Pop Culture

First Reader: Kendall 

Movies, TV shows, and social media shape popular culture today. The Italian culture is always portrayed in films as a fun-lovingly, happy-go-lucky, pasta-eating society. I was surprised to learn that popular culture is not just the idea of how cultures can be shaped through media industries, yet has defining differences such as high cultures and low cultures. I would consider the Italian culture as a high culture, because it is shaped by great literature, fine art, and the appreciation of audiences from abroad.

I imagined the Italian culture to be filled with citizens sitting at street side bistros sipping on red wine, because of the way that Italy is portrayed in movies and television. I got the opportunity to travel to Italy a few years back and witnessed the culture for myself. As my family traveled the streets, I took in the sites and atmosphere. I realized that the idea I had of Italy really wasn’t too far off from what I had perceived. However, the part that the cultural industries did not enhance about Italy is the way in which the culture is physically laid out. Just roaming around various towns, I found myself gazing in amazement at the structures of the buildings, churches, and streets. When I walk the streets of College Station, I have never found myself to say, “Wow, someone wanted to make this town beautiful”. But, as I walked through Rome, I realized that even the street pavings were beautiful. In that essence alone, I realized the Italian culture portrayed in the media left out the key ingredient: Italian’s puts their pride and effort into every single thing aspect of what they build to what they eat.

Overall, I believe pop culture plays a huge role in how people perceive other cultures and stereotypes. The ideas that people formulate can create intercultural conflicts when abroad, because the perception of what they believe the culture is like could be completely wrong. Such as if foreigner’s were to watch American TV shows like Desperate Housewives, they could form the assumption that all families in the United States live in suburbs and the only thing that women are capable of is gossiping and drinking alcohol with friends. Thus, when the foreigners travel to the United States they could offend a woman who values her career by assuming she has no goals and thus, a conflict is created. Pop culture allows people to form ideas of what other cultures could be like, but I believe that people need to immerse themselves in other cultures in order to form accurate stereotypes and perceptions.

Respondent: Daniel

Growing up, I used to believe in stereotypes, of course, what kid wouldn’t? But then, you’d think that as you grow and mature, such beliefs get dissipated by our expanding knowledge. But no, it’s not as simple as that, people only learn by what they see.

Certainly, that was the case. When I was fifteen I got the opportunity to travel to Italy, and realized how wrong my perception of the Italian culture was. My mind wondered with one unanswered question; how would I have not think such an absurdity, if that was what I saw in the Godfather? Or what I’ve heard of Al Capone? Let’s be honest, what about the thousands of millions of movies and series that describe Italians in such a way? Yesterday, pondering in my seat, I felt delighted after my Intercultural Communications class. My amazing professor explained me and my fellows for an hour or so, how popular culture (i.e. shows, series, ordinary events, and usual day-by-day interactions) have the power to enormously influence the way we perceive cultures, events, and co-cultures identities.

After uncountable experiences, I truly understand that Italians are a mix of low and high cultures (i.e. low-medium and aristocratic class) with a huge variety of preferences with respect to values, traditions and such. However, in general, I also recognize Italians (as well as Europeans) as mostly a high-culture society, since they enjoy and share the likes of those that belong to the upper-class stream here in the US - e.g. theater, ballet shows, art, among others. It is fundamental to mention that my perception of who they are, is completely different to the one the media embedded on me as a youngster. Consequently, I considered fundamental this week’s reading to my understanding of how co-cultures Identities can be altered by popular culture. Finally, it thrilled me to realize that many of my perceptions of different co-cultures groups, are mostly defined by popular cultural stereotypes, because now I know I can change it.  I’m looking forward to research about different ethnicities, hence, being able to comprehend how they truly are, thusly, becoming a better intercultural communicator.

Researcher: Katherine

Popular culture has a huge influence in how people perceive culture, but often times popular culture portrays stereotypes of a certain culture thus leading to conflict and misconceptions. In American popular culture Italian-Americans are often portrayed as "mobsters, thugs and peasants hawking spaghetti sauce". While these are very outdated stereotypes and Italian-Americans have made greats strides in society, this portrayal seems to remain consistent among film and television. In an article from "About News" it states that, "fewer than .0025 percent of Italian Americans are involved in organized crime", yet in most all American pop culture Italians are portrayed as having mob ties. Several shows and films such as "Goodfellas", "The Godfather", and "The Sopranos" reinforce the idea that Italians and crime go hand-in-hand. Another way pop culture stereotypes the Italian American is as a "food making peasant" and often shows the Italian woman in the kitchen cooking for the family. Many commercials for popular americanized Italian food, such as Ragu, display this reoccurring theme. This portrayal suggests to someone who has never experienced the Italian culture that all they do is cook food, when in actuality Italy is full of men and women who are teachers, shop owners, businessmen and women, artists and much more while food just occupies a portion of their days. Another pop culture display of Italian-Americans that was wildly popular was the reality TV show "Jersey Shore", which displayed a group of young adult Italian-Americans partying, going to the gym, tanning, and doing laundry every day. Many Italians were outraged when this show aired saying it presents the Italian culture in a negative light and discredits all of the work and progress Italians have made in society in the United States and in Italy.

As someone who spent a semester studying abroad in Italy, I was familiar with many of the stereotypes of Italians but was able to see for myself that they misrepresent the Italian culture in many ways. The fact that the media and entertainment is so monopolized by the United States results in the portrayal of Italians in popular culture being created by Americans thus misrepresenting and often offending Italians.

Online Resource

Investigator: Marilyn

I’ll be honest; this weeks post was a more difficult one to get information on. Being the investigator, I had to find an Italian to talk to. Funny thing is, the only Italian I know is my boyfriends old roommate at the Air Force Academy. So, I got Matt Correa’s contact info from him and asked him some questions about Italians and pop culture.

To give you a brief overview of Matt, he was born and raised in Long Island, NY and is currently at the United States Air Force Academy studying management. He is a glider instructor pilot, and a glider aerobatics team member.

Aside from asking him to give me an introduction, I asked him four questions.

1.     What are some misconceptions in popular culture about Italians? Has this affected you personally?

a.     Some common misconceptions and stereotypes of Italians portrayed in the media include hair slicked back with a ton of gel and some heavy Italian accents. We are also, apparently, all catholic and we are all members of the mafia, which I was not aware of.

2.     Do you think Italians are becoming more relevant in popular culture?

a.     Not really. We are portrayed in some movies and as different characters here and there but there isn’t a general “Italian’s in pop culture” idea out right now, at least not that I know a lot about.

3.     How do you feel represented in popular culture as an Italian? How do you feel about that?

a.     I generally feel unrepresented, but that doesn’t bother me much. Like I said there is a very specific idea of what an “Italian” is portrayed as in the media, but it doesn’t affect me much.

4.     What pop culture media do you like?

a.     I’m a big fan of music. I believe music is a great way to convey a message to a mass group of people.

Overall, we don’t see a lot of Italians in popular culture, unless you’ve seen “The Godfather” or you’re very familiar with Joey Tribiani on “Friends.” It was very interesting hearing from an Italian who was born and raised New York. Special thanks to Matt for talking to me!