Italian American Culture Research Paper

When one hears about Italy some significant characteristics come to mind. A reasonable answer of course depends on experience, understanding, and knowledge of the country. Many sophisticated people think about the culture or the fashion but unfortunately far too many Americans instead think about stereotypical Italian-Americans such as, Guido’s or the mafia, to represent their depiction. In modern society the media plays a huge role in the way we perceive the world. Due to negative portrayal of Italian-Americans by the media and reality television, Americans are quick to apply inaccurate stereotypes to all Italians. From the unification of the city states to the immigration to the New World, Italians had always had a strong sense of nationality toward their country and heritage. Whether they live in Rome or live in Brooklyn, Italians and Italian-Americans always seem to praise their culture. So then who are Italians? Are they the characters that we see in the media or is there something more behind the fist pumps and the leather jackets?
Only recently, Italy can be considered a homogenous country. As a matter of fact Italy, as a single country, is much younger than the United States. The unified
When Saturday Night Fever and Grease first came out it transformed the Italian image (Cohen C1). The characters provided the voice for many young and old Italian-Americans in everyday society. As a result of the negative portrayal of Italians in the media the word “Guido” became a famous term that was used in everyday language to represent an obnoxious Italian-American. There was much controversy over the word. Many believe it’s a slur while others like, Pauly D., a character from The Jersey Shore, say, “It’s just a lifestyle, it’s being Italian, it’s representing family, friends, tanning, gel, everything.” (Cohen