Arby’s has introduced a new sandwich dubbed The Loaded Italian. The subtle mafia implication aside, is this use of a peoplehood to describe food appropriate?
Or is it a misappropriation of a culture motivated by commercial gain? Sure, reasonable minds can disagree. But substitute the word Italian with Jew, Black, or Muslim and the civil rights brigade would storm the streets. Can you imagine ordering The Plush Jew, The Black Bandit, or The Explosive Muslim? Hardly.
The extent to which Italian Americans have experienced the brunt of negative stereotypes propagated by an elitist media has gone under appreciated in the scholarly and social discourse. This history, too, should be recognized in the American narrative.