Italy Italians vs Italian Americans

[@Marty_S89]

I am Italian and I can say that in Italy we do look at Italian Americans as Americans...we don’t see any similarities with them

[@vignomasteroh7156]

@M you’re right, we’re both human. End of the similarities.

[@vignomasteroh7156]

@M so you're not human? lol

[@vignomasteroh7156]

@Rocco Stanza Who cares about biological similarities, beeing italian doesn't mean to look like an italian person or to be genetically close to tour ancestors italian bloodline. You don't inherit the culture of some country just by bloodline lol

[@xano2921]

No, I see them as italian-americans

[@recyclespinning9839]

One thing you should realize , Italians who immigrated to USA ,did so to try to give there kids a future. My dad and mom are from Sicily and I came with them at 5 year old. They told me that after the war for many years it was very bad economy. They love Italy they were kind of "pushed" to board that airplane. I personally remember crying a lot leaving, , so yes I am Ameracanized, but some where deep is my love , ❤which my parents had for their home ... 💔❤

[@albebelt3013]

I am an Italy Italian, and I think the problem is that Italians first immigrants were almost all poor and not well educated. Plus America is a judgmental place still now from my European view. Americans often tend to judge people through stereotypes. Italy first immigrants had to face racism, they called them names(guineas...) so I think they acted like that also as a defense. Plus if you live in a world where you are judged through stereotypes, your psychological think accept those stereotypes like: they think I am like that, so I will act like that.

[@Hydroponic21]

Same with us Mexican Americans people stereotype us as well lol but hey Italians are like our cousins in a way

[@carlosdoriaespitia]

@@Hydroponic21 well, Italian and Mexican people are anyhow Latin.

[@ninoleopardi7311]

Pultroppo...

[@albebelt3013]

@@carlosdoriaespitia We are different races with different history and traditions. Italian, Mexican or Spanish and others are unique. We have a really different culture compared to South or Central America. There's a lot misleading about Italians, specially in North America.

[@teseofabbri1812]

@@carlosdoriaespitia Mexican people aren't Latin really they just speak spanish

[@dcamaraman939]

The American version of anything is always the Walmart version of wherever ther are from

[@gadielcastillo6192]

Agreed, and I’m saying that as a Mexican raised in the USA.

[@cyclesmoking]

@@gadielcastillo6192 So you’re a low budget Mexican versus the Mexicans that stayed in Mexico? Sorry to hear that ☹️

[@cyclesmoking]

In what country do you live?

[@Humberto4790]

basically describes Tex-Mex food.

[@DraculaCronqvist]

That is painfully accurate.

[@themastema1189]

Most "italian-americans" couldn't tell the capital of Italy, they would say "aha that's an easy one, SICILY!"

[@Tazio_01]

Rhaetian not really, very few Italians migrated to the USA before 1861.

[@irenekirov8049]

Oh god😂

[@lordbunbury]

Sicily is the capital where they eat pasta Alfredo and bolognese all day. Fuhgedaboudit.

[@irenekirov8049]

@@lordbunbury that’s not true. Fettuccine alfredo aren’t popular in Italy. Americans just think it is.

[@lordbunbury]

@@irenekirov8049 Yeah I know, pasta Alfredo and pasta bolognese don’t exist in Italy. Just like Sicily isn’t the capital.

[@StudSupreme]

As an Italian, I can authoritatively say: There were two primary waves of italian immigration - one pre-war, one post-war. In both cases, the great majority of immigrants were from the poorest demographics and from the south. This makes quite a bit of difference. Every province in Italy has a different inflection, different 'attitude', different gestures, different dialect, different way of speaking. The dialects can even shift some between cities in the same province. So: if you think you know Italians, you don't. When you can listen to an Italian speak and watch that person at the same time AND tell from that person's posture, gestures, inflection and choice of words whether they are Lombardo, Emiliano, Toscano, etc....THEN you can legitimately say that you know Italy and its people.

[@globalfamily8172]

And? my southern cousin married a northern woman.

[@StudSupreme]

@@globalfamily8172 Mom was born and raised in the north, dad's parents were from the south.

[@adrianjordan6291]

My father and his brother were born in Friuli Venezia Giulia. I have heard some Italians and Greeks refer to Friulani as "Germans".

[@StudSupreme]

@@adrianjordan6291 THere are certain far northern reaches of Italy along the Austrian border where people still speak German. Small slivers of Austria were annexed by Italy after the 1st World War.

[@arapahosundancer]

Ok chief, what the hell happened on that boat ride?

[@carlosacta8726]

For the record, and it's sad, too many Italian Americans are wholly ignorant of Italian culture, history and especially the amazing language. Most Italian Americans are surprised when they encounter Italian descendants from Latin America. Newsflash: More Italians emigrated to Latin America than to the US. Columbus never came to the American mainland. He landed on Hispaniola aka the Dominican Republic! Saluti!

[@rolkensjoseph2167]

Also Haiti

[@dosemes7399]

He landed in actual Venezuela in his 4th voyage

[@andrealettich]

Not Salvador maybe?

[@alexRM58]

At least, we Italians from Italy sure we like most SurAmerica than US. Just a fact, we find more roots there: religion, food, language, attitutude, family traditions, history, arts and traditions, so on. Pa mi, SurAmerica es como casa de tia con las primas bonitas! jajaja Abrazos manos.

[@eduardmauzolff6344]

@@alexRM58 abraços aqui do sul do brasil primo, beijos ba bunda

[@thegastrotraveler]

‘Different kind of Italian’. Yes. I believe they’re called Italians.

[@padraigmaclochlainn8866]

Ya know ya got Italy Italy Italians. Swiss Italians, and Slovenians.

[@leanneevangelista3361]

Exactly

[@awpimawpimawpaajd4176]

It's a joke

[@kalinkapavlova9398]

I'm just going to suggest that even in Italy there are "different" types of Italians, regarding differences between the north, central and south. Which, in my opinion, makes it funnier that the Americans have their own Italians.

[@jakegargiulo5101]

HAHA yes, that's what I said when I heard it

[@valsett3385]

An italian-american is just a dude with 3% Italian DNA who watched too much times the godfather

[@TheJoeMatarese]

True

[@justsayin2375]

Fahgeddabaddit

[@sexitaliana629]

I know what kind you are talking about but being a first generation Italian American, I can't stand those kinds of Italians. I usually just roll my eyes and walk away lol.

[@FAMA-18]

Ahaha..Bravo, e vero🇮🇹

[@cdd2308]

Nonsense….if both your parents are Italian from Italy you would be 100% ethnically Italian. If you are several generations in America then yeah you could say that if there was mixing down the line.

[@snakelemon]

"Can I please get some Italians?" "We have Italians at home." Italians at home:

[@radiantsvn]

LMAO

[@jakegargiulo5101]

HAHAHAHHAA

[@johnbottari9799]

I view being Italian American as its own separate culture

[@andrewgates9333]

Saacccctllly! 😊

[@diane5140]

True! Americans who happen to have had Italian ancestors. There’s not much to it.

[@tfredrick01]

Right you are, a lesser culture that other Americans look down on. Italians were the worst demographic to come over since slavery.

[@citizendaine218]

I've lived in jersey for 20 years. The first time I met a group of Italians from Italy for business, I was blown away by the vast difference. I was like "Wow!!! They're so quiet.... And in shape."

[@TheJoeMatarese]

Yep! Sophisticated

[@wild_normality9173]

Well thank you from an italian ☺️

[@nickynightclub9896]

Exactly! I am American from NY. But my family is of Italian descent and because of my name and the way I look people accuse me of being Italian...it is very frustrating because I'm not a quiet scrawny little skinny Italian man. I'm very loud 6ft tall and 250lbs of solid muscle...total opposite lol...no offense to Italians tho they are great people. My landscaper is Italian cool dude hard worker.

[@eleonoraf7817]

Quiet? Lol.

[@mr.tomatohead3709]

@@nickynightclub9896 uh, don't know where you got the misconception that Italians are short or overly slim, they're pretty standard dimension wise to other Europeans, I'd wager your landscaper is about Italian as you are too, if he was born in the US.

[@katnisseverdeen1444]

If Italian Americans think they're the most "italian" outside Italy they have definitely never heard two Argentinians argue.

[@shotgunner3780]

Or two venezuelan for all i know

[@ask825]

or brazilians

[@robertodelrio0797]

You're right there's more people of Italian ancestry in Argentina than in the United States, that's the second place in the world outside of Italy where a lot of Italian people live. In fact over sixty percent of the population of Argentina has at least one Italian grandparent or ancestors that was Italian. To me in my opinion Italian- Americans have been rinsed out a long time ago just like Puerto Ricans in the Bronx.

[@reaux3921]

@@shotgunner3780lol only 1% of Venezuelans are Italian though 😂 makes no sense

[@reaux3921]

@@ask825the African ones or the German ones? Most aren’t Italian. Only 10% of Brazilians

[@ett2801]

People don't realise how much this can affect someone's identity and sense of belonging. My parents immigrated from Italy to Australia before I was born - so I was raised speaking the regional dialect, have family in Italy, and have been raised with strong Italian traditions and values. I'm rejected from the Australian's as being too Italian, and rejected from the Italians as being too Australian. It sucks.

[@vonbacani]

In Australia we tend to ask the question "Where are you from" so casually. Third culture kids like us can never give a straight answer!

[@marcoflorio6772]

well this is what happens to all second generation immigrants, look at the arabs in europe, anyway i thought australia had a better consideration of european

[@marcoflorio6772]

I think you should consider yourself as the Greeks from great greece considered themselves, not the real Greeks but not even the Italians

[@skipfricius5743]

Accept yourself and don't worry too much about the rest.

[@georgie3590]

Oh my god yes! I’m in Australia too and was raised very strongly with Italian traditions and culture from my family. In my late 20’s I still follow these traditions. I’m very “non-Australian” and got bullied in school for speaking Italian so I stopped. It’s a very hard identity crisis. But you’re not alone, especially if you go to Haberfield in NSW haha

[@bezoozime9170]

I introduced a real italian to my american 'italian' friend & clearly the real italian asked my friend to speak english because he didnt understand his creative italian 😂

[@AnthonyMazzarella]

The reason why is that most of the Italians that came from Italy spoke Regional languages such as Sicilian and Neapolitan as opposed to formal Italian which didn't exist until 1861 just a few decades before most of the Italian immigrants came to the United States. So for example in Italian Bella becomes beddu in Sicilian. And eggplant which is melanzana and Italian becomes Mulingiana in Sicilian. And no they're not just different dialects they're really different languages because in many ways they're not mutually intelligible In fact the movie Gomorrah which was spoken in the Neapolitan language needed subtitles in Italy. Because Italians outside of southern Italy don't understand Napulitanu new. Now Southern Italians actually have it easy when it comes to formal Italian because formal Italian and Southern Italian languages are still in the Italian Dalmatian family tree, while Lombardo and Sardinian aren't even in the Italian Dalmatian family tree.

