where are all of the outraged Italian-Americans? These guys need to get a sense of humor.

I just wanted to comment. Your content was informative to me and thanks.

I thought this ad tapped the charm of many of big Italian families. I suppose the critics will only be happy when you can't tell the difference between ethnic groups, genders and races in these ads.

I never thought that Costanza was Italian. Interesting...I just thought he was Jerry's friend, who was also from New Yawk.

Yeah, Greeks and Italians, what's the difference right? Irish and English, they all look the same. I agree, I am so sick of seeing drunken Irish Leprechauns being hauled off in Paddy Wagons. Someone call Verizon -that's a great commercial!!!!

You're right, stereotypes are soooo funny!!!! I love too laugh at Jewish stereotypes all day long. Oh, I love it when I see those drunken Irish hauled off in Paddy Wagons. Now, where can I find this on TV?

Thanks for enlightening me. I didn't realize that if something sells, then that makes it right. Aside from African-Americans, if anyone has a list longer than mine, whip it out.

Remember that this portrayal was for a commercial; it is intended to sell something. Humor sells, but if you offend you're not going to be successful. I don't think any copywriter sits down and thinks, "How can I irritate enough people to make this product a success?" More often they say, "What's popular in the culture right now that I can rip off for my commercial?" The cultural success of the Godfather, Soprano's, Pacino/DeNiro, et al entertainment suggests to the writer that this may be a profitable avenue. Sometimes s/he can go to far and the market exacts the punishment.

The thing is, humor relies on stereotypes to communicate - especially when you have a very small amount of time to "set the scene". Whether it's an apparently Italian family, uptight WASPs or some dullard redneck saying, "That thing got a hemi?" it's humor that people generally can connect to in a positive way, sometimes because they see themselves. If the parody is gentle and harmless in spirit it generally works, and if it is offensive it gets crushed.

If you want to use a stereotype to set up the message you can do so as long as you realize the risk of going too far - and people will definitely let you know when you've gone too far. When considering any tool in your kit you have to remember David Ogilvy's query: how much soap does it sell?

The first movie Robert DeNiro directed was A Bronx Tale, in which his character stands up to the local gangster. Also, Jason Alexander based his George Costanza character on Larry David.

I saw the edited ad yesterday while watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding on TV. Because I was watching that movie, the family looked Greek to me. Cousins, aunts, grandparents, siblings, all together for a family gathering and all very close knit. Just like in the movie.

I'm not saying stereotyping is okay. But it's everywhere and nearly every ethnicity has gotten its share. I'm Irish - how many times do we see the drunken Irish leprechaun being hauled away in the "Paddy Wagon"? My husband is British and loves to point out that the bad guys on many TV shows and movies are British.

I think ethnic stereotypes are funny. They make me happy. Lighten up. As long as it's not about me, Im good with it. Now, show me a commercial about those hilarious Jewish people or those colorful Puerto Ricans!!!

I think "Redneck" refers to the fair skinned people of N. Europe who get sunburned real easy and have been historically shitty to anyone not like them. The Irish, Scotts, English, Germans, Dutch, etc. And yeah, as an African American from the Yamacraw district of Savannah, GA I've known some Irish rednecks. Back in the day we used to dread St. Patrick's day - stayed outta the old town for sure. Ya'll have nothin' on the black folk when it comes to stereotypes on TV. Doesn't make it right, but don't give me some blonde haired, blue eyed guy bitchin' about the first time Swedes have been stereotyped. Come see me when you reach the 1ooth time. My advice is to nip it in the bud. Peace.

I'm a full-blooded Italian-American, so maybe I have a good perspective on stereotyping.

I haven't seen the TV ad -- only as posted on the site. As it appears here, I don't find it offensive. To me, the people look like people at a family get-together. The clothes look casual -- maybe working class, but not especially tacky. It would be pretty weird to see people in suits at a family picnic.

I even kind of liked the extended family concept. I have cousins who are more like sisters to me, aunts who are really great-aunts, and all kinds of hard-to-explain family connections. I like the way many Italian families stay connected, even if we're not exactly sure how we're all related.

ON THE OTHER HAND... I refuse to watch The Sopranos and I've thrown out some novels that have negative Italian stereotypes. And yes, I do dislike it when Italian actors perpetuate these stererotypes. My Italian grandfathers fought back at the Mafia and the Ku Klux Klan, but we never see those kinds of stories.

I could go on and on. But I think the key questions about stereotyping are: Is the stereotyping negative? And is the group being stereotyped in a vulnerable position in our society? (I don't think soccer moms or white men -- fat or not -- really have much to fear.)

THE AD WAS EDITED. Maybe you are seeing the original ad, but I've seen the new ad. People have e-mailed me that the ad was edited. Call or e-mail Brenda Raney from Verizon Wireless Corporate Communications and ask her yourself why it was changed. brenda.raney@verizonwireless.com. 908-559-7518

Here is why the ad is stereotypical in the eyes of the many people who have already complained to Verizon:
"He doesn't owe me money so he's a keeper" (Implies Mafia)
-- That was taken out just recently--
Big Pussy from the Soprano's is in the ad. (Implies Mafia)
Just about every character is in some tacky outfit. Track suits, "wife beater" t-shirts, gold chains, heavy make-up, leopard outfits, heavy-set Italian mother, etc.

