S11.E2: La Famiglia

[Yeah No]

Episode premieres on PBS: 8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, January 14, 2025

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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family trees of talk show host Joy Behar and actor Michael Imperioli—two Americans whose roots stretch back to small towns in Calabria, Italy. Joy and Michael’s families lived in these towns for centuries, but their stories were lost on the journey to America. Gates reveals the challenges that their ancestors faced—and overcame—on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, Mollywolly555 said:

Now,  that said, I thought she was kind of tone deaf repeatedly remarking to Gates about how so very hard her Italian ancestors had it as though he should sympathize with her. 

 I'm thinking, his ancestors were slaves and he is still racially discrimated against today, and he's supposed to feel sorry for your people?   

I'm not the biggest Joy Behar fan but I didn't take it that way. They were there to discuss her ancestors, not his. If they were having a friendly conversation maybe I could see it but they weren't. This is a TV show so it's different. I don't think she was making too much of something insignificant either. I also don't see any reason why he shouldn't sympathize with her ancestors' troubles. He's done that with many people on this show from all different backgrounds, some whose ancestors' struggles were less than Joy's. It doesn't mean they are insensitive to what his ancestors went through if they don't acknowledge it on a show that's all about them.

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Northern Italy...Milan... nearer to European mainland was urban, industrial, progressive, and intellectual, likely because of their proximity to other European countries. 

Oh, like it's only because of their proximity to Northern Europe that they were progressive and intellectual? Yikes. My Sicilian half is having a hard time with this. If anyone wants to know why the Cuomos have a hot button issue with this stuff, this is why. The stereotypes are unbelievable. My Sicilian family was cultured, intellectual and progressive thank you very much. Not everyone from Southern Italy was an uneducated peasant and even for many of them the only reason why they were is because of the mafia. It's not because they were so far away from the so-called "superior" culture of Northern Italy.

Forgive me but I have a well earned hot button issue about this. If you want to know why, PM Chris Cuomo and you'll likely get an earful. Oh and BTW, Michael Imperioli pissed me off with what he said about the Cuomos and how Italians love the Godfather and the Sopranos. A lot of the educated, sophisticated Southern Italians like the Cuomos don't because they only confirm and further spread the negative stereotypes about our people. And because some of us know how even to this day we are not considered "white" by a lot of Northern Europeans and bigoted WASP Americans, no matter what our DNA says*. And how Sicilians were lynched along with Black people in the deep South in the 19th century because they weren't considered white. But I suppose I should think we don't deserve any sympathy for that....😏

* Like my neighbor who I only just posted about in the political thread that made a comment to me a few months ago about how Northern Italians don't consider Sicilians white, and I have good reason to believe he is a bigoted WASP based on some of his affiliations so it felt like HE was the one that doesn't consider Sicilians white. Meanwhile here I am with a very pale complexion and blue eyes like all my Sicilian relatives, and on my other side I'm a Mayflower descendant. So screw him!

[Denize]

During Prohibition with all the illegal liquor poured into sewers, I wonder how drunk the sewer rats got