[@franceskinskij]

@@AnthonyMazzarella I speak Florentine, and my dialect is the closest one to actual Italian

[@AnthonyMazzarella]

@@franceskinskij yeah because in 1861 when they actually made the Italian language they used the Tuscan dialect. Most italian-americans have ancestry from Naples Calabria Abruzzo and Sicily. Abruzzo is mountain people so they probably speak gibberish compared to most Italians. And Naples Calabria and Sicily are all speaking what are essentially separate languages

[@calde607]

@@AnthonyMazzarella in most regions people started understanding and speaking italian when the tv became a thing. most Italians still spoke their native dialect until the 1960s altho the language dates back to the late 1200s and 1300s. it's not like they invented it and then everyone started speaking it, it was a slow process that lasted centuries

[@calde607]

@@AnthonyMazzarella but you are right that most italian americans didn't speak italian at the time but rather mostly variations of the sicilian language or neapolitan

[@EK-rx2ju]

That's easy - one group are Italians the other are Americans. Case closed.

[@EE-ve3vh]

Exacly....you loose neurons in america...must be the water...

[@giovanni-cx5fb]

Correct.

[@rob5197]

Not Americans USA itizens - - Brasl Argentina and the rest don't call themself AMERICA - -

[@clomaximus1836]

As an italian I approve this message

[@mrawesomecool8191]

As an Italian I approve this comment

[@e.k5855]

Same with Irish Americans with 10% Irish ancestry 😒 people talk about political topics and say ‘well I’m irish’ and stuff like that as if they have any experiences of being an IRISH person. Yes they have Irish heritage but they are not Irish. They are descendants of Irish people.

[@videogamemessiah4988]

The Irish experience is inescapable, you can have 5% Irish ancestry and you will still burn in 30 minutes of sunlight year round, I swear its the strongest gene in existence.

[@e.k5855]

VideoGameMessiah lol true. Was on holiday in Turkey and a worker asked if we had just arrived and we told him it was one of our last days there, we had been there for 17 days. He couldn’t believe we were still as pale as we were having been there so long.

[@e.k5855]

Scottish Patter scotch😂 Jesus Christ. I see some of them relate their heritage back to 14th century kings & stuff like that. That’s when I know it’s my cue to leave

[@NessaFlower3592]

@@videogamemessiah4988 Agreed! People don't get that I don't tan. At all. I'm a Texan, I would know if I could tan as it's pretty sunny and warm here.

[@Azog150]

@@videogamemessiah4988 That´s pretty much true of anyone from the British Isles, and probably more of Northern Europe as well. In fact if you think Irish people burn, you should see the Scots (highest proportion of gingers on earth in Scotland). And you only have to see English people walking around all sunburnt after their European holidays (or the occasional time we get weather that is sunny and over 24C) to know they can´t hack sun. There is nothing uniquely Irish about it at all.

[@camillawatkins1064]

Ok. Let me just say: Italian-Americans who don't speak a word of Italian, eat fucking fettuccine alfredo (Not an Italian thing people!!!!) and identify Italians with the guy named Tony who calls his mother "ma", wears a crucifix and eats spaghetti and meatballs to be in touch with his culture, don't know the first thing about Italians, Italy and Italian culture. I am Italian and, having lived in America for a couple years, I've had people who were fully and PAINFULLY American come up to me claiming that they were also Italian one too many times.

[@tedved95]

You'll find that the birthplace of Fettuccine Alfredo is actually the restaurant "Alfredo la Scrofa", on Via della Scrofa in Rome

[@camillawatkins1064]

@@tedved95 Sorry but yeah no. A plate called Fettuccine Alfredo was indeed invented in Italy and was famous in the 20s (Though it isn't anymore and 99% of Italians today won't know what it is) BUT the actual Fettuccine Alfredo, the one famous all over America, has a completely different recipe. What USED TO BE fettuccine Alfredo back in the 20s was simply pasta with butter and parmigiano that, in Italy, is simply called "Burro e Parmigiano" (because who the fuck's Alfredo). That's NOT what Fettuccine Alfredo is considered to be overseas. (Idk if u speak italian but if u do check out the italian wikipedia page on fettuccine alfredo, it's pretty clear)

[@tedved95]

​@@camillawatkins1064 Fettuccine Alfredo were invented in Rome. The dish never became mainstream in Italy, but became famous in the US because Mary Pickford and her husband Douglas Fairbanks (2 Hollywood actors) fell in love with the dish when they went to Alfredo Di Lelio's (that's where the name Alfredo comes from) restaurant in Rome. They brought the recipe back to the US and made it famous. Like any dish that has made it from Italy to the US it has been modified from the original. I live in Rome and have eaten at the birthplace of Fettuccine Alfredo. It is indeed far more like a butter and parmigiano than the American adaptation. You're right, most Italians don't know what Alfredo sauce is, but it remains a legitimately Italian dish nonetheless.

[@camillawatkins1064]

@@tedved95 I did hear that there was a place in Rome which basically re-launched Fettuccine Alfredo... my dad ate there once and he told me and we were both astounded. But the truth is that the only reason why this happened is because Italian-Americans have made it "a thing" overseas. The fact that over 100 years ago there was a dish by the same name that was created in italy really doesn't make it an italian dish because the actual Fettuccine Alfredo, famous all over America, were indeed an Italian-American creation and were popularised in America alone. The matter of the fact is: no one knows it in Italy, the famous recipe for fettuccine alfredo wasn't made in Italy and literally only one restaurant in italy chose to re-launch it after it became popular (It's not a surprise that the restaurant finds itself in the most touristy city in Italy)

[@tedved95]

@@camillawatkins1064 Rather shockingly the restaurant "finds itself" in the exact location it has been in for the past 100 years

[@Late_Night_Talks_Channel]

Never heard of "Italy Italians". Lmfao. Pretty sure it's just "Italians".

[@abiagio1]

Since Italian-Americans consider themselves "Italian" when they clearly aren't, I think that distinguishing between the two ethnicities does make sense.

[@Late_Night_Talks_Channel]

@@abiagio1 Do you say Africa African or you just say African?

[@abiagio1]

@@Late_Night_Talks_Channel When I see an African from Africa, I call him/her African, when I see a Black American, I call him/her American. If I were to meet a, say, fourth-generation Italian-American who doesn't speak Italian, we would have to resort to English to understand one another: this in my book means I'm Italian while he/she is an American of Italian descent.

[@Late_Night_Talks_Channel]

@@abiagio1 I think you are missing my point altogether. What you describe would just be an American. No distinguishing is necessary. There are no Italy Italians. There are Americans, if you so wish to describe them as Italian-American, so be it, even though it's pointless. An Italian-American is actually just an American. Again, the term Italy Italian is repetitive and not proper. Like if I were to say you are an England English or America American. Do either of those sound like a term you have ever heard?

[@abiagio1]

@@Late_Night_Talks_Channel I think we're saying the exact same thing; having said that, someone should tell "Italian-Americans" (or, more exactly, Americans of Italian descent) that they're as much Italian as I am Chinese.

[@enbi1352]

I am 100% Full Blood Italian, Borned , raised and living in Milan and due to my age I had also the Military Service in the Italian Army. Is quite intersting to see how the Americans with Italians roots gets surprised when they see the differences between what they have been told and the reality. The images and the habits they heard mostly can come from their grandpas' and mas' dated back into the 1940 or even b4. In between there are 80 years where Italy developed into a modern and sophisticated Democracy. With a lot of pro's and con's as all the other countries. But is still fun to see this sterotypes, it still makes me laugh. Buona Giornata

[@gs7828]

You're right with your message, but there's no "100% Italian blood/DNA", because that's not how history works. Many also claim Italian DNA from those crappy DNA tests, without getting that Italy's not about a DNA, but a culture. Otherwise, you're right with your points.

[@BltchErica]

Is true

[@lotadot]

For a fourth-gen Italian australian its very interesting to see how much American italians don't know about their own culture, or language. and they have very little accent or inflection when speaking. for the record I'm decent from Calabria Italy and no I don't claim to be full Italian (blood doesn't make you Italian personally). Italian is my first spoken langauge, I grew up in griffith australia.

[@lotadot]

@@gs7828 for autralian italians is more about cultural respect in NSW, and how well you know your language/culture and definitely respect your Nonno/Nonna, cause they definitely hit you with a wooden spoon.

[@andreaferrari7812]

As an Italian i see at all italians-descendents around the world as pieces of out hearts, i personally don't mind if they have different habits, or speak another lenguage, i Just Wish they can live a Happy Life. If they are Happy, i am happy... at least that's my view, cheers :)

[@AlbertManiscalco]

sei bravo

[@ΔημΔ-ω2ο]

Even Italy Italians are not the same with each other,they have very strong regional identities,dialects,customs etc

[@valhavpep]

In general, all the "something-american" always sucks and are a terrible oversaturation of really old and lame stereotypes. Actually, most of the times it's not even stereotypes it's more like ideas of how americans think this said group of people are. I'm swedish and travel to USA a lot and I hate when I meet americans who say: "Oh Im half scottish/italian/german bla bla bla" and claim that that's the reason they have this "culture" in their behavior when in reality I've been to most european countries and it's worlds apart.

[@neowatch237]

definetly

[@diehard096]

I’m Italian on my fathers side and Scandinavian on my mothers - born in the US. Sure there is a massive difference between me and someone who was born in Europe - but to say that we all suck is folly. Most of the time you see the over saturated stereotypes like seen in the video, it’s someone who is severely overcompensating. There’s nothing wrong with them/we embracing the culture since it technically is part of our heritage. Americans are put in a much more unusual spot than other countries as we have such a mixed cultural identity. It’s why we’re such a melting pot - and say “something-American” it’s an identifier rather than a “culture”. Good talk.

