Alla Fine (the end)

I've finally finished watching SNL skits, movies, and TV shows and stopped reading articles, periodicals, and novels relating to the Italian-American experience. Now that the choruses of "badabing" and "mama mia" are over, I've managed to gain a new understanding of members of my ethnic heritage. Knowing that my ancestors and relatives faced some of the terrible conditions during the immigration process, the social stigmas based upon the prevalence of the mafia in American cinema, and the current stereotypes presented by reality television has given me a whole new appreciation for them. 

I entered the process of writing this essay with the assertion that not all Italians coincide with how they are represented in the media, and I found that to be largely true. Through writing this essay, I have learned that not every Italian is a charismatic lover like Valentino or an unrelenting criminal like Don Vito Corleone. I have learned that not every Italian is orange with the fresh application of Mystique Tan, knows the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa's burial, or considers cannoli to be its own food group. 

What I did find though, is that Italian-Americans are anything they choose. They are former mayors of New York City (like Rudi Guiliani, who was heavily praised for his leadership during the 9/11 attacks nearly ten years ago), Hall of Fame baseball players (like Joe DiMaggio), University Professors (like Dr. Annunziata Pugliese, an Italian studies teacher here at CU), or family men like my Uncle Louie. Maybe it's disappointing to some people who have a romantic or cynical idea of exactly what an Italian-American is. What's more important, though, is WHO that person is, and through my research, I found that that "Who" is up to the individual, rather than predetermined by Hollywood, Elizabethan theatre, or any other form of media in between.