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Chorus Against Sopranos Grows
Albany Times UnionSenator Serphin Maltese speaks out against the Sopranos, and since he is a highly respected legislator, other New York State legislators should also begin to join in.
That the "Albany Times Union", not noted for being very favorable to Italian Americans, would carry this story in a prominent part of the paper is a tribute to the work of the I-A activists, who have persisted, despite having had to tolerate the slings and arrows of those who somehow find their work objectionable.
If the activists, like Manny Alfano/ IAOV had not kept up their drum beat, and AIDA had not had the courage and initiative to file this law suit, this chorus would still be a whisper.
When more people show they care, and we are making progress, those who had previously dispared of progress are more willing to join the Choir, we then have the prospects of a crescendo, building to fortissimo, and an achieving of our objective.
The "Albany Times Union" article (inaccessible on line) was apparently based on an a 4/6 AP (Associated Press) Release, which was carried on "NJ Online", under a different headline.
STATE SENATOR PROTESTS PORTRAYAL OF ITALIAN AMERICANS IN HBO'S "THE SOPRANOS'
The Associated PressApril 6, 2001 4:37 PM NEW YORK (AP) -- A state senator urged cable television viewers Friday to cancel their Home Box Office subscriptions to protest the portrayal of Italian-Americans on the hit series "The Sopranos."
"`The Sopranos' uses graphic violence to perpetuate the stereotype of Italian-Americans as being involved in organized crime," said Sen. Serphin Maltese, a Queens Republican.
He said he was particularly bothered by an episode that aired last week in which one of the characters in the series about the New Jersey Mob viciously murders a young woman.
"I am offended by the way this program romanticizes brutal violence and sexual content and I'm urging everyone, particularly Italian-Americans, to protest by canceling their subscriptions," Maltese said.
"Week after week, millions of Americans are watching this offensive program that is comprised of nothing more than anti-Italian ethnic slurs," added Peter Cardella, chairman of the board of the Italian-American Federation of Brooklyn and Queens. "Something must be done to tone it down or strike a balance with more pro-Italian-American programming."
This is the second time this week that the popular television series, which is in its third season, has come under attack.
An Italian-American organization filed suit in Chicago on Thursday, charging the program wrongly portrays most of the ethnic group as mobsters.
The American Italian Defense Association is not seeking monetary damages or cancellation of the cable series, but wants a jury to declare that the show offends the dignity of Italian-Americans, attorney Enrico Mirabelli said.
An HBO spokeswoman did not immediately return a call for comment on Friday, but responded to the lawsuit a day earlier by saying the company was "very proud of 'The Sopranos.' We're hardly alone in our assessment that the show is an extraordinary artistic achievement."
NJ.com - NewsFlash
www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?j0174_BC_NY--`Sopranos'Protest&&news&newsflash-newjersey
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