Shark Tale: A Detriment to Our Children
By Michelle DeMarco

On October 1, 2004 DreamWorks will release its new film Shark Tales- an animation/comedy that targets children as its audience. Its premise is a Mafia movie set in the world of saltwater fish. The son of a shark boss, played by Robert De Niro, is accidentally killed by a bottom-feeder named Oscar Smith. Hoping to win favor with the enemies of the gang leader, he poses as a fast-talking shark-slayer, who learns the perils of a world in which the big fish generally eat the little fish. The so-called gangster fish all possess Italian names such as Don Lino, and use jargon that is stereotypical of the way Mafiosos supposedly talk.
On November 8, 2003 the Italic Institute of America began to fight its release because the movie unfairly stereotypes Italian-Americans as mobsters. Furthermore, they claim that Steven Spielberg, the produce of the animated film and who has openly stated that racism and stereotyping of any sort is wrong especially when it’s taught to children, has injected anti-Italian sentiments in the past. For example, The Goonies featured a family of villains named the Fratellis. Also, in Saving Private Ryan, the Italian-American contribution to victory was discounted with the line “All the guineas are buying it.”

The Columbus Citizens Foundation published quotes delivered by Spielberg, which depict him as an advocate for the civil rights of all people. However, his history and words that spew anti-Italian sentiment have made him out to be a hypocrite. For example, he reported to the New York Times, March 9, 2004, “We are in a race against time for the conscious minds of young people. We need to teach them the dangers of stereotyping, the dangers of discrimination, the dangers of racial and religious hatred and vengeful rage.” He is also quoted as saying in Newsday, July 13, 1994, “Hatred exists not because people have never seen or heard of a Jew, or a Latino, or an African-American, or an Asian, or a Native American or a homosexual. People learn to hate.” Apparently, Spielberg failed to mention the Italians, because he has learned to hate them and for good profit too.
Lawrence Auriana, the president of The Columbus Citizens Foundation, noting that Spielberg has spoken against discrimination said to the New York Times, September 14, 2004, “The very good reason why negative stereotyping is unacceptable applies to Italian-Americans as well.” In reference to Spielberg’s upcoming movie, Auriana also stated, “The movie introduces young minds to the idea that people with Italian names- like millions of Americans across the country- are gangsters.”
In addition to complaints made by the Italic Institute of America and the Citizens Foundation, for the first time all the major Italian American organizations are working in unison against Shark Tale. These organizations have staged a boycott to financially cripple Spielberg and his partners after the movie comes out. The overall strategy of these organizations is to boycott the products that hold the financial stock that Spielberg will want to cash out on. For example, Burger King, Coca Cola, Cheerios, Krispy Kreme, are all sponsors of Shark Tale. If people refuse to buy these products, Spielberg and his associates will lose money because these companies won’t want to sponsor a film that is counter-active to their own financial gain.

Finally, it is bad enough that Shark Tale is yet another movie amongst many that depict Italian-Americans as criminals, but the overall argument is that this film is supposed to target a family-oriented audience, which, of course, includes children. A new generation will be influenced by Spielberg’s message that anyone with a vowel at the end of his or her name should be automatically deemed as a mobster. As the Italic organizations states, “Hundreds of kids may attend our Aurora classes, but millions of kids will see Shark Tale, both here and across the globe.”