV to discuss reality.
And you quote the god father? eta: HA! Talk about stereotyping. I want to assume you're joking, but I know that the media has a hold over people's minds. Even tho I don't belong to the camp of Italian Americans that rail against shows like Jersey shore, etc, in many ways they're right. If it's on the boob tube people are going to be influenced. Frankly, it's quite scary how many people on the net cite TV to discuss reality.
I'm quoting the Godfather because it is an accurate portrayal of the Sicilian Mafia in the 1940's. I'm using this example to show that the most demonized segment of the Italian-American population was still above blacks legally and on the social ladder. There's no if's and but's about that.
I'm quoting the Godfather because it is an accurate portrayal of the Sicilian Mafia in the 1940's. I'm using this example to show that the most demonized segment of the Italian-American population was still above blacks legally and on the social ladder. There's no if's and but's about that.
For its accurate portrayal, eh? Sure, a super wealthy FICTITIOUS family were above blacks on the social ladder. Okayyy. Meanwhile, as a REAL Italian American whose REAL grandparents immigrated here from Italy during that time worked in factories and as garbage collectors. I suppose you can now look to the Sopranos and find the waste management correlation.
Any way, with all these ridiculous stereotypes about Italians that can only give merit to the OP, I will say that it doesn't matter. Racism is about power. Italians were once discriminated against, and perhaps to a certain degree they still are (we have yet to have an Italian American president), but in the day to day there is little power behind it. That's why only whites can really be called racist because there really isn't any consequences behind racist intent from minorities.
For its accurate portrayal, eh? Sure, a super wealthy FICTITIOUS family were above blacks on the social ladder. Okayyy. Meanwhile, as a REAL Italian American whose REAL grandparents immigrated here from Italy during that time worked in factories and as garbage collectors. I suppose you can now look to the Sopranos and find the waste management correlation.
Oh please. Do you really think that Frank Lucas and Ricky Ross were seen in a good light? No. They were seen as the garbage of society. The only difference is that Italian garbage was still better than being black garbage.
Oh please. Do you really think that Frank Lucas and Ricky Ross were seen in a good light? No. They were seen as the garbage of society. The only difference is that Italian garbage was still better than being black garbage.
You're comparing real people (who I just had to google since I never heard of them) with characters from a movie. Why does that make any sense at all to you?
You're comparing real people (who I just had to google since I never heard of them) with characters from a movie. Why does that make any sense at all to you?
I used a quote from a movie. In case you haven't been around for the last 40 years, the italian mafia is very real albeit dying at this point.
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Jokes are made about everyone everywhere, I could be the butt of a joke just as easily as anyone else, just because I'm white. I actually have lots of people call me things like "boat floater" and try to say I came here on a raft when they find out I'm half Cuban. I've never left the country, I was born here, and they know that, but I'm the butt of a joke, and I really don't care that much, they're JUST JOKING and they don't honestly think I came here on a raft and therefore I'm not worthy of being alive. People used to think I was a lesbian b/c I had short hair...who cares? Not me! I would joke about it, too. You can't get bent out of shape b/c someone makes a joke, thinks you're gay, etc. just b/c of your race, which I highly doubt is the only cause. You're really reading too much into it. You can find racism anywhere you look, but just b/c you find it doesn't mean that was the intent of the person who said/did whatever it was you're offended by. Oh, and you said whites have been deliberately rude to you and make it hard for you to be friendly with them...I use the Walmart that's in the not-so-good part of town b/c it's the closest to me, there are 90% black people who work there, and many of them make it hard for me to be friendly with them b/c if I smile and say hi, make small talk while checking out, ask where something is, etc., they are short and act like they couldn't care less about me. That's their problem, though, if they want to act that way. I'm not losing out on anything by them acting that way. Some aren't like that, though, so I'm not going to stop being myself just b/c I think they might not appreciate my kindness.