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September, 2013 No. 51 The Officers’ Log Tel: (516) 488-7400 email: [email protected] Website: Italic.org LA CASA: POSITIVE! CBS-TV While the struggles with Columbia University and CBS-TV may seem Plan B “negative” to those who like their Stonewalls italianita` upbeat, fighting for our heritage is a positive thing. Us Is it easier to raise $15 million for a For the last few months we have been new cultural center at Columbia than appealing to CBS-TV to delete some to reclaim one that was built for us dialogue in the hit series CSI (Crime Scene by our grandfathers? “It is a mark Investigation) and Mike & Molly. In CSI, a of immaturity,” observes Advisory character states that “As the Italians say: if Council Chairman Alfred Cardone, you want to live a little you have to cheat a “not to value what was given us.” Adds Exec. Dir. John Mancini: “Negative images overwhelm good La Casa Italiana no longer serves works. We don’t work in a vacuum.” its creators, the Italian Americans Good works like the forthcoming Having suffered a reversal in court, our Italic Way can only spread a positive CBS-TV Institute has already changed gears in its quest message so far. Our recent Italy and President to restore the original mission of La Casa the Holocaust report would have Nina Italiana at Columbia University in New York greater impact if we had money to Tassler City. advertise it in the Jewish media. Recalls Executive Director John Mancini. “We have lots of projects underway little.” In Mike & Molly, a sitcom, a main “We launched this project by reaching out but need more funding than we have,” character is called a “wop.” to Columbia in 2009. We were rebuffed. says Mancini. “I’m positive of that.” We appealed to the Attorney General of Having worked our way up from the CBS New York State who has authority over non- vice president of “Diversity” to the CBS profits like universities. The AG secured for president Nina Tassler, we have hit a stone us most of the historic documents we needed wall. Our Executive Director John Mancini but declined to get more involved. That’s has filed complaints with the Federal why we went to court.” Communications Commission (FCC) and Mancini sees no hope in a court appeal and reached out to Congressman Steve Israel of certainly no money to try. What he is Long Island. counting on is a new approach to the “The FCC is accountable to Congress,” Attorney General. “For one thing, there is a explains Mancini, “and Rep. Israel has new AG. Andrew Cuomo was replaced by agreed to follow up on our FCC complaints. Eric Schneiderman, whose focus is on illegal Israel recently spoke out against an insulting continued on p. 2 continued on p. 2 Page1 La Casa: Plan B from p. 1 italianita` . The Kraft Center is an activities of non-profits,” explains Mancini. apt model. No one would think of “Secondly, we now have a lot of new expunging this citadel of its Judaic documentation such as personal letters core. But La Casa Italiana was between Columbia and the Paterno Family shorn of both the Italian Language detailing what the family expected for their Dept. and the Paterno Library.” donation.” If you want to know what drives Chairman Rosario Iaconis, himself an adjunct the Italic Institute to continue this professor, lauds Columbia’s Kraft Center for struggle, Mancini has a short promoting Jewish culture and scholarship. answer: “If Italian Americans Yet, he asks, “Why won’t the university allow created it, we are obligated to La Casa Italiana to fulfill it’s educational redeem it. What we do defines the mission: the promulgation of across-the-board kind of people are we.” **** The Kraft Center at Columbia University was provided by the university in 2000 to serve Jewish and Israeli studies. It is the epicenter for Jewish students and faculty. It is what La Casa Italiana used to be. CBS-TV, from p. 1 Jewish reality show. He understands what is at stake here.” An Institute Exclusive! The only Long Island complete summary of Congressman Steve Italy’s role Israel has also objected to the trash before and during image of Jews on the the Holocaust reality show Princesses. This 58-page, easy-to-read report with photographs is only $15 postage & handling ($25 for non-members). The problem with these hit shows is their rebroadcast market. “This is not an obscure cable station we are talking about,” says President Bill Dal Cerro. “CBS is a national broadcast network. CSI and Mike & Molly are viewed by tens of millions of We actually produce things! Americans. These shows are rebroadcast and then sold to Heritage is too important to be left to social-charity fundraisers. syndication. They will be shown for decades to generations of Americans.” If you take your heritage seriously you need the Italic Institute. How do these