In defense of ‘The Sopranos’

Dear Editor:

I’m writing to voice my strenuous Neapolitan-American objections to the assertions made by Dr. John DiGenio (M.D.? Ph.D.? J.D.?) in his ill-conceived “Sopranos”-bashing diatribe of 3/25. If I feel defamed at all as an Italian, it is by Italians like DiGenio who persist in public displays of disparagement based on one-dimensional thinking, and who in their arrogance, deign present themselves as representatives of a group for whom they do not speak while demanding the silence of those who do. It is DiGenio–and not Italian fans of “The Sopranos”–who requires self-examination and who indeed, is not part of the solution to the problem but is the problem itself. His admonishments and paranoid warnings speak to his own flimsy intellect and impressionability as well as to his insecurity about his ethnic heritage. (Perhaps Dr. DiGenio needs a Dr. Melfi–if not as a shrink, then as a role model.)

Having watched every episode of “The Sopranos” to date, it is my understanding that it is, above all, a thoughtful, intelligent and multilayered examinatiion of the dichotomies of both human nature in general and the suburban North Jersey Neapolitan mobster mentality in particular. Contrasts abound within the characters themselves, as well as between and among them. And like it or not, through the microcosm of the mob, with Tony Soprano (as opposed to a doctorate-wagging elitist) as the great leveler, viewers of every ethnic tribe can see an honest reflection of the macrocosm that is life with all its complexities and universal truths. I’d like tot assure the doctor that we Italian viewers who are fans have already examined ourselves pretty carefully, which is why we know that the show’s genius and draw are attributable to the stunning authenticity of its dialogue and emotional dynamic. (I wonder if the doctor wishes he could articulate with such impact. I know I’d “kill” for such brilliance of expression. In fact, I”d die for it, if you know what I mean, First Amendment)!

What’s more, “The Sopranos” is a family saga of epic proportions. Even better, for me, is that I recognize and know the relatives intimately from an emotional perspective, sans any mob involvement other than peripheral exposure as a kid. I grew up in the same area as the show’s creator, David Chase, and I did so around the same time and in a similar cultural ethnic environment. That he could penetrate the emotional miasma at all, no less distill it for us with unwavering veracity, astounds me! I am in awe of David Chase’s intellectual and artistic prowess, and I proudly place him at the top of my own list of notable Italians.

In plain English, the doctor disrespects the intelligence and judgment of Italian American youth when he frets that they who watch “The Sopranos” will choose to emulate the brutality. He insults Italian parents as people who cannot instill a sense of ethics or morality in their offspring. He counts the exception as the rule. He insults all people by thinking that they will draw narrow conclusions about their own or any other ethnic group based on one aspect of their existence. The last thing any society needs is for the ignorance of the unevolved to obscure the truth or skew the full story. Silence the revisionists and not the truth tellers!

Juli Barbato

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