Do Italian Americans have a stronger or weaker MENA element than South Italians/Sicilians back home?

[Rgvgjhvv]

The only reason someone here would think Southern Italians have a strong MENA element is because they've only ever seen cherry-picked photos from Italy and have no real-life exposure to the said peoples and regions. If the two populations seem too different, then find better sources to better represent the one overseas, or budget your savings to go and see for yourself. I don't pretend to be an expert in the phenotypes of most ethnic groups, but Greeks and Southern Italians are two that I am undoubtedly confident in speaking about, and both are represented very poorly on this forum and this is WHY Greeks and Southern Italians on here get very annoyed at pseudo TA theories and opinions which just aren't accurate.

Also, ban night club-styled photos as good representations of common/existing phenotypes.

[Chaos One]

He looks a bit Assyrian.

Vote above? What is your opinion based on what you've seen?

They tend to be weaker. Italians tend to mix with white americans, and the core of white americans have less MENA than anything else (and if we are talking about the huge Italian areas like the NY/NJ/CT, the closer group would be Irish since they are Catholics too), it's easier to imagine them losing those possible MENA traits mixing than the opposite.

[Sikeliot]

The only reason someone here would think Southern Italians have a strong MENA element is because they've only ever seen cherry-picked photos from Italy and have no real-life exposure to the said peoples and regions. If the two populations seem too different, then find better sources to better represent the one overseas, or budget your savings to go and see for yourself. I don't pretend to be an expert in the phenotypes of most ethnic groups, but Greeks and Southern Italians are two that I am undoubtedly confident in speaking about, and both are represented very poorly on this forum and this is WHY Greeks and Southern Italians on here get very annoyed at pseudo TA theories and opinions which just aren't accurate.

Also, ban night club-styled photos as good representations of common/existing phenotypes.

I think that if you look at group photos in the street, I'd still come to the same conclusion. And I never said the Near Eastern element is predominant.. it isn't. But it's stronger than in Italian Americans IMO.

[Morena]

I really can't say because I've never been to Sicily. My impression is that there is no real difference between the two.

[pmv74]

I think some of the differences you may see between southern Italians and Italian-Americans may be of the fact that Italian-Americans may be mixed with other ethnicities since coming to America. They may not all italian decent, most are not “full blooded” so to speak. I’m one of those Italian-Americans who has full southern Italian ancestry on both sides and have that same stereotypical swarthy look Italians are known for


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kamal900]

The first guy looks like my paternal uncle, rofl:

[JohnSmith]

Why do you think this is?

My guess is Italian Americans have a substantial element from Campania and Abruzzo, and when compared to just Sicilians and Calabrians of course the MENA will be more subdued. I do think it's present, though, but probably to a lesser extent.

I think this is odd no Italian I know would ever consider themselves MENA. Southern Italy was conquered by the Normans in the same way as the Britain was conquered. SO they also have that influence.

[ModernMaskil]

The first guy looks like my paternal uncle, rofl:

Holy shit. If his hair were darker I wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

[Sikeliot]

I think this is odd no Italian I know would ever consider themselves MENA. Southern Italy was conquered by the Normans in the same way as the Britain was conquered. SO they also have that influence.

They are Southeast Europeans obviously, not MENAs. The MENA element though is known to be historical from Phoenicians, Carthaginians and to a lesser extent, the Arab/Berber conquest. No one is saying Sicilians should identify as/call themselves MENAs.

[Sikeliot]

The first guy looks like my paternal uncle, rofl:

It's funny then because I was using him as an example of a common look that I see in Italian Americans that I wouldn't perceive as Levantine. Guess my perception is off because they DO look alike