Why do we call the Italians 'swarthy'?

[Vesuvian Sky]

Yes. And because people think of Vinny and Pauly D as "Italian" (both look mixed race, idc if someone brings up that they are not), I have not once (going by looks) been correctly identified as even partially Italian American.

Actually this goes back to a conversation you and I had a while ago. Italy by region has various degrees of physical variations among its people.

But what people forget is that there's the sub-racial types of Italy and then there's "Joisey!" which is not the the best representation of Italianess at all IMO.

[Sikeliot]

Actually this goes back to a conversation you and I had a while ago. Italy by region has various degrees of physical variations among its people.

But what people forget is that there's the sub-racial types of Italy and then there's "Joisey!" which is not the the best representation of Italianess at all IMO.

This is true. But to see two or three people on the same show claiming to be "Italian" who all look so strange, is testament to the fact that modern "Italian Americans" are mixed with other things.

[Vesuvian Sky]

This is true. But to see two or three people on the same show claiming to be "Italian" who all look so strange, is testament to the fact that modern "Italian Americans" are mixed with other things.

I was surprised to learn not to long ago that allegedly Italian was the 5th largest claimed ethnicity. This was the breakdown from a now defunct wikipedia page:

1. Han Chinese
2. Bengalis
3. Germans
4. Russians
5. Italians
6. Punjabi
7. Yamato
8. French
9. Telugu
10. English

I suspect though this article was deleted for possible quality issues but if not the appearance of Italy I said to myself had to be due to mixed Italian ethinicites particularly if we factor in Brazil and all other 'New World diasporas'.

defunct article link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_population

[Curious One]

Because not only are most Italians of southern Italian descent in the US but also, today's famous "Italians" are mixed with darker ethnicities and do not look Italian (like the people on Jersey Shore) which has removed Italians from "dark white" category to a only someone white one. It's ridiculous.

Yeah, Italian Americans do seem to mix a lot. But I met Northern Italians who had Carla Bruni's same colouring and were not swarthy at all. People couldn't believe they were Italian.

If you go to some websites for black people, they even claim that original Italians from both Southern and Northern Italy are mixed with them! It's totally absurd, considering that neither are.

Still, I think that when we address those "dark white" Italians we should at least specify that we mean Southern Italians. Otherwise we are buying into the Jersey Shore propaganda that equals Southern Europeans to latinos, and encourages us to think of all Italians in those terms in order to further destroy our European general image, culture and heritage. As a preservation forum, we should be above that and we should portray Europeans the way they really are.

By the way I know what I am talking about because I dated a Northern Italian girl, and believe me when I say I don't personally dig swarthy

[Corvus]

Italians in general are not swarthy at all. Esp. Northern Italians are looking very similar to Swiss and Austrians.

[Sikeliot]

The only "swarthy" Italians are Calabrese and Sicilians and it's not so much the coloring that is notable but the facial features sometimes (pointy noses, large downturned eyes).

[Prince Carlo]

Northern Italians have their own good percentage of swarties.

BTW the genetic difference between people from Campania and Emilia Romagna is too much small to create a big difference in pigmentation in the eyes of most North Central Euros.

[Corvus]

Northern Italians have their own good percentage of swarties.

BTW the genetic difference between people from Campania and Emilia Romagna is too much small to create a big difference in pigmentation in the eyes of most North Central Euros.

But so have Swiss and Austrians as well. Still the vast majority is light pigmented and Alpine, Dinarid, Nordid even Keltic Nordic looking

[Prince Carlo]

But so have Swiss and Austrians as well. Still the vast majority is light pigmented and Alpine, Dinarid or even Keltic Nordic looking

Yes of course. Mine was obviously a provocation for the OP who thinks that Carla Bruni is a typical North Italian.

[Albion]

"We" don't.