Super Simmo: 5 Italian Stereotypes That Need To Go (and where they came from)

No matter what ethnic group you are born into, you will always have expectations resulting from years of stereotypical assumptions associated with your background. As a teacher of Media Studies, I often explain to my students how this is a good example of why there is no such thing as a positive stereotype. They're all negative.

Having to grow up with any kinds of expectations is tough and also means that you aren't entirely free to live the life that you want.

Growing up as an Italian-Australian, I've found that, over the years, many of the cultural elements of my background have been amplified and exaggerated by, not only the media, but by the public in general. It's these assumptions that promote the very same expectations on any individual.

This is why I've felt the need to debunk a number of common stereotypes associated with Italian people living in Australia.

5 - Owning Property and Carrying Cash Everywhere

I've personally felt this to be one of the most negative of all the stereotypes I've heard and seen over the years. Coming from quite a humble background, my family wasn't ever living in poverty, but we weren't exactly well off in this respect. Even my nonni (grandparents) struggled back in the day, as I'm sure many other immigrants in this country did early in the 1950's and 60's. Even recent arrivals do today.

There's the joke that has been making its way around this country since that time, making comment about how Italians (or any immigrants from Southern Europe in general) carry heaps of cash around all the time. I'm not sure where that stereotype came from. I'm am sure that there were a number of Italians back in the day who would have come to this country with more than just a new pair of shoes and their cousins phone number, however I'm fairly certain that a post-war Italian wasn't exactly in the money after having to pay for a boat ticket to the other side of the world, especially if they were sending money back to Italy every week for their family that was still there.

He has a hat, jacket, AND his whole family - what an asshole!

As far as owning property, that may be half true. I do know many Italian family members and friends who are fairly savvy when it comes to the real estate market, however the same can be said for almost ANY ethnic group living in Australia.

So where did it come from?
Possibly the fact that many Italians decided to set up cash businesses during the 60's and 70's. Restaurants, Pizzerias, Laundromats. Don't forget, a lot of immigrants were given work as skilled and unskilled labourers during this time and also got into many kinds of trades (carpentry, tiling, plumbing) and working in these jobs meant pretty much all of your income was cash, and heavy amounts of cash. This resulted in many Italian men using cash as their only way of paying for things, even houses and cars. However, in this day and age, cash-only businesses are not exclusively for the Italians.

Dealers still haven't heard of Pay-Wave

I'm unsure of how these traits were almost exclusively left with the Italian people. Perhaps it was a way for non-Italians to explain how they were laundering their money. Which now brings me to...

4 - They're Involved in Organised Crime

Ever since Underbelly aired 5 years ago, Italians all over the country have been getting weird looks from everyone else. I wasn't typically a fan of that particular program, but I saw enough of it to realise that the next few months were going to present many more jokes directed my way because of the fact that my surname ends with a vowel.

Of course - there are Italian-Australians who have, in one way or another, been involved in some sort of crime syndicate, wether it be local or have direct ties back to the old country ('Ndrangheta, Camorra). However, once again just like any old stereotype, that could be attributed to any ethnic group. In fact, in Australia in general, there are more people of Anglo and Irish heritage involved in forms of organised crime than any other group.

So where did it come from?
The same as any other modern-day stereotype: From history.

The Mafia has been around for centuries in Sicily, however it wasn't until the early 1900's when immigration fully opened up in the USA that the Uomini d'Onoro began to set up shop and ply their trade over there, mainly in the bigger cities such as Chicago and NYC.

It wasn't until the 1920's that any kind of structure was given and that the Five Families were organised by Charles "lucky" Luciano.

Who was very obviously a respectful and law-abiding citizen

In Australia and the rest of the world, a romanticised version of the Mafia was broadcast via the media, particularly during the 1970's after The Godfather the single greatest motion picture of all time was released.

It only took the Australian people 5 seconds to put the dots together and then "bam!" all Italians in Australia MUST be connected to the Mafia.

At least they don't all fit into one, single career path... oh wait...

