The pacific ep 7
Added 2023-12-27 18:00:09 +0000 UTCComments
Italian-Americans were distrusted, they tended, like many immigrant communities, to live together in neighborhoods where everyone spoke Italian. They were, as you know, very Catholic and, for all these reasons, weren’t trusted. They were, sort of pushed, into low end jobs but they, over time, began to dominate those industries. Big ones were construction, freight hauling and stevedores (the guys who unload cargo ships at the docks). Their control of these industries meant the US Government actually made a ‘treaty’ with the Mafia during WWII. The US needed zero problems at their major ports. You know how one tiny problem can delay a whole flight or a whole airport and the Government needed to be able to ship men and the mountains of supplies through Boston, Charleston and, especially, New York. The Government sat down, in secret, with ‘Lucky’ Luciano, the Magia boss in charge of the New York docks. The basic deal was, “Work with us, make SURE the stuff moves as fast as possible. Make SURE we know about anyone hanging around the docks, asking questions, “Where’s that ship going? What unit is that?” and we won’t be looking for any crimes you committed in the past or for the duration of the war.” See, Italy was supposed to be an ally of Germany, so the US wasn’t sure if the mafioso would be loyal to the US or Italy or what?
Lamar Smith
2024-03-18 02:29:01 +0000 UTCBiss, you should understand the importance of John Basilone’s achievements to the Italian-American community. Like most immigrant communities, they were ridiculed and thought very poorly of. I’m sorry, I just have to be honest, I’m American and this is just our history. Italian-Americans were ‘ranked,’ if you like, very low amongst Americans of that time. It would depend on the person, of course, but, basically, African-Americans would be the lowest among 1940s Americans. During WWII Japanese Americans might have been lower but, for whatever reason, Americans didn’t express the same feelings or make the same expressions in, for instance art or propaganda. The Japanese were made cartoons of in which they were always shown very slant-eyed, buck-teeth (Top teeth sticking out like a horse, sort of). Often they were depicted as actual apes or monkeys in ways the same propaganda NEVER de-humanized the Germans. In civilian life in America, Italian-Americans were given the nickname ‘wop’ because when any immigrant came through Ellis Island in New York (the place all immigrants came through), if they had no documentation with them, they were marked WOP - With Out Papers. This applied to so many Italians that the name stuck.
Lamar Smith
2024-03-18 02:18:41 +0000 UTClet me see
Biss Reactions
2023-12-28 13:24:47 +0000 UTCI got the same issue
Dirk
2023-12-28 10:24:09 +0000 UTCThat is so strange, I can't see them. maybe because I have a wrong membership? (spicy Biscuits) weird that I can see this episode but not any of the other ones.
Aldous Orwell
2023-12-27 23:52:14 +0000 UTCShe posted like 3 episodes of it in 4 days from December 18th - 21st, the most recent before this being 3 posts before this one, about 6 days ago. There should be 4 episodes total this month now.
David Collins
2023-12-27 23:31:33 +0000 UTCIs it just me or is this the only episode of The Pacific on Patreon? I didn't even know she was watching this series.
Aldous Orwell
2023-12-27 22:52:24 +0000 UTCPacific is definately different than BoB but the scale is also different, remember pacific started right after Pearl Harber and the first American invasion in summer of 1942. BoB didn't start until the invasion of Europe almost 2 years later. Episodes 567 at pelelui are more or less concurrent with the replacememnts/crossroads episodes from BoB. A whole lot more happened and they endured for a whole lot longer compared to the soldiers focused on in BoB who spent most of this time in training. Not to say they did less, just a different experience.
Bubba Fett
2023-12-27 19:32:18 +0000 UTCBOB was more personal when it comes to the storytelling because they had more material to work with. The war in Europe was more humane and the soldiers had the opportunities to pull the soldiers back into a more civilian parts of the world to recover and recuperate. The war in the pacific was far more brutal and far more savage and I'm sorry to say BISS you have yet to see the worst of what the war in the pacific has to offer.
Michael Aalgaard
2023-12-27 19:08:14 +0000 UTC
