Associated Press
WASHINGTON – A New Jersey congresswoman, the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, wants the House of Representatives to denounce the cable television series “The Sopranos” for “unfair stereotyping.”
Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J., is asking other lawmakers to sign onto a resolution she is drafting that will praise Italian-Americans for their civic contributions and criticize movies and television shows that portray them as gangsters.
“People stop me in the grocery store, objecting to (‘The Sopranos’),” Roukema said today. “I decided this has gotten to be so discriminatory and stereotypical of Italian-Americans as mobsters, and denigrating women and families, that I thought I have to speak out.”
The HBO series focuses on fictional mob boss Tony Soprano and his dual struggles heading a suburban New Jersey family and an organized crime family.
Roukema said she will introduce her resolution within the next two weeks. Congressional resolutions are statements of opinion and, even if passed, do not carry the weight of law.
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