# Do you think Sicilians look like Middle Easterners/North Africans, and Latin Americans? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623 "2012-06-09T15:12:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/21 "2012-06-09T22:37:52Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > You may ask what ever you like. And we can mock it, when it deserves mocking. See how that works? I don’t understand why this question is worth mocking. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/22 "2012-06-09T22:45:18Z")
There is a general trend on this board to avoid making sweeping generalizations about large groups of people. It’s often referred to as “painting with a broad brush”. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/23 "2012-06-09T22:49:42Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > There is a general trend on this board to avoid making sweeping generalizations about large groups of people. It’s often referred to as “painting with a broad brush”. That’s why I made it multiple choice, i.e. check all that apply. If it was “painting with a broad brush” it would not be multiple choice. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/24 "2012-06-09T22:52:12Z")
“Paint by numbers” is still using a broad brush. Stupid question, and a rather offensive one at that. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/25 "2012-06-09T22:54:21Z")
If you’re offended by the OP, you’re easily offended. Many comments on the Dope have been over how Israeli Jews aren’t all European looking, or how Palestinians can have blonde eyes and blue hair. It’s usually to fight ignorance. This thread is no more silly than the ones like ‘Why Do Girl Like to Dye Their Hair?’ or ‘Explain to me the appeal of North Face’ or ‘What to chicks think about bald guys?’ or ‘Would you ever date someone outside of your ethnic group?’ and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/26 "2012-06-09T22:58:44Z")
It’s a genuine question about an ethnicity I myself am part of… on the net you’ll find many people saying we look this way or that, so I just wanted to know what people’s perceptions are. What a horrible person I must be for even wondering about it let alone posting! ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/27 "2012-06-10T00:46:04Z")
Other thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/28 "2012-06-10T00:47:20Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Do I think all Sicilians look a certain way? No, I don’t. But do I have an “image” of a Sicilian–a short-statured, olive-skinned, dark-haired person? What makes you think your image is accurate, though. Have you been to Sicily? For instance, what makes you think Sicilians are short? Maybe your image comes from a time when nutrition wasn’t so good. I see no reason, given the ancestors of the Sicilians, that they should be short. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/29 "2012-06-10T01:07:14Z")
> [@the\_apples\_fell](#): > > It’s a genuine question about an ethnicity I myself am part of.. on the net you’ll find many people saying we look this way or that, so I just wanted to know what people’s perceptions are. What a horrible person I must be for even wondering about it let alone posting! People here tend to be more fact-oriented than those on other sites you might be familiar with. If you ask us what we think Sicilians look like, many of us are going to assume that our own data base on the subject is incomplete. I’ve never been to Sicily, and although I know a lot of people who say they are Sicilian, few of them are really 100% Sicilian. So, many of us are going to think: I may have an image of a typical Sicilian, but it’s probably based more on what I’ve seen on TV and in movies than what relates to reality. So, any answer I could give wouldn’t mean much. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/30 "2012-06-10T01:09:51Z")
I think that was the OP’s point - **apples** was just wondering if people had perceptions and why. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/31 "2012-06-10T01:13:08Z")
Correct. ^ ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/32 "2012-06-10T01:18:46Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What makes you think your image is accurate, though. Have you been to Sicily? For instance, what makes you think Sicilians are short? > > Maybe your image comes from a time when nutrition wasn’t so good. I see no reason, given the ancestors of the Sicilians, that they should be short. Did I say I thought it was accurate? Do you honestly think that I believe all Sicilians look like this? If an image doesn’t come to your mind when someone talks about a nationality, that’s fine and perfectly believable. But I don’t think I’m stupid just because my mind does and I admit as much out in a public forum. Not as long as I’m aware that it is just a picture I’ve imagined and it doesn’t mean anything substantial. