I posted this awhile back. I,m reposting because i was asked to. Thanks!
I find myself often having to defend myself (in a nonviolent manor) against those who would insult my family because of our culture. We, or i should say they, are all Roman Catholic, whereas i am Protestant. To this day as well as in the past i would sometimes bring home friends for dinner or just to hang out and what i thought was normal was what they said "completely wrong!" outdated and downright scary! Let me give you examples
1. Women in our home(s) would always take care of household duties.
2. Dinner was always served in 5 to 6 courses usually lasting 4 hours (remember Italian)
3. Mothers, auntie’s (yes we say aunty and uncle to, or at least some of us) always ate after the men, even us kids, if the kids were not at a separate table from the adults
4. Arranged marriages (you didn't know Italians did that did you) forget falling in love with your high school sweetheart, and you had better have went to her father before she even new you were interested!!! And she or he Better be Italian or Believe it or not (my family loves Arabs and Indians) Asian NO WHITE do not take offense (don't call an Italian man anything but Mediterranean, just some advice unless they are from the north)
5. Our women were the most loved in the family and were always modestly dressed! My grandmother was very traditional she never left the house with her head or for that fact any skin exposed! Especially in church, or at mass.
6. Women only spoke when spoken to, or unless they were speaking to the children!
7. The men were to treat there women with the utmost respect!, and love them unconditionally( on occasion, extremely rare once or twice I saw my parents or grandparents give each other a hug, or even more a peck on the cheek!)
8. Absolutely under no circumstances, were you to participate in any forms of PDA (public displays of affection) I once saw my Nonna (grandmother) smack my uncle so hard, a tough 40 year old Italian guy cried in public because he kissed my aunt in front of another Catholic! I cried because it was so loud I felt it (and I was scared) lol.
9. I don’t know if it’s just Italian guy’s but I swear my father and grandfather had hands made of concrete( especially when the spanked you) A friend of mine once asked what was the longest time I was in “time out” I laughed so hard, and said after Nonno hit me I was out for about 5 minutes.lol
10. Emigrants have never heard of time out! Muslim or Christian!
11. Americans or as Nonno said Amed’ ee ‘kans have no culture they take everybody else’s and tear it apart (he said this every time he turned the TV on) so did aunty!
12. My wife is Indian, from Tamil Nadu to be exact! Revert back to #4
13. My brother’s wife is Saudi Arabian! Revert back to #4
13. I only learned Italian because none in my family wanted to learn English. (to them it is a corrupt and ugly language)
14. My wife’s family is amazed we call auntie’s and uncles,…… auntie’s and uncles, no names that’s disrespectful and who could remember all of them anyway I have 14 (of each!)
15. Again no PDA
16. If I talked to a woman there better be one of her male family members there!
17. Men wear pants and long-sleeved shirts; I usually wear button downs and jeans.
18. Be covered and clothed even in your home! (You never know when an aunty is coming by) lol
19. I keep my Bible on the highest shelf in the house, never lowered below the waist, and I am clean when I read it. No wrinkled pages, no markings in it! (I think Muslims treat the Quran the same way?)
20. I have a copy of the Quran. Yes I do!
21. I will remind you I am a Christian.
22. Oh yeah, I am 30 but anyone in the first generation of my family live to an average age of 90 to 100! Nonna was almost 101 when she passed. Her parents that never left Italy always made it to at least 102 to 103! They said before they passed, “ I fear because of the plight of this dark country you won’t make it as far as us in age”
23. Respect your Women!!!!!!!
24. Men always made the money to support his family, never bring home the bacon(we don't eat it either, it is in the Bible)
Can you relate to any of this? Or is it just Italians, or just my family? Do you think this is to extreme? Respond with replies additions or comments!
No disrespect! god bless
In number 23 i meant that my Nonna was talking about the USA.
Re: I received such an awesome response to this in another Islamic site!
format_quote Originally Posted by Italianguy
I posted this awhile back. I,m reposting because i was asked to. Thanks!