3 - They all own restaurants/pizza shops

Think of one type of Italian food, the first one that pops into your head. Did you think of pizza? If so, shame on you. If not, shame on you for lying.

Apart from stereotypical foods associated with Italians, there are also the stereotypical businesses that they own - and they're all Pizza Shops.

You're not helping!

Now, I'll be the first to admit it: Yes, a lot of pizza shops in my city are owned by Italians. Yet, if you look at the current trends, many more people have been getting into the pizza business for years now.

So where did it come from?

As I just said, many of those pizza shops around today aren't exclusively owned by Italians, but that doesn't stop them from perpetuating the myth surrounding Italian Pizza.

You see that picture above? That place isn't run or owned by an Italian.

Neither is this place

or this place

Now, I understand that Pizza is traditionally an Italian food, dating back to at least 970 AD, but why would you use misplaced and inappropriately used Italian words in your business's name to gain more business? Is it because of the myth that Italians make great pizzas? Stereotypes within stereotypes - it's like Inception.

2 - We Love Our Football (Soccer)

Okay, I'll be the absolute very first to admit it, I love my football. BUT, that doesn't necessarily mean that ALL Italian-Australians are into the sport. In fact, amongst most Aussies with Italian blood streaming through their veins, it's not the most participated in amongst that particular demographic. In fact, that accolade goes to Australian Rules Football. The AFL has given us 72 professional athletes of Italian heritage since its inception in 1990 as well as brilliant stars such as Roberto "dipper" Dipierdomenico and Stephen Silvagni, both extraordinary athletes with impressive work ethics and character.

Unfortunately we also have this

I also know a number of Italian friends who can't even stand, what they call 'soccer'.

So where did it come from?

Obviously it was from the time that Italian immigrants began arriving in Australia. Recreation was needed as well as work, and what better way to unwind than to play or watch a game of Calcio.

It was around the 60's and 70's that many of the ethnic football clubs around major cities in Australia began to form, and the Italians were very busy getting theirs up and running. Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Sydney saw hundreds of associations aimed exclusively at Italians, and they were all connected to football clubs, at home and back in the old country. However, all of the cultural connections that football clubs around Australia had for years, were stripped away in the early 2000's as a way for the Football Federation of Australia to 'ethnically cleanse' (sorry) the sport.

No ethnic connections at all...

Also, Italy as a country, is pretty bloody good at football, so that's also a possible origin associated with this myth.

1 - The Food

You definitely knew that this one was coming. For a very long time now, the Italian people have been associated with spaghetti, lasagne, pizza and every single pasta dish ever invented by ~~the Chinese~~ them.

However, did you know that the majority of Italian immigrants to Australia hardly ever got to even look at these kinds of foods when they were all in the old country?

Have you ever heard of Melanzane and Zeppoli?

For myself, and many, many other people from the same place, the old country just happened to be Southern Italy - Calabria to be more specific. Now, living in a post-war European country, in a place that, geographically within your own country was ALREADY considered poor and poverty stricken a long time ago, meant that you ate what you could - not what you wanted.

Peasant Foods were the norm for my grandparents and my great-grandparents. (and their grandparents, and their grandparents, and so on and so on) Peasant Foods are basically the result of finding whatever you could get and mixing it into one, unnatural, yet filling combination. Sort of like if Dr Frankenstein had to create his monster from various parts of chicken, donkey and wild boar.

Vincenzo always likes to drive his food home rather than walk it

Even years after immigrating to Australia, the Italian-Australian families enjoyed their peasant foods, particularly those living in rural areas where livestock were ever present.

My uncles, aunties and parents still enjoy the odd Trippa every now and again, so even to this day, even with the means to buy better quality food, the old traditions have remained.

So where did it come from?

Again, restaurant owners, television cooking programs and the romantic idea of Italian culture have all perpetuated this myth.

I personally have only eaten one variation of a spaghetti dish in the past month. I choose to eat the foods that I grew up with which were more meat-based and have stronger connections to Southern Italy than to the north.

However, I will say that if I did eat the meals that society expects that I would, then I'd probably be half the weight that I am now. Curse you, anchovies in fried fat!