Now, I'm viewing this ad as someone who has seen this numerous times. Not once in a while. e.g. The Pepsi commercial with the little girl, the Italian frogs for Bud Light, Fat Italian ladies for Ragu, Big Pussy again for Geico, Budweiser ad "Howya doin' Dija take care a dat ting?" The AT&T spot with another mobster from the Sopranos, not to mention Goodfellas, The Untouchables, My Cousin Vinny, Donny Brasco, Pritzi's Honor, The Last Don, Analyze That, some Spike Lee movies, The Sopranos, Growing Up Gotti, Carla from Cheers, stupid Joey Tribiani from "Friends" (and his slutty sister) stupid Vinny Barbarino, stupid Tony Banta from Taxi, loser George Costanza from Seinfeld, the mafioso Italian sharks with Italian names in the kids movie Shark Tale. There's more, but I'll stop there.

In these rolls, and other rolls that I have not listed, the characters are often portyrayed as stupid, tacky, shady, sloppy, overweight, violent, psychopathic, obnoxious, greedy, sneaky, wife beaters, foul-mouthed, ignorant, shallow assholes, etc.
This has been going on for a long time, therefore some Italian-Americans are tired of it. The Verizon Commercial is more of the same.

For those of you who disagree with me. That's fine. I don't now why people feel the need to desend into name-calling and personal attacks. I can't understand why people get so upset and hateful when others are speaking up against something they feel is wrong. I'm not going to change your mind and you are not going to change mine. So be it. Advertising Age recognized the "the blatant stereotype parade" and so did many others.

Once again, the ad was edited to tone down the stereotype. Call Ms. Raney for clarification. Secondly, I gave you my OPINION why the ad stereotypes an ethnic group. We agree to disagree and I wish you well.

Great, now that we all agree that stereotyping an ethnic group is O.K., Verizon should have no problem rolling out the ad showing the cheap, obnoxious, Jewish family with big noses getting new cell phones at such a great price!!

Of course you think the commercial is ok, you're not Italian. That's a no-brainer.

The same old stereotype. Over and over again. Scotts, Jews, Koreans, Bolivians, etc. are rarely, if ever, stereotyped in the media. THANKFULLY SO. Try to look at this as if this is the same joke you've heard a hundred times. After a while you get tired of it, right? If many people are offended by something, how can you tell them they are wrong for being offended???? Verizon took a line out of the dialogue to "tone down the stereotype." Verizon is terminating the ad after the purchased airtime runs out. I know this because I did some research. It always amazes me how hateful and personal people get when they disagree with someone who is speaking up for something he/she believes in. I think it has something to do with the anonymity of electronic communication. I don't like some of the things my kids are seeing on their "kid shows" so I speak up. I don't like some of the things our elected officials are doing, so I speak up. I spoke up about this commercial because, again, I've seen this countless times before. It is my OPINION that Verizon Wireless implied a Mafia family by having a Sopranos character in the ad. The line "he doesn't owe me money, so he's a keeper" implies Mafia. Then there is the typical portrayal of the fat Italian momma, the cheesy track suits, the gold chains, the leopard prints, "wife beater" t-shirts, etc. Verizon Wireless' CEO Lowell McAdam admitted that the line and the entire ad was poor judgement. My surname is Polish. I am half Italian. Amongst friends and family, I have some of the best Polish and Italian jokes around. I even use my Verizon Wireless cell phone to text these jokes. I don't think it is appropriate for corporations and advertising agencies to delve into ethnic stereotyping. Above all, I am a proud American. I pay my taxes, go to church on Sunday, and try to be as charitable as possible. If you want to call me names, knock yourself out.

I'm offended that you thought this was a group of Italians. I thought this looked a lot like my family circle and we're Irish, English and Germans. Not an Italian in sight.

Lighten up. We can't walk around being offended by everything.

Michael, if I was Italian I would break your kneecaps for even asking.

Stereotypical, sure. Mean spirited, no way. And it humorously illustrated a point about the Verizon network.

And so what if those actors perpetuated racial stereotypes - Ever hear of Morgan Freeman? He was cast in several movies to play parts originally written as Irish or Jewish. It is the story that counts.

But it still won't make me switch to Verizon Wireless.

It's a commercial, not a statement on life.. and since when did Italians, Scots, -- any ethnic group for that matter, become a "race."

A writer with WAY too much time on his hands..

"One reader agreed."
What did all of his other readers think? If you have a thousand people reading your column and only one agreed, that's nothing to brag about.

"Fosco implicates actors James Gandolfini, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Steven Spielberg as stereotype profiteers."

Three out of the four celebrities listed here are Italian. This man is angry at Italian actors for perpetuating Italian stereotypes?

I agree that it's not a slur - it's stereotyping, which we see nearly every time a commercial airs. Sloppy, stupid men who can't cook and don't understand women on Carl's Junior ads; African Americans singing pop songs and dancing about McDonalds; soccer moms driving mini vans and don't have time to cook dinner in ads for nearly every frozen food/fast food company. They're everywhere.

This doesn't imply anything racial or discriminitory. It just shows the complete lack of imagination of so many marketing teams, and how totally out of touch they are with the majority of Americans.

To quote Switters from Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins - "The more advertising I see, the less I want to buy."

I agree with the others. It's stereotyping not a slur. If this ad makes you upset, what about all the ads where men are made to look like complete idiots ...

Seriously? Multinational companies have been using ethnic stereotypes for years in their advertising. There are countless ads that feature African Americans singing, dancing, washing cars and at BBQs. It's not racial motivated; it's merely a way to reach another audience. Perhaps they were segmenting their audience...just a thought!

Give me a break. Stereotypes can be funny, and I've laughed every time I've seen this commercial. Wheaton doesn't sound like an Italian name, where are all of the outraged Italian-Americans? These guys need to get a sense of humor.

People take themselves way to seriously.

Stereotype, yes. Racial slur, no.