Other racist, xenophobic, and spiteful terms and attitudes have developed against immigrants. Historically, "gallego" (Galician) for the Spanish people in general, tano, an apocope of napolitano (Napoletani, from Naples) for the Italians and "ruso" (Russian) for Jewish immigrants were terms that carried pejorative connotations. These have to some extent carried over to the present, the former as jokes about Galicians and the latter as anti-Semitic insults.[4] Today, words such as "bolita", "paragua", and "boliguayo" constitute derogatory terms to refer to certain immigrants of Latin American origin, mostly from neighbouring countries like Bolivia and Paraguay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Argentina

Nor as a pejorative. Tano is simply slang for "Italiano", for descendants of Italian heritage. I have never heard anyone put a negative spin on it.

I disagree with the wiki that calls it racist, it is not so. It is nickname of one of their soccer stars as well and used quite openly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esteban_Solari

how is this not a negative spin?

don't you think it is a little weird/convenient that they pick a 1st Generation "tano" who was educated in Europe to represent Latin America when there were Cardinals who were of hispanic heritage that could have been chosen?

Hell, Buenos Aires does not even FEEL like a latin american city.

As for the "tano" as a perjorative, it is indeed NOT! I have an unlce who lives there. He calls himself a "tano". I love the people who have never heard the word before get all outraged over it.

i don't know that we'll ever know much of the considerations, but no doubt his personal attributes and works had something to do with it, though as for heritage, the fact that his personal history spans both latin america and europe probably helped his case.

in no small part because he was chosen to represent *all* catholics. or to represent god to *all* catholics, or something like that.

in any event, many countries have terms for people from specific other countries, and many people use the term for themselves, and many people use the term as jocular humor or affectionate needling. but then those terms often also get used negatively, and then they turn ugly.


even a term as loaded as the "n-word" is used by some black people to describe themselves, or others, and it doesn't have the same connotations as it does when white people uses the term. but that in no way means you can go around saying the "n-word" is not a pejorative!

They are losing people like crazy in Brazil and other parts of South America.

Just an FYI, Americans like to think that any and all ethnic discussion or term is taboo. But it is not. "Tano" is like Mexican people using the word "Chicano". It is ethnic, but not pejorative. It is widely used. My family is from Milan. I have relatives in Argentina (well, they summer there). People need to settle the fuck down and research a word before they get all jumpy about it. Nobody here even knew what it mean (because noobody here has ever spent much time in Buenos Aires) but everyone gets all riled up over an ASSUMED slur.


Just for the record, I understood his benediction today and the Our Father, and the Hail Mary. Yeah, I speak pretty good italian (Dante and a bit of the Piemonte dialect), and I understand even more.

And on edit: I think it is funny how in other threads tonight they are comparing the Catholic Church to the Mafia...now THERE is a racial stereotype and slur, but everyone accepts that. Anyone who spends time in Calabria or Sicily knows that the Mafia is much more than the bullshit crap portrayed in American gangster movies. Really, most people who posted here know jack shit about Italia.

seems kinda fitting in that light, yes?

I'm hoping for silly. Whats a real latin american...really??

????????????????????????????

guinea... or a wop. dago? does that work better? why the hell is this sort of shit allowed on this board???

sP

At least that's what the jurors thought on this piece of trash OP.

Congrats.

Yes, a person - even one with an Italian surname or parents - who was born and raised in Argentina is an American (from South America), not an Italian. The same way that a guy born and raised in Boston with Italian heritage is an American, and not an Italian.

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who say they are Italian. So, I start a conversation in Italian with them, and they say, "Well, I'm not Italian - my mom/dad/grandpa/grandma/whatever was/is Italian."

Well, Einstein, then you ain't Italian.

The new pope may have Italian parentage and even a claim to Italian citizenship, but he is Argentinian not Italian...

But I thought a lot of Argentinians spoke German?

well. Maybe you should reword it. Maybe take that "tano" out of it.