Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro on TV here in Italy. This, of course, is due to the movie that they have done together recently and the film festival in Rome.
On one show, and I don’t remember which one, when they were interviewing Pacino (or was it De Niro? I tend to mix them up.), they asked him if he liked being in Italy. He said, “I’m Italian so…” which the interviewer translated, then corrected as “of Italian heritage”.
I was explaining to O that many Americans say, “I’m Italian, or German, or Irish, or Polish”.. based on their heritage. It’s a way we identify ourselves – our cultural identity.
We even have differing family traditions based on that cultural heritage. Some are a true mish-mash of varying origins, but often unique. Unfortunately though, some of that seems to be melting away as we become more homogenized.
To an Italian, you’re only Italian if you were born in Italy of Italian heritage. If you were born in America, you’re American.
I haven’t yet run across any Italian-born children of immigrants, but it would be interesting to know how they identify themselves.
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I have always found this cultural identity description interesting. In American I was always the “italian girl” with the very Italian name and parents who had accents. During my summers in Italy I was known as “l’Americana” and seeing as my family was the only “American” family in Alba Adriatica people automatically knew who I was. As a first generation American I have never even really identified myself as “Italian American.” When I am in Italy I feel Italian. When I am in America I feel American. I have never felt a real mingling and mish-mashing of both cultures enough to identify it as Italian-American. It is definitely an interesting topic to discuss with people of different heritages…especially first generation children. How will my son feel when he is born? His father is 100% American but I am going to do my best to see that he sees his mother as Italian regardless of the fact that we live in the US.
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Mary Reply:
October 24th, 2008 at 10:14 am
It is interesting, isn’t it? I’m sure that if I’m still around 40 years from now, I’ll still be L’American here in town. Definitely let your son know about his Italian heritage. I’m wondering how my son will identify himself as the son of an Italian and an Italian-American living in Italy.
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The journalists very much id children of immigrants as Italian. Maybe they are trying to short circuit those bad thoughts coming from Austria.
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Mary Reply:
October 24th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Someone needs to do that. I haven’t been paying much attention to the news lately – no time to read the newspapers, but I’ll have to be sure to watch the news.
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