[@eviljoy8426]

@@diehard096 the question is , do you speak italian? do you eat italian? do you know how to cook Italian cuisine? do you know where is geografically , Italy? d you wear like an Italian? d you have relatives here? d you have italian identify and passport card? d u know anything about italy that all Italians have on himself? these are the real question.. if your answers are all 'Yes' you can call yourself as an American who has Italian heritage and live like an Italian guy/girl..

[@diehard096]

@@eviljoy8426 Actually I can answer yes to those questions. I have dual citizenship with italy through my father side, speak the language with my first generation relatives, and can probably name Italian geography better than most. Compliments of a formal education. However is it necessary for me to speak Italian every day? No- I live in an English speaking country. I’m not sure what your other questions mean, wear like an Italian? Wouldn’t an Italian dress like a normal person? I find your logic slightly off. But it doesn’t discredit my heritage. Thanks for the insight though.

[@valhavpep]

@Strongj I think you missed my point. Everyone has a past and a lot of people have roots somewhere different from where they live. Its not a new phenomena. What I feel is stupid is when I meet these certain "xxxx-americans" and act a way and THINK that that way of acting or being is because they have certain roots. When in reality its far from true and just a horrible stereotype. Case in point; " Yea so Im part french and italian american which means Im loud and talk with my hands but its cause its from my roots lol". These type of people, which I meet A LOT in usa, are despicable.

[@jamesmcgarry1229]

“Ever been to Italy? Different type of Italians” 😂.... yeah... actual Italians! Not Americans clinging to the cultural identity of their ancestors 😂

[@salvolondon]

I am italian and i agree with you . Having has the great great great grandparents from Italy emigrated to the states 300 years ago does not make them italian . It Is actually a bit insulting as it's Like web are a dog's breed or something

[@minisarge2619]

@@salvolondon As a second gen Americans I agree with you entirely. But I maintain that if you managed to keep the culture and remain in contact with the mother country, then you keep that italian american status. Ma è molto difficile per continuare tua lingua si nessuno perdoni fuori de tua famiglia parla.

[@Liz-sc3np]

@@minisarge2619 As a non-Italian anything, I appreciate Italian Americans clinging to some of their cultural identity so I can enjoy delicious Italian-(American) food

[@minisarge2619]

@@Liz-sc3np I hope so. I would like to know how an actual italian feels with my assessment. Mind you I studied abroad and visited my family again about a year before quarantine started so I guess I have that contact. And I do have friends that are so far removed that it's just the cooking and decorating. That honestly doesn't feel legit to me, but that could be some kind of elitist thinking on my part. But if you want something a little more legit go with polenta. Oh and Italians dont generally mix their food so chicken or eggplant parm are Italiam American creations. Still delicious though.

[@shawnbrewer316]

@@salvolondon bruh that math is way wrong 😂

[@kolossimike]

Remember when Tony, Paulie, and Christopher went to 'the old country'? They weren't from there no more.

[@ernestpratgarriga9879]

"Commendatore...Buon giorno" ... "Cocksuckas" *sips coffee*

[@1344662]

Such a good episode

[@uglymikethethird2341]

Basically every person born in America who claim to be In touch with their mother country .

[@anthonyc1629]

The reaction to when Paulie said he wanted gravy lol

[@Jc-hn1ns]

@@anthonyc1629 they're like wtf is gravy lol. Tony yells at him for acting like a kid. Those guys in that show definitely not zips

[@catika505]

Europeans: my grandma was from Cork so I guess I have some Irish ancestry Americans: *my great grandfather was half Irish, so naturally I will base my whole personality around this* ☘️🇨🇮☘️🇨🇮☘️

[@tlaloqq]

The difference is most Europeans live in their ethnic origin country. So no most Europeans wouldn’t have a grandma from cork unless they already were Irish. As Americans we have a huge melting pot and a big part of our culture is the micro cultures that exist here. So Chinese Americans, Italian Americans, Mexican Americans, etc all have their own food, festivals, music etc

[@beadmecreative9485]

The problem is that Americans living in an invented country do not have their own ancient culture. So they cling to whatever old ancestry they have like Irish, Italian, Portuguese cuz they cultures are old and established. Its a kind of compensation.

[@drippysonic9060]

@@beadmecreative9485 We “cling” onto other cultures not because our cultures are old and established but because we want to embrace the cultures we have ancestry around. I’m a Mexican-American and I can appreciate my Mexican ancestry if that’s alright with you.

[@drippysonic9060]

@@beadmecreative9485 Since it’s the “problem”

[@lionheart5078]

i live in europe and know plenty of mixed europeans who very proudly will tell u they are half italian and half french etc.

[@tonyskillz]

Wow was really expecting this to be way funnier

[@lorenzosimonelli2422]

I am Italy Italian and have many italian american relatives. They lost their Roots and it’s really sad, they can’t even speak Italian properly anymore

[@LevisH21]

but their behavior and attitude is more like Southern Italian, if I'm correct. in Italy, there is a rivalry between the rich North and the poor South. that's what I've heard at least.

[@rorymosley9356]

I mean did they ever speak “proper” Italian to begin with. Didn’t most Italian immigrants to the US speak southern Italian languages?

[@Anto_81]

@@LevisH21 correct

[@supermodelwannabe]

@@LevisH21 "italian" americans are mostly of Sicilian descent hence the cultural difference with Northern Italians is obvious. But idk if Southern Italians want to be associated with Italian-Americans in general tho

[@Anto_81]

@@supermodelwannabe I didn't even know that "Italian Americans" were a thing...

[@andysud9661]

I am neither American nor Italian, and I don’t understand why Americans are still so obsessed with race... but I am glad to see (at least judging from this comments section) that Italians seem to consider that nationality and identity are defined by a shared culture/language rather than by DNA

[@jmeeksjr.7318]

@@gioq4702 Italians have a small middle eastern admixture but it is only 10-20% with the rest being european. the admixture lowers in north regions of the country

[@animalia5554]

For many of us our country of origin is a source of identity.

[@Ghost_Enclave]

Which I find dumb. DNA is where it's at, if it ain't it, it ain't it. I'm not gonna call a damn Afg han who was born and grew up in Germany a German just because he grew up with that culture and language lmao

[@jakegargiulo5101]

I know right

[@kerol5905]

Not so much for the law though since they still give precedence to blood "relation" (also known as 'ius sanguinis') when it comes to citizenship. As a result, many people who were born and grew up in other countries, but are related to an italian grandparent etc., come here to have their citizenship then leave to go to other wealthier european countries (I've seen this being done by an argentinian, who stayed for a year and, after the citizenship was given, left for Spain..) While those who have been born here or have lived here all their lives paying taxes etc. have a hard time to have a citizenship. Ridiculous.

[@noxaj6507]

The reason why Americans appear to have such an obsession with their heritage is because our country is built to be a melting pot of many representative cultures, at least in theory. I’m personally descended from people in Tyrol (North Italy and Southern Austria) and I’m very proud of that heritage. While yes, I’m not literally from that area or even lived there, I feel a strong connection with that land because that’s where my family was settled for hundreds of years, and I wanna acknowledge that heritage which makes, well, me. The same can also be said for many, perhaps majority of Americans as they wanna feel that kinship because the US doesn’t really have that cultural kinship. Mainly, due to the US culture being a mix-mash of many cultures which makes it difficult to relate with. Anyway, this is why Americans show such an obsession with other countries because of their need to be defined.

[@missieinthemiddle]

I agree. For me though, I wouldn't say it was an obsession, but more of a sense of pride in my heritage and the legacy of my Great Grandparents. Our ancestors came to the US to escape poverty and for a better life. They faced racism and were unwanted. Unless they Americanized, they were not accepted. My grandmother was not allowed to go to school unless she spoke English. Sicilians were treated only slightly better than black people back then. They were not considered white. They persevered and overcame a lot. The best way to honor them is to continue with the traditions they left us with. To say that once you are born in another country you are no longer considered Italian at all is ludicrous. I can trace my roots back to Palermo beyond my Great Grandparents. If I wanted to become an Italian citizen, all I have to do is show proof of my blood line. Why? Because according to the Italian government, as long as you are Italian by blood, you are considered Italian. That's the pride and mentality that Americans of Italian heritage have carried with them from their ancestors. We may be more Americanized these days, but not all of us are the stereotypical Italians you see on TV. I am American first, but I refuse to let anyone tell me that I am not a part of a lineage or culture because my family decided to move elsewhere.

[@Refref1990]

@@missieinthemiddle But no one says you don't have to be proud of your origins! We Italians are pleased to know that you have not forgotten where you come from! It just pisses us off when you feel Italian and not Italian Americans! Because being Italian is a cultural question, there is no Italian DNA! An Italian is recognized by the way of speaking, of reasoning, by the typically Italian cultural influence of those born and raised in Italy, by the common jokes that only an Italian can know and things of this kind! This does not mean that if you come to Italy you will be treated badly, but you will simply be treated like an American of Italian origin who wants to know the country of her ancestors! Thinking that there is an Italian DNA and that one is Italian only by birthright is typically American, not Italian!

[@cristianturbian2513]

Hi, Italian guy here. I'm supper happy that you are proud of your heritage but, if I may ask, why? If we agree that is the culture we live in that shapes who we are (from a psychological standpoint) then why do you feel that strong of a connection with a place you don't even know? It's like we should all be proud of being mesopotamian since human civilization started there. I'm not trying to be pushy or annoying, I'm genuinely curious. Like, If I was an American, I think I'll have a sense of pride in my Italian ancestry only If I had grew up really close with an Italian relative, who could have transmitted me aspects of Italian culture that I like and find admirable. Then I would say "oh wow, Italians have really great values or whatever that have being passed onto me, I feel pride in being raised also as an Italian, other than an American". Was it the same with your grandparents?

[@Crispybacon7734]

I'm not Italian American, however, this sentiment carries with most Americans. Being American comes with a certain pride (for some more than others) and America lacks a distinct culture of its own. Someone else in the comments mentioned that Italians in different parts of Italy act, talk, dress, etc, differently. It's similar to how Americans change as you go to different states. Also, people immigrating to America isn't an unusual concept so Americans tend to keep track of where their families came from, just because of how many Americans have had family members in the past immigrate to America, myself included. This kinda explains why we class ourselves by our heritage i.e. African American, Italian American, Asian American, and so on. The pride we feel for our heritage is probably harder to answer. I'm not sure what a good analogy would be but I'll try. It's like if your grandparents had a farm or house, but your parents moved across town. So, all your life your parents tell you about that farm/house and what it's like. You never actually go there but because your family is from there and they told you about what it's like, you develop a sort of fondness for something you have no real attachment to. Also, in school, we learn about all 50 states, their capitals, or whatever else. And being in such a big country, often people develop a pride over their state as well as America itself. Not sure if that's the same with Italians and your province or town or whatever you guys have, but Americans tend (keyword tend because some people really hate their state) to have a lot of pride over their home, so it kinda carries over into where our ancestors are from. Also, it's just kinda entertaining to know where your ancestors are from and ask others about it. TL;DR: Americans know about our ancestor's place of birth as opposed to geography.

