[B. Dal Cerro]

12-23-01 It’s a bit of both, and more of an American/Italian thing. In Italy, people are more formal with names. Italians in America, however, began to pick up on the informality of American culture (ie., its lack of pretention and muted class structures). The same is true of nicknames, which goes back to classical Roman times. Italians give people ‘pet’ names, usually picking out a distinguishing trait (e.g, Jimmy ‘Skyscraper’ Borelli, for a tall person). Unfortunately, this charming practice has been stigmatized by the American media, which equates it with criminals of Italian/American background. (Note: Many of the nicknames given to Italian thugs were penned by members of the media!!) Also, Italians always refer to each other as cugini (cousins), whether or not they are. It usually turns out that they ARE related in some way down the line!

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Name : B. Dal Cerro, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Mediterranean, Religion : Catholic, Age : 36, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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