Italians: Deceit or Delusion?

First, I want to begin with the statement that I know Italians are real. I know Italy is real. That is not the argument I am making. The point I am arguing is that there is a disease spreading within the Italians that is creating a pattern of fake, duplicated personalities that are taking over the whole. Though I am writing this as an argumentative essay, this is not a debate. This paper is written to inform. It is not opinion, it is pure and absolute fact.

It all started in the media. A movie, or maybe a book. The image of an Italian man. The small, seemingly harmless seed. But some small group of people saw that as a role model. Not a character in a piece of art that they appreciated, but instead, a person they aspired to be. And from there, it spread like wildfire. In the words of First Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits."

Now, in the current day, though there are some uneffected, you can still see the repercussions. Within the umbrella category of "Italians," there is an ever-expanding group of people who are different. This disease, though it's symptoms vary, causes the infected to grasp desperately onto an insane life mission. The symptoms, as far as I've discovered, are as follows.

Speaking with an accent from a place they may have never lived

(mainly Boston or Italy)

Obsessive mention of their Italian heritage

Over-exaggerated personality, as if they are impersonating an Italian stereotype

Obsession with Italian culture

Etc.

These symptoms often result in an off-putting aura. A feeling that something isn't quite right. The personality feels fake, and their obsession can be anywhere from annoying to genuinely worrying. So why act like this? Well it comes down to a couple possibilities. The first possibility is two categories of the infected.

First, we have the innocents. Victims of their environment. They simply act the way they do out of habit. A mental illness, to be sure, but they have no control and can't be blamed for the personality that was forced on them by their peers. They simply caught the disease by associating with the infected.

Now, the second category is infinitely more worrying. Notice what every symptom shares. They all serve to make known that the infected is Italian. They all are a desperate attempt to prove the fact that they are Italian. This group of people are unhealthily obsessed with gaining some form of validation by attempting to make it known that they are Italian.

Either group sounds mostly harmless, but consider the potential of the second group. A growing group of individuals, all with one goal. A sick mindset, an illness with a one track mind. And you may be thinking "surely, they would never do anything dangerous." But ask yourself this. Do you truly believe that the type of person who is obsessed with meaningless validation, is in a safe state of mind? Can you fully convince yourself that this obsession won't escalate to something more dangerous? I can not. And when one feels the need to prove that they are more Italian, the others will follow, resulting in what could be the world's most dangerous game of chicken.

This is just the first possibility regarding why they may act the way they do. Though this one is based on the idea that the attitude is a mental illness, the second possibility is that Italians are actively attempting to deceive the general public.

I can't yet explain why an entire group of people would fake a personality. I have theories, but they are not definitive. The following is not absolute fact, but instead, it is my attempt to aid any others who are looking to research this phenomenon

I believe that the Italians could be faking their personalities in order to create a group of people with the same ideals, personalities, and goals, in order to find safety in numbers, as well as give them a sense of identity.