I find myself often having to defend myself (in a nonviolent manor) against those who would insult my family because of our culture. We, or i should say they, are all Roman Catholic, whereas i am Protestant. To this day as well as in the past i would sometimes bring home friends for dinner or just to hang out and what i thought was normal was what they said "completely wrong!" outdated and downright scary! Let me give you examples
1. Women in our home(s) would always take care of household duties.
2. Dinner was always served in 5 to 6 courses usually lasting 4 hours (remember Italian)
3. Mothers, auntie’s (yes we say aunty and uncle to, or at least some of us) always ate after the men, even us kids, if the kids were not at a separate table from the adults
4. Arranged marriages (you didn't know Italians did that did you) forget falling in love with your high school sweetheart, and you had better have went to her father before she even new you were interested!!! And she or he Better be Italian or Believe it or not (my family loves Arabs and Indians) Asian NO WHITE do not take offense (don't call an Italian man anything but Mediterranean, just some advice unless they are from the north)
5. Our women were the most loved in the family and were always modestly dressed! My grandmother was very traditional she never left the house with her head or for that fact any skin exposed! Especially in church, or at mass.
6. Women only spoke when spoken to, or unless they were speaking to the children!
7. The men were to treat there women with the utmost respect!, and love them unconditionally( on occasion, extremely rare once or twice I saw my parents or grandparents give each other a hug, or even more a peck on the cheek!)
8. Absolutely under no circumstances, were you to participate in any forms of PDA (public displays of affection) I once saw my Nonna (grandmother) smack my uncle so hard, a tough 40 year old Italian guy cried in public because he kissed my aunt in front of another Catholic! I cried because it was so loud I felt it (and I was scared) lol.
9. I don’t know if it’s just Italian guy’s but I swear my father and grandfather had hands made of concrete( especially when the spanked you) A friend of mine once asked what was the longest time I was in “time out” I laughed so hard, and said after Nonno hit me I was out for about 5 minutes.lol
10. Emigrants have never heard of time out! Muslim or Christian!
11. Americans or as Nonno said Amed’ ee ‘kans have no culture they take everybody else’s and tear it apart (he said this every time he turned the TV on) so did aunty!
12. My wife is Indian, from Tamil Nadu to be exact! Revert back to #4
13. My brother’s wife is Saudi Arabian! Revert back to #4
13. I only learned Italian because none in my family wanted to learn English. (to them it is a corrupt and ugly language)
14. My wife’s family is amazed we call auntie’s and uncles,…… auntie’s and uncles, no names that’s disrespectful and who could remember all of them anyway I have 14 (of each!)
15. Again no PDA
16. If I talked to a woman there better be one of her male family members there!
17. Men wear pants and long-sleeved shirts; I usually wear button downs and jeans.
18. Be covered and clothed even in your home! (You never know when an aunty is coming by) lol
19. I keep my Bible on the highest shelf in the house, never lowered below the waist, and I am clean when I read it. No wrinkled pages, no markings in it! (I think Muslims treat the Quran the same way?)
20. I have a copy of the Quran. Yes I do!
21. I will remind you I am a Christian.
22. Oh yeah, I am 30 but anyone in the first generation of my family live to an average age of 90 to 100! Nonna was almost 101 when she passed. Her parents that never left Italy always made it to at least 102 to 103! They said before they passed, “ I fear because of the plight of this dark country you won’t make it as far as us in age”
23. Respect your Women!!!!!!!
24. Men always made the money to support his family, never bring home the bacon(we don't eat it either, it is in the Bible)
Can you relate to any of this? Or is it just Italians, or just my family? Do you think this is to extreme? Respond with replies additions or comments!
No disrespect! god bless
In number 23 i meant that my Nonna was talking about the USA.
Why is this considerd "weird" or "Wrong"? This is how i grew up am i wrong? I thought i was American, but the more i have to hide the more i distance myself. I do love my country, but what gives, what do i do?
Re: I received such an awesome response to this in another Islamic site!
format_quote Originally Posted by Italianguy
Why is this considerd "weird" or "Wrong"? This is how i grew up am i wrong? I thought i was American, but the more i have to hide the more i distance myself. I do love my country, but what gives, what do i do?
Peace,
Now I remember you. You posted this a while back here. I believe that was shortly before the forum crashed and 2 weeks of posts and new members could not be rstored.
Maybe some of us can remember our replies from when you posted this before.
Re: I received such an awesome response to this in another Islamic site!
format_quote Originally Posted by Italianguy
Why is this considerd "weird" or "Wrong"? This is how i grew up am i wrong? I thought i was American, but the more i have to hide the more i distance myself. I do love my country, but what gives, what do i do?
Peace,
Now I remember you. You posted this a while back here. I believe that was shortly before the forum crashed and 2 weeks of posts and new members could not be rstored.
Maybe some of us can remember our replies from when you posted this before.
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I posted this awhile back. I,m reposting because i was asked to. Thanks!
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