DreamWorks\' "Shark Tale" Condemned for Prejudice

"The following is a statement by Lawrence Auriana, President, Columbus Citizens Foundation:


Good morning. I am Lawrence Auriana, president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, a non-profit organization that celebrates Italian-American culture.

Two days ago, I attended a showing of Shark Tale at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The animated film, by DreamWorks SKG, is unprecedented in recent children\'s movies in its use of ethnic stereotypes to characterize villains.

In other recent movies for kids, the bad guys are identified by personality traits alone. They are greedy. They are power-hungry. They are arrogant. They are violent.

In Shark Tale, bad guys are identified also by ethnicity. They have Italian and Italian-American names, such as Don Lino, Luca, Giuseppe and Gino, and by their use of Italian-American phrases of speech and slang, such as "capeesh," "consigliere," "maronne," and "agita." They praise violence as a virtue, they kidnap, they extort and they intimidate. They are creatures of rage and revenge.

The movie introduces young minds to the idea that people with Italian names -- like millions of Americans across the country -- are gangsters. Shark Tale creates in its audiences an association between gangsters and Italian-Americans that will become imprinted in the developing minds of children. DreamWorks is looking to profit from the mafia genre while inappropriately targeting children. Shark Tale in large part is a parody of mafia films that are created for adult audiences. DreamWorks reinforces the connection to the mafia by using the voices of actors and directors who have repeatedly depicted mob characters, including Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and cast members from the Sopranos. But gang life and the mafia are not suitable in movies for children, however much DreamWorks may want to appeal to parents in an effort to increase the film\'s revenues.

>>>> Link <<<<

here\'s an idea, stop letting tv, radio, and film raise your children.  I know this might involve a little bit of parenting but don\'t be too frightened, they are yours afterall.

I like that I\'ve already read something ridiculous, I just woke up and I\'m already smiling.

wow.

We ask that Mr. Spielberg and DreamWorks make changes in Shark Tale prior to its release in the United States by doing the following:

    * Removing Italian names from characters
    * Eliminating Italian and Italian-American phrases and slang
    * Removing physical gestures and customs found in Italian and Italian-
      American culture
    * Removing from bookstores DreamWorks\' Shark Tale titles

Someone wanna explain how Italians gesture differently than you or I?  Vivi ghet ovah heeeehre and give us an offer we can\'t refuse.

[GmanJoe]

What about the prejudicism against WHITE sharks, eh? EH? EH?

lol!!

I think you\'re on to something.  You need to contact the people behind this complaint and together you could probably make headline news.  People would laugh at you but...

[GmanJoe]

Originally posted by Ginko
lol!!

I think you\'re on to something.  You need to contact the people behind this complaint and together you could probably make headline news.  People would laugh at you but...

I get enough of you guys laughing at me here!

[videoholic]

I\'m guessing they have no problem with The Godfather, Scarface, Godfellas, and of course the Sapranos for adults?

How do the kids even know the voices if they haven\'t seen these adult movies?

Those voices are to attract the adults into the movie and let them enjoy it with the kids.  You put a voice on there from baby looney tunes and no adult would pay to see it.

it\'s america, if italians dont like it, cry about it.  I\'m of italian decent but there is no reason to cry about it.  what about those episodes of the simpsons with those mobsters.  we should only watch the teletubbies and public access televison from now on so everyone will be happy.

good points brought up in another forum..

I can\'t be @rsed reading what he has said but who\'s @ss can I sue for being brought up in this world with the stereotypes when I grew up...

Please... everybody knows the only Politically Correct groups you can now make fun of are: white men and fat people. Everybody else is strictly off limits.

[videoholic]

Don\'t forget about canadians.

We can still rag on them.

[GmanJoe]

Canadorks were born to be ragged on. You could say Canada is America\'s hat while Mexico is America\'s underwear.

[CHIZZY]

What a load of pasta fagioli.....

I\'m still waiting to see the WET-white entertainment television...

You can all cry the blues that everything is for us whiteys, but I\'ve yet to see a white stand-up comic do a bit about black stereotypes. It\'s all been driven to the radical racists, because god forbid anyone who\'s just joking around be allowed to criticize a black person on TV. Let the victim mentality reign on, I guess....everyone just takes themselves too seriously. we can\'t all be one people unless we can feel free to say whatever we want about people who are different.

[Paul2]

what about South America?

[CHIZZY]

What about South America?

0_o

yes, what about it?

[Paul2]

Originally posted by GmanJoe
Canadorks were born to be ragged on. You could say Canada is America\'s hat while Mexico is America\'s underwear.

and what about south America?

there happy now?