Most people who know me know that my parents are from Italy. While I didn’t “Grow up Gotti” (remember that show?), I can certainly relate to and laugh with the FaceBook group 42 Things in the Life of an Italian Child, which outlines common and funny things that my brothers, sister, cousins and friends can relate to. Whatever. I’m not that offended. I can take a joke.
Now, I haven’t seen MTV’s Jersey Shore – partly because I refuse to watch it – but it is causing quite a stir among the Italian-American community, particularly The National Italian American Federation (NIAF).
Based on everything I hear – the tans, the clothes, the tattoos, the fighting, the partying, rinse and repeat – it sounds like a dramatic group of young adults who, together, are bound to draw some attention. It just so happens that they are Italian, and are waving their Italian flags everywhere and busting out of their “I love Italy” shirts while causing all sorts of commotion. For all the Italians I know in America and in Italy, I don’t know any like them.
So the NIAF sends out emails monthly to members asking for help “to promote positive media portrayals of Italian Americans,” and has campaigned against the show through national media outlets like Fox, ABC, Newsweek, and The New York Times. I appreciate the NIAF for valiantly defending the Italian-American name, culture, heritage and reputation, but so much time is spent campaigning against this show.
As a public relations pro, I have a tendency to look at the positives to a situation. What about NIAF using Jersey Shore to leverage a campaign to educate America on what real life Italian-American families are like? There is no other time more appropriate than now to launch a positive campaign. There are many media outlets willing to listen because of the controversy caused by Jersey Shore.
There are so many inspiring stories of immigrants coming to this country and finding their way, carving the path to success, making a name for themselves and building a legacy for their families. What about the Italian-Americans who have contributed to entertainment, government, law and business in America? Do the names Giada De Laurentiis, Chief Justice Antonin Scalia, Janet Napolitano or Jerry Colangelo ring any bells?
NIAF is an influential group based in Washington, D.C. and has access to many of these Italian-Americans who they should include as part of their campaign to “promote a positive image of Italian-Americans.” They need to act quickly on a positive publicity campaign while this story is still hot. Then, maybe the NIAF will make the tans of the Jersey Shore group pale in comparison.
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