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/33 "2012-06-10T01:33:27Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Did I say I thought it was accurate? Do you honestly think that I believe all Sicilians look like this? > > If an image doesn’t come to your mind when someone talks about a nationality, that’s fine and perfectly believable. But I don’t think I’m stupid just because my mind does and I admit as much out in a public forum. Not as long as I’m aware that it is just a picture I’ve imagined and it doesn’t mean anything substantial. Who said you were stupid? Well, I guess I fall in the category of people who don’t have an image of a Sicilian in my brain. The Sicilians I know are all over the map. But like I said, in the US when someone says they’re Sicilian, there’s a good chance they have maybe 2 of 4 grandparents from Sicily. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/34 "2012-06-10T02:51:21Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Bolding mine, this sounds rather suspect to me, why are you asking the question? I would imagine that a substantial wager is involved and death is on the line. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/35 "2012-06-10T05:17:27Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I would imagine that a substantial wager is involved and death is on the line. Or maybe just curiosity. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/36 "2012-06-10T08:50:26Z")
> [@the\_apples\_fell](#): > > It’s a genuine question about an ethnicity I myself am part of.. on the net you’ll find many people saying we look this way or that, so I just wanted to know what people’s perceptions are. What a horrible person I must be for even wondering about it let alone posting! You see, the problem is that I don’t think it is much of an ethnicity…Sicily has been overrun, conquered and re-conquered by just about everyone in the neighbourhood. And it isn’t isolated now either. In fact, there are first generation immigrant kids from Africa and elsewhere running around talking Sicilian. Are they Sicilian. If not, when will they be? Having said that, I don’t think it’s either a horrible question, nor completely nonsensical. Yes, there are tall Sicilians, and blond Sicilians etc. But there are more tall blond Swedes than tall blond Sicilians. Generally as you move down Europe people get darker and smaller, just because there are many exceptions doesn’t make it untrue. But again, in the case of Sicily the population is really too diverse to give you a very meaningful answer. It’s a also evolving - rather than the frozen-in-time place your granny come from. So it’s more of an continuum than a ethnicity. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/37 "2012-06-10T13:01:36Z")
**PookahMacPhellimey** , your heart is in the right place but either you’re using “ethnicity” to mean “race” (in which case I don’t disagree with you) or you don’t understand the term. “Sicilian” is certainly an ethnicity, with a distinct language and culture, and although you’re right about its being a continuum, so are most other ethnicities. African immigrants growing up in Sicily are one end of the continuum, and they’re Sicilian as soon as they identify as such and are recognized as such by other members of the ethnicity. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/38 "2012-06-10T13:16:21Z")
I’m Sicilian (my grandparents are from Palermo). Take a look at my profile, I have my avatar there and tell me what nationality you think I look like. Most of my extended family just look like “white.” There are a few members who have thicker, black hair, bold eyebrows, and a darker complexion, but we all look pretty average as far as I can tell. As said, Scicily is an ancient melting pot in the middle of the Medditeranian. It has long been uses as a port for trading and travel over thousands of years. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/39 "2012-06-10T15:26:15Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > **PookahMacPhellimey** , your heart is in the right place but either you’re using “ethnicity” to mean “race” (in which case I don’t disagree with you) or you don’t understand the term. “Sicilian” is certainly an ethnicity, with a distinct language and culture, and although you’re right about its being a continuum, so are most other ethnicities. African immigrants growing up in Sicily are one end of the continuum, and they’re Sicilian as soon as they identify as such and are recognized as such by other members of the ethnicity. You’re right. I mixed up “race” with “ethnicity”. :smack: Thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623/40 "2012-06-10T15:32:30Z")
On my father’s side, my grandparents were Sicilian immigrants. If I had to peg a look for them, it would be southern Italian, though you would be hard pressed to distinguish that from Greek, Albanian, or southern Spanish (until they spoke, of course). My mom’s side is a mix, with black and native American being dominant. So, living in Queens, NYC like I do, everyone assumes I’m Hispanic and speak Spanish. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-sicilians-look-like-middle-easterners-north-africans-and-latin-americans/624623.md?page=3)