[@lukekennedy6394]

As a European and also a Brit...we don't go around swinging axes pretending we are vikings. We are a mix and mash of everything!!!! Germanic, Celts, Angles, Normans, Saxons, Romans, Vikings... now you've wound me up I'm off to go pillage my neighbours house and have away with his wench

[@callmedave1280]

Remember that episode of the Sopranos where they go to Italy and the old country Italians basically call Paulie a caveman for calling spaghetti sauce "gravy"?

[@Goldenskies__]

Yeah, because we call what you call gravy "salsa" or "sugo". I think sugo is more common in the North, while salsa is more common in the South, but both are common. Of course we don't say gravy, we speak Italian between us not English. lol.

[@callmedave1280]

@@Goldenskies__ honestly most people dont call it gravy here either. Thats largely a New York specific thing for Italian Americans, and even then i think thats a term thats dying out as the internet makes American culture more homogenous. Didnt know about the term sugo, does that specifically mean "sauce" like salsa? Or is it a colloquialism that refers to something different, but similar?

[@Goldenskies__]

@@callmedave1280 Ok, I'm not an expert because I use both terms, but I think sugo is basically salsa con carne (sauce with meat) like the one we put in lasagna (lasagne in italian). Northerners usually say sugo, but I asked my mom and she doesn't know why someone say salsa and others say sugo 🤷‍♀️ You can use both terms in Italy, but if someone says sugo I will think about salsa+carne. p.s. I just searched it and I was right. Sugo is more complex than salsa. If you're making "Pasta all'amatriciana" you use sugo, because you put meat (like guanciale) in the salsa and it becomes a sugo. Yeah, we're complicated. And we also have the term ragù, ragù always has meat inside. Ok, let's simplify it: you can use salsa, sugo and ragù when you're in Italy, because everyone is going to understand you anyway. It's basically the same thing with or without meat.

[@callmedave1280]

@@Goldenskies__ its all good, fun to learn about other places. In the show, a character from Italy says he hated Christopher Columbus because he was from North Italy while he (the character) was from the south. Largely because the north looks down on the south for being low class (or something to that effect.) Does that hostile dynamic really exist? Or is it more of a stereotype that theyre playing up for TV?

[@Goldenskies__]

@@callmedave1280 It definitely exist. Northerners hates us southerners, but I'm really proud of who I am. Of course not every Northerner hates us, but yeah... the discrimination is real unfortunately.

[@tommasovasta8323]

Between italians in Milan and italian-americans there is the same difference there was between english and americans...

[@masterjunky863]

Anche di più

[@parthenope.]

@@masterjunky863 ma di più in cosa hahaha

[@LucaPizzoplus]

@@parthenope. ma molto di più, gli italo-americani sono discendenti di siciliani del ceto medio basso emigrati nel primo dopoguerra. Erano italiani si, ma l'unità d'Italia era cosa abbastanza recente e parlavano dialetto e non conoscevano l'italiano (cosa accessibile solo alle persone più agiate), per questo che le generazioni successive si comportano proprio come dei siciliani di ceto basso del 1920. Gli italiani a Milano sono molto differenti rispetto ai siciliani di 100 anni fa, figuriamoci ai loro figli dei figli nati e cresciuti negli Stati Uniti. Parlo anche per esperienza diretta dato che sono nato e cresciuto a Milano, ma mio nonno del 1922 è venuto da Palermo e ho lontani parenti Italo-americani (con cui parlo in inglese). Gli italo-americani sono americani, i milanesi sono italiani. Almeno americani e inglesi condividono la lingua (anche se con accenti diversi), noi neanche quella.

[@ade910]

No. Between Italians in Milan and Italian-Americans there is the same difference as between Italians and Americans. English and Americans speak the same language. And a majority of Americans do not have any origins in England. Americans can be from anywhere in Europe: Ireland, Poland, Italy, Germany etc. Normally a mix of all of these European countries.

[@Nimrodel84]

Actually, much more. And not only from Northern Italians.

[@Gabistruwwelliese]

As a Brazilian, I have Italian ancestry (+ more). People here refrain from calling themselves Italians (at least in Rio where I'm from). It sounds presumptious, even if you have the passport because it's like you wanna pass as European (higher status). People rarely claim to be indigenous, etc. Only when it became "in fashion." (The American "my great great nanny was Pochahontas," when you are just culturally white...). An ex of mine who was American said that descendants claimed these ethicities (Italian, Irish, etc...) because they were discriminated against in the past so it became a sort of resistance claiming the heritage... On the same note, my foreign friends that have Brazilian parents - I view them more as foreigners than as Brazilians (so do most of the ppl I know, it seems a common mindset here). Here, where you grew up and were socialized is the key element to attribute "being from a country." That being said, Brazilian culture integrated better different cultures than the American (although there is tons of discrimination here, historically we never had segregation of the type there was in the US)...

[@diegoflores9237]

First of all Brazilians are also Americans because brazil is in the American continent. Very interesting, thank you for sharing. It shows how in every country things turn out different. I think it goes back to who colonized the area. The English that arrived in North America early on were religious extremists that came over in families. To them even regular English people were outsiders. So from the beginning of European settlement in what is now the usa there were visible lines between groups. On the other hand the early Portuguese/Spanish colonizers were greedy men, not interested in religion. They freely mingled with native americans and even took wives. In the early Portuguese/Spanish settlements in America there was a start of creating one group. That's why today you see in the usa this tapestry of groups because there was always a barrier to full integration by the original English settlers. This barrier didn't exist in brazil

[@LoganCharlesII]

They need to do one about people from Ireland vs. people in Boston who call themselves Irish.

[@hanswurst2355]

@@chapman3713 They're scottish bro, obviously

[@lordgemini2376]

Plastic Paddys as they're called

[@Angelica-rg2mf]

Some of these American "italians" are so close to their roots they can't even pronounce their last name correctly

[@ask825]

Giudice = Djudais lol

[@AlbertManiscalco]

to be fair, once you have your name mispronounced enough, you sort of give up and tell your kids to say it how the americans say it so they dont get bullied for being different and then give your kid a name like billy or johnny. people like myself who speak both languages are italian american, people like you are describing are american italians. please understand that we are not a monolith and have some compassion for those who lost their ties in order to not be lynched (!) in a post slavery america.

[@eisenritter7805]

Why are Americans so obsessed with their European heritage? I'll never understand it. I thought the whole point of the American nation spirit was that heritage didn't matter.

[@you-in5iy]

Because you notice your differences when surrounded by others and you cling together naturally for protection.

[@christopherross9509]

Alot of the ethnic groups of the USA (NOT ALL!) came over (Some were forced here), came over cause of hardships looking for a better life and alot of them found hardship when they got here my father's side were Scottish and the first family member came over as an indentured servent back in the 1600's and my mother's were German (Oma und Opa) fled the Red Army. Historically each of these groups would experience, group, and contribute together. In America we view being an American different its a Nationality and a given, we're a nation of immigrants and we like to know and honor our heritage cause it's a connection to the roots where we all come from.

[@barakobama9743]

Not really only Italians are like that because the other are rest reds

[@eisenritter7805]

@@christopherross9509 I mean I understand first and second generation migrants, but at some point you just gotta realize you have nothing in common with your "roots" anymore. Some guy from the 16th century has nothing to do with your identity. You are not Scottish when not even your grandparents were raised in Scotland. By that logic we all might aswell run around saying we're African because 2 million years ago our ancestors struggled hard-ships there.

[@christopherross9509]

@@eisenritter7805 A question for you then; if a Gastarbeiter and their family came to Germany back in the 50’s from like Turkey, how long (assuming that they intermarried within their community) would it take before their descendants would be just German? Or my mother’s family for example, even though they considered themselves German, spoke the language (granted a regional dialect), and maintained a German culture (albeit one that was influenced by the other cultures around it), they didn’t have direct roots to Germany, I think my Oma said that my Opa’s family came out of Switzerland to Frankfurt then ended up in a German community in Lodz Poland in like the 1400 or 1500’s, which lasted until the end of WW2 as far as I know. According to your logic they should have been Polish, and on a national identity level I agree with you, but ethnically they were considered German enough for the Third Reich, the Russians, the Poles, and the post-war German gov’t which allowed them to move to Germany. What I’m trying to get at is that nationality is different than ethnicity or lineage, and in the US we kind of do both when identifying people and groups. Some groups do it stronger than others…France actually gives the US foreign aid (the ONLY country to) in order to preserve the French Cajun culture, but they're Americans.

[@playboyv12]

I have a Sicilian father and grew up with grandparents that couldn’t speak English. I have a big passion for the exotic cars of Italy, the culture, and food. I finally learned to speak Italian in Italy about two years ago, and am an upper intermediate speaker now, speaking with Italian natives weekly. My observation has always been that I was seen as American, but there was appreciation for me connecting with the important aspects of their culture. I believe I’m seen by them as more Italian than the Guinea Jersey shore stereotypes that’s believed by many to be “Italian”. One interesting thing my Sicilian teacher told me recently: she feels italians in general have less pride in Italy than Italian Americans do. I had to have her clarify just to make sure I wasn’t misunderstanding. I find it hard to believe but at the same time I look at how prideful some of these Italian Americans are about the heritage, meanwhile Italians in Italy just exist, haha. Language is critical. If you’re not even receptive bilingual to Italian, you can’t claim it. 😁

[@marcobisi7768]

We Italians have to deal with the bad side and the good side of our country so we have a pretty balanced amount of pride for our nation, Italian-Americans mostly just embrace the good side (the food for the most part but sometimes the clothing, etc) so they like being part of the Italian "family" more, at least this is how i think the reality is.

[@xxxenricop]

the pride thing is i think not to be held against Italians i think but more against Americans having too much "blind" pride for the flag etc. the US can do no wrong kinda attitude. Mio figlio in kindergarten in the US is meant to be reciting the "pledge of allegiance" ... come in North Korea ... e' barbarico. fare il lavaggio del cervello ai bambini. Of course then you end up with politicians and leaders in general that deny the very fact of institutional and historical racism in the country.

