Andrea Dottolo: Situating Whiteness in Italian-American Identity

[Peyrol]

Well North Italians and ( South Italians who have varying German, Irish, or Anglo-Saxon ancestry do so. However in many cases southern Italians overlap with Kavkaz folks, the difference is that Kavkaz folks especially those of the North are often fairer and indeed can pass as White because they look it, as often light hair and eyes are a common feature among them.

Obviously yankees don't conceive the existence of this zone of Italy



It's funny seeing how the differences of italian emigration (northerners to South America/Africa, southerners and sicilians to North America and Australia) have produced different stereotypes, based on a real cultural/phenotypical difference of the Peninsula: they have a perception based of immigrants in their countries: USA, Canada and Australia have a southern italian majority of immigrants and the "italian" (as whole, from Trento to Lampedusa ) is portrayed as dark-haired and dark eyed, Pizza & Mandolino, Thompson Gun, etc etc....in Argentina, Uruguay and especially southern Brazil, wich have received a lot of northern italians, "we" are portrayed as light brown/bonde haired and light-eyed ...see some brazilians soap opera and you'll see how we are represented.

That's actually funny, as is funny how random americans with a sicilian peasant ancestor landed in Ellis Island in 1913 perceive himself as "italian", despite having absolutely nothing in common with southern Italy.

[Übermensch]

Obviously yankees don't conceive the existence of this zone of Italy
[/IMG]

It's funny seeing how the differences of italian emigration (northerners to South America/Africa, southerners and sicilians to North America and Australia) have produced different stereotypes, based on a real cultural/phenotypical difference of the Peninsula: they have a perception based of immigrants in their countries: USA, Canada and Australia have a southern italian majority of immigrants and the "italian" (as whole, from Trento to Lampedusa ) is portrayed as dark-haired and dark eyed, Pizza & Mandolino, Thompson Gun, etc etc....in Argentina, Uruguay and especially southern Brazil, wich have received a lot of northern italians, "we" are portrayed as light brown/bonde haired and light-eyed ...see some brazilians soap opera and you'll see how we are represented.

That's actually funny, as is funny how random americans with a sicilian peasant ancestor landed in Ellis Island in 1913 perceive himself as "italian", despite having absolutely nothing in common with southern Italy.

Most of northen italians yet have dark hair and eyes (but there are many with light features) so they would'nt be considered white by WASPS too.

[Peyrol]

Most of northen italians yet have dark hair and eyes (but there are many with light features) so they would'nt be considered white by WASPS too.

100% True.

And what about this germanic aryan ubermenschen? They aren't white by redneck peasants standards.

[Rouxinol]

Most of northen italians yet have dark hair and eyes (but there are many with light features) so they would'nt be considered white by WASPS too.

Rick Santorum isn't considered a WASP I think, even though no soul would consider him non-"white" and he could easily blend in among the WASPs I'd say. Why not a WASP? He isn't of fully British descent and he is a Catholic.

[Peyrol]

Looks Croatian.

No, Abate's facial features (chin, nose, glance) are very common here.

[Übermensch]

Rick Santorum isn't considered a WASP I think, even though no soul would consider him non-"white" and he could easily blend in among the WASPs I'd say. Why? He isn't of fully British descent and he is a Catholic.

Rick Santorum is not white (for american standard) because he has dark hair and eyes and even not very pale skin, for me he is white and european, for WASP he is not ''white'' because of his pigmentation.

[Peyrol]

Rick Santorum is not white (for american standard) because he has dark hair and eyes and even not very pale skin, for me he is white and european, for WASP he is not ''white'' because of his pigmentation.

America was discovered by a non white (Cristoforo Colombo)




..and named by anothern non white (Amerigo Vespucci).




Canada was firstly explored and mapped by another non-white african-moor-mexican-black-asian-jewish-tlacuache explorer (Giovanni Caboto)



...and Midwest (especially Minnesota and Wisconsin) were explored and mapped by anothern non-white jew-japanese-liberal-homosexual trapper (Giacomo Costantino Beltrami)




That's the truth.

[Hess]

What about this very depigmentated southern italian? According to WASP logic he is white and Rick Perry is not.

Most American WASPS don't care about "whiteness".

To the average WASP here in New England, any Caucasoid that calls himself "white" is automatically white.

[Aurelian]

The nature of WASP in the US has changed over time and but especially by region. In South Florida for instance, it is common for those of Italian descent to be called "Anglos." The distinction of WASP and other European ethnic groups has largely evaporated, but still exists in limited circles. Nearly all those of Italian descent whose grandparents or great grandparents came in the early 20th century to the US are intermarried with other ethnic groups. By Italian I am referring to southern Italy and Sicily.

[Il Principe]

All I know is, all (ethnic descent) Italians are white Europeans and if some people don't see that, that's their misjudgment.

Jersey Shore specimens like the whining author of the OP's article are not fully European in my eyes.

America was discovered by a non white (Cristoforo Colombo)

He was Genoese, not a terrone. I don't think anyone here has described Northern and Central Italy as racially dubious and Moorish-influenced in the same way as Southern Italy.