What are your thoughts on this article?

[guids]

November 9, 2006

A Batavia middle school drama teacher might have been looking for some laughs with his fall play, "Fuggedaboudit: A Little Mobster Comedy," but a national Italian-American group isn't amused.

The play, written by Rotolo Middle School teacher Matthew Myers, has enraged leaders of the Order Sons of Italy in America, the oldest and largest Italian-American organization in the U.S., because of what they consider offensive stereotypes of Italian-Americans.

The play's "casta charactas" includes mobsters, "ditzy and clueless" women, ex-cons and other Italians with "shady pasts."

The organization began looking into the Batavia production after an Italian-American woman whose child attends the middle school read a script and contacted the group with her concerns. That parent asked not to be identified because she fears her son will be ridiculed. School administrators are standing behind the production.

The reluctance to consider the Washington, D.C.-based organization's concerns has only fired up the group, and it has launched a national phone and e-mail campaign to pressure administrators.

Members of the group's Illinois chapter are considering a protest outside the school during a scheduled dress rehearsal on Nov. 15. Public performances are slated for Nov. 17 and 18.

"We are stunned by Batavia's response," said Dona De Sanctis, deputy executive director of the national organization. "No Jewish-American group, no African-American group, would sit idly by ... and let the so-called `Bada Bing players' put on `Fuggedaboudit.'"

Batavia School District 101 Supt. Jack Barshinger said the script the national group received may have been modified in recent weeks, but the title and general themes remain.

The author could not be reached for comment.

The script released by the national organization is the tale of two brothers, Joey and Gino Caprese, who are opening an Italian restaurant. Their customers include two "gruff ol' mobsters" who decide they'd like to finally do something good after being on the take for so long.

Among the other characters is "Mama Mia Caprese," described as the "mudda of Joey and Gino, who works in the kitchen and likes to whack things," and "Butch," an ex-con chef who can only cook prison food and plays with knives.

Barshinger said the play uses "caricatures" to get its humor across and tries to send a message of "don't judge a book by its cover" because the mobsters ultimately want to do good.

"I think it's middle-school appropriate and uses literary devices that are used in middle-school humor," Barshinger said.

The Sons of Italy has a history of battles against what they consider offensive images of Italian-Americans in movies and television. They loudly opposed "The Sopranos" and the movie "Shark Tale." In recent years, the group also has taken issue with schools that negatively portray Christopher Columbus.

The woman who initiated the complaint, contacted by the Tribune Wednesday, said she's never opposed school texts or other curricula, but the play immediately offended her.

"I feel like if people could read the play, even if they're not Italian ... they would see how defaming it was. Nobody wants to be stereotyped and lumped into the same group. ... These are 11-, 12- and 13-year-olds. I don't think this kind of garbage needs to be rammed down their throat."

Although Barshinger received roughly 50 e-mails Wednesday from people connected with the Sons of Italy, he said he has yet to hear a single formal complaint from a parent at the school.

He initially was contacted by the Sons of Italy some weeks ago, he said, and he suggested that the concerned parent go through the district's normal process for filing a complaint. When she declined because she didn't want to be identified, district officials did nothing further.

Anthony Baratta, president of the Illinois chapter of the Sons of Italy and a DuPage County resident, met with the concerned parent in Batavia, then went to school officials. He said school officials seemed to dismiss his concerns.

"It was really out of character for a school to do something like this. We at the Sons of Italy take a lot of pride in our heritage and our children and this isn't the way we teach our children," he said.

Still, a former principal of the Batavia middle school for 23 years isn't bothered by the play.

Sam Rotolo, an Italian-American, for whom the school was named after he retired in 1989, compared the play to "The Sopranos."

"It's a very popular show; everybody watches it and it's only a show," he said.

"Maybe someday they'll make a show with Italian-Americans showing all the good things that they do, but for now, I guess that's just the way our culture has become."

[Foucault]

I wouldn't call it ridiculous. I doubt it would bother me if I were Italian, but I don't think it's unreasonable that Italian families don't want their kids to be in the play and are bothered that the school is putting on a production deliberately built around stereotypes about their people. I would say this is pretty different from both the Sopranos (which is more legitimate because not targeted at kids and less explicitly about stereotypes) and the Flava Flav issue (which is less legitimate because playing to more harmful stereotypes).

[onthebutton]

g,

Tough for me to say. The way the characters are described above doesn't seem very offensive to me personally. But, without knowing more of the storyline/script, I'm not sure. I generally dislike PC crap and people who are too sensitive, but I could see how this could go over the line.

[Alobar]

meh, they are prolly a bit too PC, but then everyone is, people need to lighten the hell up.

At the same time tho, like they said, no way would this ever fly if there was a play full of jewish or black stereo types, so I totally get why they are all upset about it.

cant make fun of the [censored], heebies, or wops...thank god it will always be ok to make fun of the native americans..dunno what id do If I didnt have a socially acceptable outlet for my racism

[Dominic]

political correctness sucks. and I'm Italian.

[Iconoclastic]

Just because you're a certain ethnicity doesn't mean you can't be racist against that ethnicity.

[daryn]

just another joke.. i guess you can never make fun of anyone because they can just say they are offended and that's the end of it.

everyone needs to lighten up..

and i am a member of the sons of italy!

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
They loudly opposed "The Sopranos" and the movie "Shark Tale." In recent years, the group also has taken issue with schools that negatively portray Christopher Columbus.

[/ QUOTE ]
That really says it all right there. Good to see they've moved on to trying to censor middle school teachers.

Think they sent a couple guys down in a car to "suggest" he make changes to the play before he ended up in the river?

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
Just because you're a certain ethnicity doesn't mean you can't be racist against that ethnicity.

[/ QUOTE ]

yes it does.

[ed8383]

I don't agree and do agree with them. If this play was not about italians involved in the mafia, but instead about Jews having too many positions of power in our government and dictating foreign policy (iraq war cough cough), the school would have pulled out the play right away.