[@AndrewDaniele87]

@@marcobisi7768 you got it right, I'm from Canada with Italian parents, people take the "cool" parts from each culture and take pride in them (Canada and America is basically the same here lol). I personally don't care much to identify to any one culture, I have things I like and things I don't like, and do things that are unique completely to me (which might make me an alien I guess? Haha)

[@MadMax22]

Idk if language is the deciding factor. I've got friends who are Mexican who can't speak Spanish. And we've got some Spanish Americans who can't speak english.

[@siriuslili]

Yeah, but the “Italy Italians” sure don’t have a problem associating themselves with Italo Americans when it comes to great, massively influential, culture changing artists like Scorsese, Coppola, or Pacino. Stronzi di merda…🖕🏼

[@Awall79]

As the daughter of a Northern Italian immigrant father and an Italian-American mother I can tell you there is a huge difference. On top of that my mother's family was from Southern Italy SO don't even get me started on the difference that makes as well. My dad's relatives are complete opposites of my mother's family.

[@Andyfollower]

I will always say that Italians and Italian Americans are completely different.

[@TheJoeMatarese]

Yep

[@Latinarama]

Italians have much more in common with other Mediterranean peoples like the Spanish, Southern French and Greek than they do with Italian Americans. The food they eat is completely different from Italian food in America, and so is their attitude towards life.

[@mariasampson6364]

And they are also Latín people!!!!! I feel I need to mention it. 🙂

[@mikedmartis1805]

The Italians are the ORIGINAL Latin people who inspired the French and Spanish.

[@gurcuball6193]

South italians were ethnic Greek. As far as I know.

[@Valagh]

@@mikedmartis1805 It's not exactly that simple. Italians born in Italy have a mixed ancestry, due to a series of very extensive historical processes: even before the Roman Empire, when there were Italic, Etruscan and Greek tribes, cultural roots had come to establish. From after 476 A.D. (fall of the Roman Empire) various peoples followed one another on Italic soil - Byzantines, Normans, Longobards, Arabs, then Spaniards, French, Austrians -, and all of them contributed to forming the Italian cultural baggage (many of these influences can be found in the different regional dialects)

[@francesco8572]

@@Valagh nice of you to reduce italian history into just "italians got fucked by everyone" Only on the internet.

[@esame3653]

Nationality is about where you spent your childhood and teen years...no matter what it'll stick with you forever.

[@yasmin8851]

So true!! My sister and I went to Italy recently, even the "street people" were stylish😁

[@Patrick_3751]

Russel Peters did an excellent joke on this very issue, except he used Irish-Americans. Person A: "I'M F*CKIN' IRISH!!!" Person B: "Oh cool where you from?" "Boston!" "Okay, your parents from Ireland?" "Nah Boston!" "Grandparents?" "Boston!" "Great Grandparents?" "Boston!" *"WHEN THE F*CK WERE YOU IRISH!?!?!"*

[@tanino111]

Per affermare di essere Italiano devi conoscere a pieno la sua cultura. Questo vale per ogni nazione del mondo.

[@lemlematta229]

Grazie 😍

[@Lafemmefutile]

Very true!

[@x_mau9355]

Ti assicuro che non è una questione di cultura (cioè di sapere - storia, lingua, ecc ecc). È una questione di tradizioni, di linguaggio del corpo, di atteggiamenti, di priorità, di forma-mentis. Gli italiani d'Italia li riconosci a naso, a occhio e a orecchio. Gli altri semplicemente non sono (più) italiani. Senza offesa ovviamente, ma è così.

[@tanino111]

@@x_mau9355 Abbiamo detto la stessa cosa in modo diverso. Il linguaggio del corpo, gli atteggiamenti, fanno parte del bagaglio culturale da me citato in precedenza.

[@x_mau9355]

@@tanino111si, ok. Ho interpretato il termine "cultura" in modo diverso...come "sapere", per questo ho pensato di puntualizzare.

[@filippod1290]

take a walk in Rome, Naples or Palermo, and far from the downtowns... you'll see how sophisticated people are. Most of italian-americans come from there, from the lower class.

[@filippod1290]

@Eros Delorenzi i said, "most of italian-american" not "all the italian-american" and i was referring about their origins in italy, not today in america.

[@filippod1290]

@Eros Delorenzi aridaje ma si de coccio compa'...i repeat, i'm talking about their origins, their situation before leaving for america. and i didn't say "all" but "most".

[@davez3764]

Im italian, north Italy and south italy are totally different,you just need to know this

[@filippod1290]

@@davez3764 Pure io so italiano

[@GiuseppeSimonetti]

@@davez3764 My grandmother is from Salerno, my grandfather from naples (His family originates from Tuscany) and my mom from Torino

[@tmalone2530]

It’s true. I’m from New York City. Grew up with Italian Americans and I went to Italy for 2 weeks a few years back. Italians in Italy are COMPLETELY different.

[@hazhoner5727]

"Italian" Americans are AMERICANS

[@luigibianchi5132]

There are no "Italians in Italy". Italians are only in Italy. You are Americans.

[@crustycobs2669]

Once went to an Italian deli in Baltimore with an Italian-American friend. Within five minutes, he had made connections to friends and relatives. Funnily enough, none had ever been to Italy.

[@AlineMayne1]

When Americans say "I'm Italian" I'm like 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@caesarstrings]

I like that scene in The Sopranos where the guys go to Italy on business, and at dinner Paulie doesn’t like the authentic Italian food and goes “Eyy, wtf is this? Can I just get some spaghetti with gravy?!” And the Italian-Italians are like “wtf is ‘gravy’?”

[@louisetaylor6952]

That is interesting because my grandmother was born in Sicily and she and therefore all of us called pasta sauce gravy...

[@gs7828]

@@louisetaylor6952 Do you mean tomato sauce? Aka salsa or sugo.

[@johngant3991]

I’m an American that probably is a mix of like 8 different nationalities but I’m not going to call myself “German” or “English” or something. Americans always want to be something other than American. I guess we think it’s boring or not exotic enough which is weird because we also think we have the “greatest country in the world.” We need to cut the bullshit and just call ourselves American. Unless you were born in Italy or Germany or France or any other country for that matter and can speak the language then you can say you are “Italian”, “German”, “French”, etc... Otherwise be an American and be proud of it.

[@c_m00]

Would you tell that to african americans too then? Don't call yourselves african americans! You're just americans! yeah good luck with that.

[@menolarose]

@@c_m00 "African Americans" have nothing to do with real Africans, their only common point is the color of their skin. We should just call them black Americans.

[@alessiostaccioli9151]

Your point is really interesting. i have never read this point before but... it's right. Not only the final point ( "be an American and be proud of it."), but also the first: why so many americans need to feel themself linked with their ancestors? I can understood the black people (with their history of slavery) and the native americans, but... why the others need to call themselfes something-americans? And not Texan-Americans or Nebraska-Americans (In Europe we are often very bounded to our native-regions), but Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, and so on... From an european point of view, it happens soooo often, so often... and it's strange. I have never notice this thing before. Thank you, John Grant. Greetings from Italy, and sorry for bad english.

[@superiorstrength8556]

@@c_m00 all the people i know dont call themselves African-American and they hate that name we call ourselves black americans so don't sterotype the media is the one pushing that name the hardest

[@sakuraryuji01]

With Hispanics/Latinos we are identified by this legally in the US as an umbrella terms as Mexico /Latin America / South America was already a melting pot. Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Portuguese, settlers settled in lands that already had Native Populations and brought their own slaves too and the influx of asians migrating in the 1940’s. Mexico specifically around the 1500’s the culture of these settlers forced social and economic pressure for us to be more “civilized” live like a Spaniard would. When we Americans are forced to fill out our census every decade we are forced to go into elaborate detail. In my experience I am part Caucasian due to Spaniard and French Ancestors. we then also have a question of are we hispanic /latinos. we have native blood as Mexico had various native people. the natives of the land my grandmother grew up is part of Aztec culture. so ancestrally that makes sense. the 2020 census was a pain for me to file. what would take 10 mins for most took me 35 mins for mine as I had more follow up questions.

[@garthybrookens4839]

"'What the hell happened on that boat ride?" got me 😂😂😂!!!

[@Heidegaff]

"Italian americans"? Ah yes! You mean "americans"!

[@fpsserbia6570]

"american" is not nationality, that would be if we in Europe called our self Europeans, there is not point to do that because we know to which ethnicity we belong.

[@anonymous563b]

Lol

[@fpsserbia6570]

@@pawwalker3492 if i say Americans to who i m referring??? =USA, Mexico, Canada, Cuba,.....Argentina, Chile, Brazil,....? US= united states of america ( you are part of north America ). US citizens are mixed groups of most nationalitys and ethnicity that exist. There is indians, germans, russians,....chinese, koreans,....and rest of the people who are native to American continent, current US is just mixed, you are part of America but there is no point to call you Americans when you know to which ethnicity you belong. You don t go to Afrika and call them all Africans that is lazy, you learn their history, it is the same with Europe, Asia,....

[@oz_jones]

@@fpsserbia6570 yawn. American = citizen of USA.

[@fpsserbia6570]

@@oz_jones i dont know how that make any sense but, OK 😂

[@michaelanthony4750]

All these people saying Americans stereotype more than Italians is hilarious because when I went to Italy it's, "Oh you Americans love your business and your work, bla, bla, bla." Honestly, I don't even care and find it refreshing, but for Italians to say this is pretty funny.

[@petitefille2008]

I do not understand why in the United States they have this tendency to stereotype people by the nationality of their ancestors. Italian Americans are Americans because they were born in the USA, grew up in the USA and acquired its culture. In Latin America there are also many descendants of Italians, in Argentina for example, but nobody calls them Italian-Argentines, they are simply Argentines, period.

[@xxxenricop]

Because it's a country created by religious extremists that moved there to find a place where they were free to oppress anything that did not confirm to their views. Racism is deeply ingrained in the culture and in society. we sort of slowly moved mostly away from open racism against other whites and now VERY slowly we seem to be moving towards diminishing the "colour racism" as well.

[@erniebuchinski3614]

If you want to see people stereotyped by their background and/or country of origin, then I cordially invite to visit Europe, where I live. You'll see that it's not really any different here.

