I can say this about the Italian Americans: A hundred years ago our ancestors were busting their asses doing work that no one else would do. They were ridiculed and even spit on, having to walk in the gutter. Now look at the Italian Americans. They are living the American Dream that their grandparents and great grandparents worked so hard to achieve for them.
How can you NOT be proud of that!!!!
And I cannot speak the language fluently. So what? Nothing is wrong with that. It's understanding and appreciating what our ancestors had to go through to give us an easier life. That's what we celebrate along with the traditional feasts. Plus we have the BEST food...
and of course the American Mafia. Try to TOP all that
Okay, you can take a deep breath and have a drink now. I think this thread is about the Italian-Americans who are fourth and fifth generation and overdo it. A twenty-year-old kid who grows up in Upper Montclair or Scarsdale and deliberately tries to sound like Vinny Barbarino.
That's a fucking disgrace. Their parents should be drawn and quartered. You keep the CULTURE alive, not the STEREOTYPE. My two cents.
And I speak both dialects fluently. But as I've said, I lived in Cosenza for 18 months and visited close to a dozen other times. Not to mention staying with my Mom's people in Basilicata. So I'm a little different.
