Positive Action Against Negative Images
Related pages: Sicilian Culture • Ethnology • Sicilian Literature • Arts & Artists • Genealogy • Sicilian Language • Sicilian Identity • Invisible Sicily

Stereotypes – either positive or negative – are part of modern life. There seem to be many stereotypes of Sicilians. Some are harmless. The popular stereotype that "all" Sicilians have dark hair and brown eyes, while based on inaccurate information, is not detrimental or offensive. But some stereotypes transcend the superficial to become offensive, even damaging.

On this site, we present the real Sicily that we live in, not some publicist's fantasy. We won't tell you that there is no Mafia, we won't tell you that there were never Fascists in Sicily, we won't tell you that the Italians pitted against the Allies in Sicily in the Summer of 1943 were all good boys fighting for a good cause, and we certainly won't tell you that clientelism, cronyism and sexual harassment are not part of daily Sicilian life. We won't even tell you that television series such as La Piovra (in Italy) and The Sopranos (in the United States) should not be produced and aired. Intelligent adults can readily inform themselves about all these things and form their own opinions. We know that people are complex and no society is perfect.

That said, we strongly disagree with the negative images presented in certain motion picture productions intended primarily for young audiences, and particularly several produced in the United States over the last decade.

Best of Sicily is not a self-interested "ethnocentric" publication, and we are not afraid of occasionally presenting information on unpleasant subjects relating to Sicilian history or society. Moreover, we deal with Sicily and Sicilians, not their descendants outside Sicily. But here's a fact not generally known outside Italy. When dubbed in Italian and seen here in Italy, productions such as The Simpsons sometimes present negative stereotypes about Sicilians – not "Italians." How? It's simple. The mobster characters speak with regional Sicilian accents (not Lombard or Tuscan ones) and their speech is peppered with phrases in the Sicilian language. American children are fed "Italian" characters, but Italian children see "Sicilian" ones!

This really is not an exclusively "Italian" issue. We don't believe that young audiences should be presented overtly negative stereotypes about any ethnic group. That applies to Asians and Africans as well as Europeans. Historically, Sicily was the most ethnically diverse, multicultural region of Europe – and that's the focus of our Peoples of Sicily series.

Negative stereotyping is not unique to any one country. Here in Italy, where some Italians are anti-American, discrimination takes various – often subtle – forms. (An unpleasant stereotype, for example, is rooted in Italians' opinions of foreign women in Italy, particularly Americans and Russians, as being more willing than Italians to engage in casual sex.) Beyond stereotyping, racial discrimination is commonplace in Italy, particularly in northern regions, and few laws address the problem. One of the potential problems with negative stereotyping of individuals is that it can lead to antipathy or open discrimination.

We sincerely believe that the efforts of ethnic and anti-defamatory organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere are sometimes (though not always) misdirected. Worse, they are virtually ineffective. Political activities may have their place, but we really aren't too worried about whether the accomplishments of Christopher Columbus or Antonio Meucci are "recognized" or not. Our concerns are far more prosaic.

We believe that a pragmatic solution is to present realistic images of Sicily and Sicilians. That's what we are doing through our pages and links for younger readers.

We support the publication of more books about Sicily (in English) than any other site dedicated to Sicily. A few titles are shown on this page.

An important point to be made is that our editors oppose the negative stereotyping of any and every ethnic or racial group, not only Sicilians or Italians.

Online since 1999, Best of Sicily remains the most popular Sicilian website published in English, with hundreds of young readers who consult our articles for useful information every day. On a global level, this site is far more influential than any other website dealing with Sicily or Sicilians. Of two million visits per year, over 20 percent are from return visitors.