[@chaxi155]

because so many americans try to seem “different” by claiming a small portion of their ethnic background (but only the ones they can romanticize of course 🙄) while not knowing anything about that culture/ not trying to

[@LuisFlores-tx4ee]

@@chaxi155 honestly, you worded it out perfectly

[@ambientacademy]

it's because the American government likes to put people into boxes, that's why

[@pinopini4317]

Sono italiano d'Italia e scrivo questo post in italiano, spero che voi mi comprendiate. Italiani d'Italia ed Americani di discendenza italiana sono due gruppi di persone differenti, non esistono affinità culturali, linguistiche o di altro tipo. Per essere italiani è necessario essere nati in Italia (od essere venuti a vivere in Italia da piccoli) ed essere cresciuti ed educati lì. Ossia bisogna aver vissuto l'italianità nell'infanzia e nell' adolescenza. Oggi molti italiani d'Italia, nati e cresciuti in Italia, sono originari di altri Paesi del mondo e secondo me, queste persone sono più italiane di quelle persone americane che si dichiarano italiani senza conoscere e parlare la nostra lingua e senza essere mai venuti in Italia. Gli italoamericani costituiscono uno stereotipo degli italiani che fa soltanto ridere a noi italiani d'Italia e che non ci rappresentano.

[@nemesi3231]

sei stato esaustivo e spero quei zucconi capiscano.

[@mercy1459]

Yo soy Hispanohablante, si te entendí . Ahora para que lo haga los Estado Unidenses de origen Italiano está difícil, porque no saben nada de Italiano 😅. Saludos fraternales

[@LNVACVAC]

You don't even know your own laws. Italy is a jus sanguinis country. Most italian-americans don't have an italian citizenship because US law prohibits it and US and Italy have no reciprocity (tolerance) to multiple citizenship among them. Outside of US there are plenty of italians born and raised outside of italy, who partake of italian culture despite facing the adversity of being prohibited of speaking italian their whole lives or their families only speaking pre-1948 dialects.

[@TheSageBear87]

@@pinopini4317 I am Italian-Brazilian and according to the law of your country, I am Italian, even though I have never set foot there. Every election year a letter arrives at my house asking me to vote, so I am as Italian as you are.

[@NoNo-je6rf]

Sono perfettamente d’accordo ma La stessa cosa si potrebbe però dire di una persona del nord messa a confronto con una del sud Italia. Non abbiamo le stesse discendenze di sangue, non siamo simili nell’ aspetto ,abbiamo diverse influenze culturali, non abbiamo le stesse tradizioni e Fino a 60/70 anni fa si parlava prevalentemente dialetto . l’unica cosa di fatto che ci accomunava era la religione cattolica.

[@gs7828]

The thing is that Italy's not a distant dream or memory, but a vibrant society shaping Europe, innovating and suffering too. Italian identity is PRACTISED, not remembered. If you practise it, speak Italian and shape the Italian debate of today, that's what makes you Italian.

[@kingkudzu352]

italian americans: "we have food waste disposal in sink" Italians: " YOU EAT"

[@m.a.____c.5892]

You're not Italian or Italian-American. You're just Americans with Italian family. That's it. You don't even cook Italian food the way Italians do it. You don't even know how to speak Italian. Accept the country where you were born already

[@josephpalumbo3876]

No, you are wrong.

[@aidez-moisvp7580]

They probably accept it. It is merely a linguistic difference. Some people in the U.S.A. say that they are “Italian” to discuss that they have Italian heritage/ celebrate their parents or grandparents. Many don’t mean to say that they are actual Italians (can’t speak for all). Not saying it is right or wrong. This is just why it occurs.

[@m.a.____c.5892]

@@aidez-moisvp7580 good point

[@lisca.2000]

Dillo a Lady Gaga

[@sliverscreencritic]

When they say they're Italian or Italian-American they mean it more ethnically like in terms of their ancestors come from Italy not in terms of their nationality. When people say they're Italian-American they mean that they are ethnically Italian but their nationality is American; being Italian-American in the US is considered completely different from being Italian in both ethnicity and nationality.

[@babetteeatsoatmeal]

My dad is Italian American, he doesn't know a single word of Italian, calls pasta sauce gravy, has never even been to Italy. Meawhile I'm only half Italian, I know the language. He grew up in an Italian American household with 1 generation parents. His grandparents immigrated from Sicily. I love him but he's not Italian he's Italian American.

[@kleshayer3751]

how do u know the language if ur father doesnt speak it

[@franceskinskij]

​@@kleshayer3751probably they learned it on their own. That's what my Australian cousin is doing right now. I went to see her back in February and although she couldn't speak it in full sentences she could understand me (but I had to be careful not to speak with my dialect). I found out they do learn Italian in school but since they have no use for it most of the time they abandon it

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

I remember watching Italian tv: a guy would get in a cab and use a fart machine. He did that in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy. The Northern guy was angry and told him to stop or get off, the Central guy wasn't angry, but told him to stop. The Southern guy just laughed, and opened a window.

[@alessiostaccioli9151]

And so...?

[@docmontecristo]

So you draw conclusions on a 50 million people nation, based on the reaction of three taxi drivers?!?! That is scientific......

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

@@alessiostaccioli9151 and nothing, just writing about something I saw.

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

@@docmontecristo Did I say that ?

[@QuantumNoir]

@@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y Nice post. Some people are so damn uptight. Previous guy would've been a northerner.

[@gio7799]

"what the hell happened in that boat ride?" It's easy to answer...the boat left Italy in the early 1900, with poor illetterate people, Italian Americans generations after generations remember a country that doesn't exist anymore, Italians don't have anymore black moustaches but, they were nice scarves 😄

[@Peter_Schiavo]

And the gelato is primo.

[@reelsoffortuneslotsplay4267]

I was stationed in Naples from 87 to 89... I married a woman named Annunziata from Castleforte... We have been telling folks for 33 years that she is Italian Italian because if we don't... Folks assume she from Jersey or Philly or NYC....

[@reelsoffortuneslotsplay4267]

English speaking folks call her Nancy... Our Italian family called her Nunzia....

[@susanherbert3014]

I’m of Italian descent, we went to Italy in 2019, I can tell you that a 5 year old child in Italy dresses better than most adult Americans!

[@mcbridefan88]

I have never understood people walking around saying they are Italian, Irish, Mexican, etc and they have never lived there one day. It is just plain silly. I am “Mexican-American” , I am proud of my heritage, but I am clearly American and proud of that as well. When I go to Mexico I am seen as an American….which is what I am.

[@maori94]

Immigrants were mistreated they had to face many struggles, of course now italy is richer than when those families chose to leave, south italy was very very poor and the whole country was affected by the first and second ww. The portait of italians in the states is a mixture of their process of integration - they couldn’t properly study english and also they forgot italian. Their traditions were taken, modified or completely made up for commercial purposes. Now you have so much “italian food” in the market that you would never find in italy, it is all made up by US companies. As an italian I think that the grandsons of italian people in america like to call themselves italian and they take pride in it and I find it graceful, they are remembering their family roots.

[@GT-fl9gf]

Si auto-preclamano italiani ma non sanno neanche parlare 'na parola di Italiano

[@louisetaylor6952]

Thank you, Maori, for expressing your comment with such beauty and sensitivity

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

What you say is all true... but the fact that it's gracefull that third generation immigrants are calling themselves Italian. I find it cringy.

[@hysteria6482]

I’m an Italian originally from Italy, and also moved to America when I was 3 months old. My entire family lived in Italy for much longer however, and there is a difference between me and my family, just not a large enough difference to say they’re a completely different type of Italian.

[@jmlepunk]

Lol. Dude, you moved to the US when you were 3 months old. You're first and foremost an American from cultural standpoint

[@ukgaragegold]

Most American Italians are from southern Italy and sicily. My family’s from Caltanisetta in Sicily and they just like NYC Italians

[@filippomancuso7865]

Sicily is situated in souther Italy. kitemmuor

[@roccocane5565]

cause caltanissetta is a small city

[@selfloathingweekly]

It's a running joke among Italian Americans to ask what part of Sicily their family came from.

[@selfloathingweekly]

@PCMASTERACE yes, even today southern Italy is treated like the South in America. Poor uneducated hicks

[@olafharoldsonnii4713]

green power northern Italians to Argentina? Are you on crack? Lost of the immigrants that went to Argentina were from southern Italy ex Naples

[@FULLtiltSENDER]

Lol just Bc your great grandparents came from Italy doesn’t mean you’re Italian lol

[@Yunggillyx]

no youre American but genetically your heritage is from Italy that can't be taken away nothing wrong with being proud of ones heritage

[@lisalu910]

Says who? Have you ever heard of Jus Sanguinis? It says that under certain circumstances, people who are directly descended from Italian grandparents/great-grandparents who never renounced their own citizenship DO have Italian citizenship. You can apply to have that recognized and even get an Italian passport if you meet the requirements. So basically you're wrong.

[@FULLtiltSENDER]

HumansArePrimates everyone I meant culturally obviously. If you can’t even speak the language and you’re not culturally italian or whatever country your family immigrated from than you’re not. And I’m actually 25 lol

[@johnnyb7628]

Uh yes it does actually.

[@IXAuxiliary]

Well they have developed their own distinct Italian American culture so they are Italian in their own right but most Italian Americans don’t know a word of Italian and have never been to Italy.

[@ashjones2627]

Its the same thing with "Irish" Americans.

[@flickfi]

The Irish like to call them 'Plastic Paddys'

[@LordBranniganThe]

They actually celebrate St Patrick’s Day like it means something to them. I suppose they hijacked 5 de Mayo too

[@fattypopulista8189]

@@LordBranniganThe Mexicans don't even celebrate Cinco de Mayo from what they've told me.

[@QuantumNoir]

@@fattypopulista8189 Just for kicks. We do celebrate it but white Americans celebrate it just as hard. Trump diehards love cinco de mayo.

[@QuantumNoir]

@@LordBranniganThe 5 de Mayo is a fun bonus holiday for Mexicans. It's not at the core. White Americans love it though. You'd be surprised at the Trump cult that hates globalization while wearing the biggest colorful sombreros and sipping gigantic margaritas.

[@princeparanoia1802]

America was named after an Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, don’t fuhgeddaboudit

[@robparke2323]

We (USA) could have been named Vespucciland! Then we would come in near the end of the Olympic ceremony rather than at the beginning.

[@lolapavon4780]

That’s right ... not to mention Italians built this country and fought for this country !!