zingers find their way into the scripts in the first We are the Alternative! place? “It usually starts with a self-loathing or benighted Italian- ____ Enroll the person below as a member ($50 check enclosed) American staff member,” laments Chairman Rosario Iaconis. ____ Renew my membership for 2013 ($50 check enclosed) ____ Enclosed is a tax-deductible donation of $________ “In CSI, the director was a Louis Malito. Why did he allow the word ‘Italians’ in that dialogue? In fact, there is no such adage Name ________________________________________ or folk tale encouraging cheating in the Italian heritage. Similiarly, Address _______________________________________ in Mike & Molly, the actor being called a ‘wop’ is Italian ________________________________________ American. Why didn’t he object to the word during rehearsal? Not to mention ‘greaseball’.” Italic Institute of America, PO Box 818, Floral Park, NY 11002 So, it is left to the Italic Institute to try to clean up the mess. 516.488.7400 www.italic.org **** Page 2 Five Reasons to Sustain the Cause 1. GUARDIANS OF HERITAGE 3. CONSISTENT I am often compelled to correct Our mission is the same today as it was untruths and combat outright bias in when we were founded. Part of that the media with a letter to the editor, mission is to disseminate the classical an op-ed or even a television Italian heritage. That often means interview. As a result, the Italic Institute challenging those individuals and groups has become quite familiar to the NY who continue to dumb down our Times, the Wall Street Journal, community or misdirect the Investor’s Business Daily, CNN, community’s efforts. For 26 years our FOX News, local television and a Governor Institute has not flinched from speaking Chairman Don Fiore the truth, whether condemning the media Rosario A. Iaconis host of other outlets. for defamation or calling out fellow Whether it’s a general disdain for Italy Italians who, wittingly or unwittingly, help propagate some of the or a story linking a current calamity to most ugliest stereotypes. the Italian national character, the IIA is ready with a rapid media response—or a proactive rhetorical strike. Recently, Our task is daunting because the Italian heritage has suffered the word “wop” was casually uttered on Mike & Molly, a immensely in this country, tainted by every fear America had of nationally successful CBS sitcom. The IIA swiftly excoriated anarchism, the Mafia, Fascism, and even racism. It is no wonder the network; and we continue to hold CBS executives that assimilation became a priority. But so did self-denigration as accountable. practiced by our own filmmakers. It is this double-edged sword we battle every day, but this is why the Italic Institute exists. You When the media habitually disdain Italy—or link a current can trust us to do the job even as others drop out or sell out. calamity to the “flawed” Italian national character—the IIA is ready with a proactive rhetorical response. 4. UNIQUE & POSITIVE I travel quite a bit both overseas and 2. SPIRITUALLY TRUE within the country. While I respect the America is changing. In the past few various efforts being made by other decades, tens of millions of immigrants Italian Americans, from social events to from Asia, Africa, and Ibero-America cultural projects, I must say that no one have entered our country. The media and in this country can duplicate what the the government has insured that these Italic Institute has done over the past newcomers are given respect for their twenty-six years. Our magazine, The image and traditions - something that they Italic Way, stands alone in its original and do not do for Italian Americans. Their President hard-hitting contents. What other Italian Bill Dal Cerro Vice President children, now all-American, watch the American organization can truly be called Anthony Vecchione same movies and television shows as the a think-tank? Our in-depth analyses of subjects like Italy and the rest of us. Some of these fictional works, Holocaust or the ultimate reality of The Godfather will not be like The Godfather and The Sopranos, found anywhere else. In short, the Italic Institute is not just another have become American classics. These new Americans are feel-good organization but rather a serious vehicle to explore our rising to prominent roles in our society with their heritage Italian legacy. extolled, and in many cases expunged of unpleasant truths. 5. SO MUCH TO DO Meanwhile, our Italian heritage is repeatedly depicted as We often look behind us and see absolutely synonymous with organized crime or dumb guidos. Even Italian nothing. There is no younger generation American politicians see no need to object to these false and prepared to carry on the classical Italian damaging images and pay lip service to our cultural needs.