Guide to workouts stereotypes

By Julian Aiuto

Editor, the Gauntlet,

Re: "The Gauntlet guide to workouts," Jan. 22, 2004,

Shame on the Gauntlet editorial staff for their disgusting display of stereotypes. In this pathetic attempt of humor, numerous prejudices and stereotypes of the Italian male are exhibited.

The fictitious author is presented to the audience as blatantly cocky, sexist, obnoxious and narcissist. Portrayed as having greasy gelled hair and sporting numerous gold chains, "Guido Roiderelli" uses such cliche stereotyped and non-existent Italian phrases such as, "Badda-bing! Badda-boom!" and "Fuggetaboudit!" Just to make sure the audience picked up on which nationality they were parodying, the cartoonish drawing of the character included him sporting a shirt with an Italian flag on it. What was most disturbing was the description of one of his "work out exercises" which included buying a "whopper," a clear reference to the derogatory Italian racial slur "Wop."

It is amazing the amount of double standards that exist in today’s society. You wouldn’t see the Gauntlet running a humorous feature on how to count money authored by one "Ezra Stingystein," who conveniently sports a yarmulke and despises the phrase, "Bringing home the bacon." Nor would the Gauntlet ever consider satirizing how to conduct a terrorist attack with the help of one, "Mohammad Allah." If they did, they would receive a plethora of complaints, as they did a few weeks ago from an offensive comic. So why rag on Italian stereotypes?