[@antoniousai1989]

He was born in a geographic area known as Italy. He was a Venetian citizen, Italy would not exist for another 300 years. Also, he was funded by Spanish people and Portuguese people.

[@princeparanoia1802]

Antonio Usai he was born in Florence and never been a Venetian citizen.

[@mercy1459]

Para los Americanos hispanos ,América es el continente no un país

[@bloom_444]

I'm italian and I have never met italian-americans, I only have seen them on TV. I see italian-americans like a deep-dish pizza, it claims to be a pizza, but it's completely another thing.

[@rachelgregory888]

Italians are the best people in the world.

[@bluesoul7163]

@@rachelgregory888 not all of us Lol.

[@cathyyyydominates]

Deep dish pizza is NOT italian american it is chicago style !!! Real italian-american pizza is from NY!

[@xxxenricop]

@@cathyyyydominates yeah and still NOTHING like pizza in italy in the 20th century....or ever most likely...

[@lucian1584]

@@xxxenricop nothing wrong with a culture branching off into distinct foods

[@arthurdayne8029]

The first twenty seconds tell me that he’s probably seen Italy only in a movie 🤣

[@hz-uw8sj]

Mi sa che è andato a milano ahahahah...scherzo ne

[@bluesoul7163]

@@hz-uw8sj o a Firenze....sciarpe , foulard , ascott , sono molto comuni a Firenze e gli americani visitano al primo posto la Toscana.

[@hz-uw8sj]

@@bluesoul7163 anche ma in generale ci sono molti pensieri e modi di vestire in italia

[@alverygrissom2544]

@@hz-uw8sj ma pure roma mica scherza eh, le grandi città sono piene di gente così soprattutto ai parioli

[@wild_normality9173]

I am Italian,i live in Italy and believe me when I say that I wouldn't spot the difference between Americans and Italian Americans...I would genuenly and without malice think that the second ones are from "Jersey shore".. 😬🇮🇹

[@eliza6971]

Italian Americans: I am extremely Italian, it’s essentially my entire identity, my culture is the only real culture. 23 and Me: Surprise! You’re 52% Scotch/Irish! Turns out your identity is just “New Jersey.”

[@ursamajor5234]

Italian descended Americans aren’t just in NJ.

[@ctcheeserexplores7443]

Seems like lots of people don’t understand this (especially Europeans) but Italian-American is its own culture in itself. We know we are not “Italians,” we just share some arbitrary ancestral link to people who came from there long ago. Italian Americans identify as Italian American, not as a way to pretend as if they are actually Italian, but because they are Italian AMERICAN. It is a different culture entirely, with its own unique foods (heavily inspired by Italian food, of course) and with its own expressions and way of speaking (we tend to combine a few Italian words in with English, albeit not very many but still. It id unique to us.)

[@marcomarco3785]

Gli argentini sono per il 60% discendenti di italiani, ma non si definiscono italo-argentini.. sono semplicemente argentini. Questa cosa succede solo con voi americani

[@maxdean226]

I am american (not european) and I completely undestand this. The europeans are right and the americans are wrong. Italian-americans are not italians at all and when I say that, I am talking about those people that have the great grandpa or great grandma part. These americans of so called fake italian descent do not speak italian, don't know about italy history and were born and riased in america to english speaking american parents. Calling someone italian-american is like saying that they are sons/daughters of full italian immigrants who came to america or that they were born in italy and came to america later at their teens or early kid years. They were born and raised in america to full american english speaking parents so It is wrong to call them italian. Italian americans have pretty much assimilated into white-american society therefore they are no longer Italians but just regular white americans. 99% of italian american do not speak italian so that tells you that these people are not italian. American=People that are born and raised in america. Italian american are just americans and not italians.

[@bakedbeans5494]

@@marcomarco3785 Nope.

[@bakedbeans5494]

@@maxdean226 Passive agressive behaviour.

[@marcomarco3785]

@@bakedbeans5494 tenetevi la vostra di cultura (se così si può chiamare) non infangate quella degli altri. Anche perché se ti definisci italiano devi quanto meno sapere la lingua, altrimenti stiamo parlando del niente

[@carloorelli3538]

Italy is not that different from USA in terms of diversity: we are a smaller country, but you can imagine each of our regions like one of your states. Would you say that an american from Minnesota talks, acts and thinks as an american from Californa? The same goes in Italy: take an italian from Veneto (where Venice is located, ofc) and you bet he's extremely different from an italian from Sicily. We all usually speak italian and in many regions the original dialect vanished almost completely. In other regions, instead, even young people still speaks strict dialect. Go to Calabria and be prepared to hear something that sound like Klingon. Or go to Puglia and you'll hear even a more caothic range of dialects (there people speaks different dialects even between cities)

[@nni9310]

The Calabrian dialect (at least my parents' version) was soft, like murmuring water. When I first heard Italian as a child (from pop songs), I thought it sounded like someone striking a stick against a wooden fence.

[@Youdontknowwhatliterallymeans]

I visited Italy in the summer of 2000. I met people who spoke English with less of an accent than ethnic Italians born in English-speaking countries.

[@lvididnothingwrong1958]

22 years ago the now boomers where younger while the young generation (the one that actually knows some english) wasn't born yet. So i'm suprised you encountered people that spoke english at all

[@Youdontknowwhatliterallymeans]

@@lvididnothingwrong1958 I didn't meet many but I met a few

[@TomQuixoteDeLaGanja]

Hi Joe, i'm from Italy and i loved this ahahah

[@CocacolaBoy83]

I am Italian but Italian Americans look like Americans, it's my opinion. if you have an american culture and have lived most of your life in america, you are more American in general... if you live in Italy all your life you become more Italian than an Italian-American ... it's how you live and the culture that makes you be something, not your genes, genes give you a path, let's say, a road, but they don't determine everything obviously...

[@GiuseppeSimonetti]

I'm from Long Island. Lol My mom is from Italy.

[@fernandoestmoi]

I love your American name, quasi fratello.

[@noremorse8564]

@@fernandoestmoi you are indian from South America

[@noremorse8564]

@@fernandoestmoi ha ha ha ha ha

[@KB-eb8dj]

Congratulations

[@kingdavid6313]

Me too

[@angelapaniccia702]

Italian Americans are seriously just Americans. Most of us/them don’t even speak a lick of Italian or understand the actual culture of Italy/Italians. We seriously just only know what living in America is like and the majority of the time it’s English speaking. I mean just because we like pizza, lasagna, pasta don’t make us true Italians.

[@marcobreda2205]

Wise words my friend, as an Italian I appreciate this comment

[@briantravelman]

Having interacted with both, I'd say the one thing they have in common is their temperament, but that's about where the similarities end.

[@thereccher8746]

This is of course, an over-simplification based on strong opinions. But it's worth a chuckle.

[@demonmonsterdave]

Calling them "Italy Italians" is a hysterical sign of the equally misplaced hubris and complete ignorance that these people suffer from. From an Australia Australian.

[@mertkocabas7604]

English Australian perhaps 😂

[@timlinator]

I'm American of Italian and Irish stock. My dad grew up in Limerick, Ireland and grandma Calabria, Italy. I've toured both countries many times and although a citizen of both as well as USA I wouldn't say I am either just a desire to learn as much as I can about both and maybe live in both. My dream life is summers in Ireland and winters in southern Italy. I'm 100% remote software engineer since COVID so could do it except for an aging mom with health issues I don't want to be half a world away from. So for now staying where I am.

[@tainii-san5879]

I don't know, as someone who spoke to a South Italian lady I gotta say he's probably been to the North or Central part of Italy, because the way she described the South (patriotic as she was) most of it would not be called "sophisticated".

[@menolarose]

Southern Italy is very poor and still little developed, it has nothing to do with the north of the country like Milan, Turin or Venice.

[@tainii-san5879]

@@menolarose That I know, which made me even more confused as to what group of Italians the comedian was referring to.

[@jonatan7468]

@@tainii-san5879 perhaps you should study the history of Italy, and know that in 1700 Naples was one of the richest cities in Europe and southern Italy was a very rich and advanced kingdom ... then with the union they robbed us of everything. remember that southern Italy is the son of ancient greece "mother of western civilization" ... everything you have in america passed thousands of years ago with us

[@tainii-san5879]

@@jonatan7468 I am aware of that,and have heard that the south was robbed. Although taking that into consideration ,it doesn't change the present . I'm sorry that the situation id now like that, but the North had already had a history of stealing so the fact they stole from their souther "brothers" doesn't surprise me at all.

[@francesco8572]

@@tainii-san5879 it's deeply sad that you, among other peoples, believe that neo-bourbonic bullshit made by idiots

[@ariesmp]

Italian Americans come mostly from Sicily. You have probably visited Northern Italy which is much more different. Its like completely two different worlds.

[@lafurrina]

e certo! Tutti sofisticati in Northern Italy. In Sicily invece tutti rozzi! Ma che mi tocca leggere! E magari c'è pure gente che ci crede!

[@EvilSimon94]

cazzate, manco in sicilia ci sono quei buzzurri impomatati con le camicie a quadri che ci sono a new york, e pensano di essere italiani

[@josealbinosantosnogueira6013]

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" The upper-middle and upper classes did not immigrate to the USA. They stayed in the "ancient lands". The lower classes did. Hence his astonishment.

[@langleywallingford260]

Italians, especially northern Italians, are much like other people from western and central Europe. The immigrants who came to the US circa 1900 were all from southern Italy and they were also the poorest and least educated (not a representative sample).

[@petercarmeci8317]

Been to Italy, and I’m a North Jersey Guinea. This is great🤣😂😂 Still got family in Palermo, Messina, and Siracusa.

[@petercarmeci8317]

A slang slur directed at Southern Italians living in Northern New Jersey, USA.

[@karldo4809]

There are numerous ethnic groups in Italy: Albanians, Aostans, Bavarians, Friulians, Gallo Italics, Ladins, Slovenes, , Neapolitans, Sicilians..... The representations of Italians in movies and mainstream media are people from Central and Southern Italy.

[@amanwearingsuspenders7390]

Italian americans have little to nothing in common with true italians. I can say this as an italian. Hell in Italy there are different types of italians and the ones who whent to America were mostly from the old south. So basically, not only are they a niche type of italian but they are also a very old stereo type.

