On the eve of the presidential vote, the American media has criticsato Kamala Harris for snubbing an invitation from National Italian American Foundationputting forward the hypothesis That this would cost her the Bian Houseca. A few days before, Robert Allegrinipresident ofcultural association that represents the almost twenty million Americans who declare Italian originsI had predicted the electoral choice of the Italian-Americans: «When an ethnic group improves its condition, its members begin to worry about tax rates and tend to become Republicans». Our descendants of the stars and stripes are today above the national average in terms of qualificationswhichevil of jobs and per capita income levels, ma the picture hasn’t always been so idyllic [1].
Aat the end of the nineteenth century, when a very poor fisherman left the Isola delle Femmine to seek his fortune in San Francisco, the Italians – especially if southerners – were not welcome at all in America. Phe dared rails and drove nails for ten cents an hour until he could build himself a small boat to fish off the Golden Gate, as his ancestors had done from time immemorial on the Gulf of Carini. After four years, he paid for the trip to his wife and Nellie, the daughter he had not yet met, e cWith the reunion the family multiplied. INovember 25, 1914, empty it luce the eighth of nine children, whom his father – almost completely inept at English – would always call Giuseppe, but who would be universally known as Joe DiMaggio.
Come baseball superstar and idol of légion of enthusiasts of national pastimeJoe would have rfamily poverty has been eliminatedbut it began by providing a bitter disappointment to the parent, who expected that all his children would help him on the fishing boat. Joe, on the other hand, was disgusted by the stench that permeated the boat and didn’t seem to like itdark a no employment. To earn some change, he worked as a newsboy or bottled fruit juice. He spent that little money with supreme parsimony, as well as his words Still more stingy. He didn’t like school either, much to the consternation of the patriarch, who despaired of getting anything useful out of his lanky son, who his friends had nicknamed “long-thigh”.
Nor could the context help him, since the Sicilians, bdishes from the brand of inferiority, it groups togethervano in self-confined neighborhoods – le nothe little italies –, which soon became characterized by degradation and crime. On the New York Timesin 1909, could be read That iThe Italian criminal is a tense person ed excitable, not thief or pickpocket, but stabber and assassino [2]. In 1912, Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic leader who would go down in history as one of the most progressive presidents of the century, described thea “scum” Italian which crowded the eastern ports as «men from whose ranks neither qualification nor qualification shines through o energy, nor initiative, nor alert intelligence» [3].
With other swarms of kids, Joe spent his time hitting a ball with a batarousesyes further blame on the part ofgli elderly people, who had no interest in that sport cleft yankee. None of those boys would have dreamed of playing football, the recent trend That came from the ancestral village: they would have been more than ever associated with in disgust cultural preferences of immigrantsrated from Southern Europe, nullifying the already reduced chances of integration in the New World. The fight for the aacceptance he worked assiduously those born in America dagli immigrants Italians and, especially for children and teenagers, the efforts made in the undertaking, constantly at risk of being nullified by banalities such as a poorly pronounced word, a pair of darned trousers or a snack that did not comply with the dominant food standards, were a constant source of frustration and lacerating internal conflict. Especially a school, the first arena of the battle for integration, they were forbidden to speak Italian, let alone Sicilian, and that was enough to trap them in an irresolvable dilemma: if they conformed to the standards of the outside world, they were betraying their parents and their history; if, however, they rejected the values conveyed by the school, remaining faithful to the family tradition, they condemned themselves to failure in the American system.
Here’s why Joe he played baseball, and that was his luck. Aplaced in the Q squadwatchmen from the perspective of new shirt, trousers and shoes, bestowed yes one ientrepreneur who wanted to advertise his olive oil, demonstrated an unexpected aptitude for the game and started Then prominently in the San Francisco Seals. The observers of the legendary New York Yankees were delighted and signed him for a sum that his father would not have put together in cbring it quickly.
With a sharp profile, protruding teeth e introversion che sociopathyJoe didn’t look mintimately cut for the glamour of the “Big Apple”, but his extraordinary talent and severe application projected him into the Olympus of sport. The whole of America bramava the emergence of a savior who can be trusted to undertake the ascent from the abyss of Grande Depression and uSuch a hero could only come from baseball, which was then experiencing a truly golden age and who embodied the deepest values of American society.
DiMaggio amassed national titles and individual records that are still unsurpassed today, but above all he bewitched an entire country withn elegance and solemnity, with lto jealous confidentiality ela style impeccable, inspiring generations of intellectuals and artists, by Ernest HemiGood at Woody Allen, too Billy Joel a Madonna. Theredropped by DiMaggio, embodiment of the “American dream” and perfect example of assimilation, it was a balm for everyonei Italian-Americans, ca minimal transgression was enough to be iincluded In the number of hardened criminals. LThe hateful prejudice was so deep-rooted that even in 1939, the very popular magazine Lifeeven with the clear intention of praising him, wrote of him: «Joe speaks English without an accent and is well adapted to most American customs. He doesn’t rub olive oil or animal fat on his head, but straightens his hair with water. He never smells like garlic and prefers chicken to spaghetti».
CWith the entry of the United States into the war, the position of the Italian-Americans became critical. Even Giuseppe and Rosalia, the venerable and gentle parents, were subjected to limitations on their freedom. The message was clear: if not even the father and mother of the most lauded American hero were considered harmless, every Italian immigrant could be considered suspected of having intelligence with the Nazi-Fascist enemy. To allay any suspicions, DiMaggio enlisted and was shipped to Hawaii, where the $50,000-a-year star player became the $50-a-month Sergeant Joe.
After the stop, he drove The Yankees to four more victories in the World Series and in 1951 declipsed the last contract from 100.000 dollars: his ailments had affected his splendor and his pride and boundless self-esteem prevented him from accepting a level of play lower than perfection. He was already immeasurably rich and became even richeròputting its own image up for auction to advertise all types of products.
Rinstead he refused colossal figures to tell la love-story con Marilyn Monroe. Joe’s pathological jealousy, his mistreatment and mutual misunderstandings shortened thethe marriage between Mr. & Mrs. America just ten months, but when the diva died, DiMaggio alone responded to the coroner’s call. He took charge of the funeral and ensured that fresh flowers adorned his grave daily.
Upon his death in March 1999, the New York Times he asked Paul Simon, who had immortalized it with the celebrities, to remember iti versi “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” [4]: iThe singer couldn’t help but cry for dignity e the fierce reserve of the Italian-American champion.
[1] Pretelli, M., Italian emigration to the United Statesthe Mill, 2011.
[2] Stella, G.A., The horde. When the Albanians were usRizzoli, 2003.
[3] D’Eramo, M. The pig and the skyscraperFeltrinelli, 2020.
[4] In the song “Mrs. Robinson”, included in the soundtrack of the film “The Graduate”, the verses dedicated to DiMaggio are the following: “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”
