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Achieving Italian-American “Unity”

Achieving Italian-American “Unity”

Johnny Meatballs DeCarlo (November 16, 2010)

Response to UNICO

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I recently posted a facebook note in response to Andre' DiMino’s angry rant where he called for the immediate cancellation of “My Big Friggin’ Wedding,” because he considers it is a “racist” show. (Here is a link to the press release which appeared on the CNBC website: http://www.cnbc.com/id/40086174).


Now, Mr. DiMino specifically chose to single me out and basically called me a “sell-out.” This is quite unfair and I gladly would agree to sit down with him for an extensive one-on-one interview. We briefly spoke on WPRO radio’s “Gene Valicenti Show” this past Saturday morning. Hopefully a one-on-one materializes soon. Below is my original facebook response (it’s also on vh1.com) which I will share again here…

Mr. Andre' DiMino should find something to occupy his time with rather than calling for cancellations of TV shows which he feels are “racist.” He calls me a “celebrity wannabe.” Is he a wannabe entertainment critic, a wannabe Italian Al Sharpton or both? He should focus his efforts into actually making UNICO relevant within the young Italian-American community, instead of blindly bashing anything a young Italian-American does! I guarantee Mr. DiMino would change his tune about me and my family if he actually got to know us and what we are all about. Evidently he does not follow my blogs or my youtube videos or know about any of the multiple, positive endeavors which I’m involved in—including my thriving self-made food business. Maybe if he did this, he might see that I actually bring something of substance to the table and am not just looking for a quick 15 minutes of fame. Ok, rant over. Back to cooking meatballs.

This same thing happened with “The Sopranos” (which went on to win Emmys and become, arguably, the best drama in TV history) and “Jersey Shore,” which is the most watched reality show in MTV history. I’m not comparing “Friggin’” to either one; my point here is that no matter what the actual content of the show, movie or video game is, these boycotts are automatically called. It’s just an overly-dramatic, knee-jerk reaction that in the long run only adds more publicity to what they are protesting. I believe they also organized a picket to ban “Super Mario Bros.” due to Mario’s “racist mustache.”


“CUGINICO NEW JERSEY”

A few days later, I created a facebook page called “CUGINICO NEW JERSEY,” which I felt I just had to do to start the olive branch of unity. Unlike so many of these out-of-touch, so-called “positive” organizations out there who do nothing but automatically call for boycotts and protests on every single endeavor an Italian-American is involved in that doesn’t meet their “standards,” the purpose of CUGINICO is to unite all cugines and goombas in New Jersey and beyond. CUGINICO wasn’t created to battle those other organizations or to battle any Italian-Americans.

There is no mission by CUGINICO to end any particular form of entertainment expression by Italian-Americans. The only media depiction this group does not condone is certain marketing portrayals done by the “meddigan,” which are inaccurately made in an attempt to define the real Italian-American experience (i.e.: “Olive Garden” or “Ragu” commercials.)

CUGINICO will explore the “guido” sub-culture and other such groups, but we will do it with objectivity and for the purposes of exploration—not exploitation. But more importantly, CUGINICO will be a research page for information and the perpetuation of the average Giuseppes—the working class, family-oriented paisans who don’t have vendettas but rather aspirations, goals and extreme pride for all things Italian-American—mostly revolving around food and friends.

CUGINICO is not about politics, the Mafia, or anything else except real positivity and unification. We simply like to live life, be with our loved ones and enjoy a nice glass of vino in the process.

I wonder if this page is up to Mr. DiMino’s standards. I can bet my Meatball Empire that he will take issue with it. No matter what he or anyone says, I’m going to continue living my life. The only judgments that matter to me are from The Man Upstairs.

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You are the Italian version of blackface

You wear a shitty sweatsuit, obnoxious gelled-up hair, and--AND THIS IS THE KICKER--furiously massage the rosary and tell your wife she's not allowed to go to see chippendales while you break your promise with her and see a strip club. Oh and you divorced your last wife (another Catholic virtue). And had an out-of-wedlock child (ANOTHER Catholic virtue). But, paraphrasing your own words, because you're a Catholic, you can be forgiven (even though the last two offenses traditionally meant excommunication from the church).

No wonder UNICO hates you. I'm not even a practicing Catholic, or even Italian, and I fucking hate you.

sciorra's picture

many voices

John, It's great to read your post here on i-italy. While I'm not a fan of "reality" shows in general and admittedly not one of “My Big Friggin’ Wedding," I'm glad to see you take the high road in the predictable, knee-jerk negative reaction and actually suggest dialogue instead of diatribe. The self-proclaimed Italian-American spokespeople are involved in a simbiotic tarantella with the media that ultimately boosts publicity ("Jersey Shore" has helped save a floundering MTV, thanks in part to the complaining) and their public position as "leaders." CUGINICO NEW JERSEY is a funny idea and a sense of humor is exactly what's missing from all the standard response. Joe