[@Momo_Kawashima]

We can define italians and italo-americans like this: •italians: europeans with great skill in fashion, food and art. They're loud and flashy in movements cause they put passion in speaking •italo-americans: americans with an italian last name and maybe some older relative. They either act full american or full italian stereotype, no in between. If you ask them for a good restaurant they say "Olive Garden" and think wine from a carton is a good option for wine in any circumstance (it's not. Only time it's acceptable is if you're a hobo, they're the only ones that drink wine from a carton) ~Sincerely, an italian

[@Momo_Kawashima]

@Derrick Jensen it's kinda complicated, as italians we take great pride in our roots, history and traditions. We don't deny that we migrated to the U.S. in such numbers that basically us italians, the irish and germans have basically made a great chunk of the modern U.S., but there'a only one problem. Once an italian has kids in America and raises them with an american those kids won't be italians anymore. They won't grow up italians in an italian environment, they'll get some culture and all from one of the two parents, but the rest is gonna be american. Then their sons will be 75% american and 25% italian and so on. In a couple of generations you won't have an italian anymore, you'll end up with an american (of unrefined and greasy manners, given that the starting point is immigrants and no immigrant rolls in a nation with a gym bag full of big cut banknotes, they'll raise their kids in a poor environment, and as a poor person myself let me tell you that most of us don't even know what "bon ton" means, I don't know if I spelled it correctly) that has Mignoli or Graziano or Cimino as a last name and will behave more or less like the hollywood depiction of an italian. We don't wanna associate with these fellas, sure if we got relatives over there we're not gonna treat them badly, they're family anyways and you only reserve the best for those that share your same blood, but if someone says we are like them we immediately start with the "no no no, no, no, no, no. Shhhh, sh sh sh shhhh, shut up, quiet, do me a favor and don't speak no more for today, understood?"

[@maxdean226]

What a great comment but I wish you put that italian-americans are just white-american anglos pretending to be italian. Seriously, all of the italian-americans that I met in my life were native english speakers who were only white american anglos that never went to italy. They only speak english. That's like saying a british-english man of portuguese ancestry is portuguese even though they don't speak portuguese. Or a spaniard that have arab ancestry from 100-150 years ago is arab even though they don't speak arabic and only speak spanish. Italian-americans are suffering from a midlife crisis. They have to wake up to reality.

[@Momo_Kawashima]

@Derrick Jensen allow me to refresh your memory: -America, an italian man named Cristoforo Colombo discovered it. Another one gave its name, Amerigo Vespucci. If it wasn't for us the U.S. wouldn't have existed (and we're sorry for that). -Guglielmo Marconi, member of the italian senate and inventor of the wireless radio, guess what they use to send distress calls on board of ships. He also invented the Radar Enrico Fermi, an italian phisicist that designed and guided the construction of the first fission nuclear reactor and one of the technical directors of the Manhattan Project. -Abiel Bethel Revelli, an italian colonel that invented the submachinegun (yes, the Villar Perosa is the first smg and I refuse the MP-18 as the first. The Villar Perosa is the first fully automatic portable weapon that fires a pistol cartridge) -Pininfarina, the famous italian car designer, american car brands commissioned them to come up with new designs for their cars, expecially in the 1950s. -Enzo Ferrari, founder of the famous sportscar company Scuderie Ferrari, best sportscar around -Ferruccio Lamborghini, founder an italian quality trademark both in the world of tractors and sportscars -Ettore Bugatti, italian immigrant that founded the sportscar company (yet he did in France, but it's a technicality, the guy was born and raised in Italy, he was as french as the last name Cimino is american) -Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (could've called it Alessandro Volta but the full name is meme material), italian phisicist, chemist, inventor and academic, inventor of the first electric battery and discoverer of methane gas -Corradino D'Ascanio, italian engineer and inventor of the first helicopter, but most importantly he designed the Piaggio Vespa, the slickest scooter in the world -Eugenio Brasanti and Felice Matteucci, italian inventors of the first internal combusion engine -Ascanio Sobrero, discoverer of the Nitroglycerin molecule -Giovanni Caselli, inventor of the Pantelegraph (precursor of the fax, 1855) -Antonio Pacinotti, inventor of the Dynamo, 1860s -Giuseppe Ravizza, inventor of the Cembalo Scrivano, the precursor of the typewriter, 1837 -Andrea Amati, inventor of the violin, 1500 -Bartolomeo Cristofori, inventor of the harpsicord and the piano So, let's recap this all: The radio, the radar, the nuclear reactor (and a good hand in the atomic bomb), the smg, the first internal combustion engine, the dynamo, nitrogloceryn, the battery, methane gas, the precursors to typewriters and faxes, the helicopter, the submachinegun, the violin, the harpsicord and the piano, a world renowned coachbuilding company, three (again) world renowned luxury sportscar companies and the discovery of a whole continent are all italian, not to mention a lot of other inventions and inventors and our contribution in european literature, art and language itself (french, spanish, portugese and romanian all originate from latin, of which italian is the closest language). And here's a yankee telling me that us italians "just have inflated egos and haven't accomplished anything significant in modern times". Do I have to remind you that in world war 1 we kept the austro-hungarians and germans busy on the northern border from 1915 to 1918 while you americans just showed up last minute and claimed an easy victory after three years of simply looking and selling weapons? Don't tell me we got inflates egos buddy, if it wasn't for us you'd still be trialing witches over sorcery accuses. Also we got the Pope and you don't, so have at it

[@Leviathan399]

@Derrick Jensen "реdо mafia" you ain't saying that with Вidеn in your office 😭

[@KathrineJKozachok]

The more I read the comments, the sadder I get.

[@ladyGZSeChu]

Why?

[@jonatan7468]

@@ladyGZSeChu becouse people write only bullshit about italy and italians...the world dont know anything about us

[@clayneid]

Look at all the people who don't understand how "Ethnicity"-American works! It's glorious!

[@nyrockchicxx]

You are so right. People from the original countries just don't get it.

[@amenadito8079]

@@nyrockchicxx Because it's a concept that in Europe disappeared after the French Revolution, eclypsed by the concept of 'citisenship/citoyenneté' (political allegiance vs racial belonging)

[@valebliz]

I’m an “Italy Italian” and tbh I can’t recall talking with one of my fellow countryman about Italian Americans for more than a couple of times in my whole life and each time not for more than 30 seconds. Nobody gives a damn here tbh, do what you want with your cultural heritage, true or made up lol

[@Kinsman19]

Referencing cultural background is pretty common in the new world (not just the US), with all the recent migration. Our grandparents’ culture and influence didn’t just get left on the boat when they set foot on American soil. They purposely kept it alive. A lot of culture gets passed down. It is seen as an ethnicity rather than a nationality. You see it in Canada with the Scottish descendants in Nova Scotia. You see it in Buenos Aires with the Italian descendants. I’m not sure what’s so hard to understand about this.

[@reaux3921]

But hyphenating isn’t a thing in Buenos Aires or Latin America in general. Or calling yourself “Italian”.

[@mercy1459]

En América Hispana y Brasil no decimos somos Italianos,sino Descendientes de italianos. Aquí lo raro es preguntar tu origen ya si eso si sale el tema pues se dice algún ancestro mío vino de Italia pero yo ya soy Argentino o Brasileño de todo la Vida

[@michelle9445]

italo-americans aren’t italian they’re just american

[@wendoversss]

"Italian Americans aren't Italian they're American, nobody has ever said this, I am very smart" Look i grew up as a Cuban in an Italian neighborhood in Chicago, and let me tell you, Italians have created their own culture and identity in the U.S. Hell they brought over the mafia to the world empire. They have a distinct accent, they've hung on to a lot of their traditional foods, most of them have parents straight from Italy, and they were discriminated against for being Italian. Even Italian Americans who were born in the U.S. Most of them also still know Italian. Some random 20 year old guy who found out he was 2% Italian and started talking like he was from New York is not at all a representation of Italians in the U.S. Are you gonna tell Chicano's that they're not Mexican? Most of them speak exclusively Spanish. I hate it when Non Americans (specifically Europeans) speak about our own groups and ethnicity's in the U.S. Europeans always complain and call Americans "mutts" without culture, yet when Europeans immigrate to the U.S and retain their culture, they're called fake. It's ridiculous.

[@protoalcibiade4432]

@@wendoversss Yeah, no. They don't speak Italian and they're not Italian. Not even close.

[@galek75]

@@protoalcibiade4432 Ethnicity doesnt really depend on the place of birth, my guy.

[@protoalcibiade4432]

@@galek75 Ethnicity doesn't matter to Italians dude, since it's not real. Your ethnic origins are entirely irrelevant. You're American, you simply wouldn't understand.

[@galek75]

@@protoalcibiade4432 I'm Korean American, so I would understand. Hence the screen name. "Irrelevant" Lmao willful ignorance doesn't make things disappear. What a stunad you are

[@Vylkeer]

I don’t want to break it to you, but Italian Americans ain’t Italians. They’re just Americans with partial or full Italian ancestry. I’m not saying it in an insulting way, of course they can have a stronger or weaker affection to their relatives’ country of origin, its culture an language but, in many cases they fit in the “American stereotype”. I know they say things like: “you know, I’m Italian” when they actually aren’t, all that means someone in their family tree, from either side, came from Italy. This same principle can be applied for any other ethnical group in the US, like German Americans, French Americans etc. There’s quite a difference from being American with a certain background and actually being from that country of origin. Like, most Italian Americans (or as I like to call them, Americans with some Italian ancestry) don’t even know Italy’s main historical, cultural facts, don’t know how to cook Italian recipes, don’t speak a word of Italian but most importantly they don’t act like them. Only exception to this is for 1st gen born kids from Italian parents who moved to the US or, in general, Italians who moved to the US and became naturalized citizens. Also, many Americans have multiple cultures / countries they can trace their background back to. It all depends on how attached they are to that specific culture of their family. For example, Robert De Niro is of Dutch, Irish, French, English, German … and Italian descent. I guess he feels more attached to the Italian side because of his last name and he likes Italian culture better, but I wouldn’t define him an Italian, would make no sense for the aforementioned reasons. Bottom line, an Italian American and an Italian are completely different on so many different levels I couldn’t even list them all. P.S. I hope my comment didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings, it was not meant in derogatory way but rather an explanatory one, hoping to clear this thing up. 🇺🇸🇮🇹

[@gavinperry8433]

Joe " Different kinds of italians right? " Italians " Yes..... Cause we Italians!! In Italy!!! Are "different " From what an Italian should be 🤦🏻‍♂️ " 😂

[@miraichampion3366]

Italian Americans be like “I’m 1/128th itallian, please respect my heritage”