Most of the United States is now aware of the guido suubculture thanks to Jersey Shore ant he Internet. There are supposedly equivalents to the guido subculture in other countries; Canada’s Ginos/Ginas, and Australia as well. My question: why are there guidos? Why hasn’t an equivalent to formed among other European-American subcultures? Or, are there in-your-face uber-Irish young adults in Boston, ultra-Polish young adults in Chicago, or mega-Swedes in St. Louis?
Wild guess from a paesan’: Italians are preoccupied with style, even when they don’t have clue one about it. La bella figura. :rolleyes:
PS: I don’t know St. Louis all that well, but I know it used to be very German.
Thinking that there aren’t equivalents in other ethnic subcultures is just confirmation bias. The guidos and guidettes just happen to be the group that’s more visible right now because they’re at the media forefront. Not too long ago it was the “in-your-face uber-Irish young adults in Boston” (to borrow your words), i.e. Mark Wahlberg, House of Pain, etc. Next year another group will take their place in our collective cultural consciousness (maybe it’s the Swedes’ turn).
I think the rednecks have always been the in-your-face uber-English speaking Protestant whites that the middle and upper class whites have wished would disappear (except to do certain lower class jobs and serve as a barrier between them and other lower class mnorities).
Guidos were definitely popular on the Internet before Jersey Shore.
There are still uber-Irish people and neighborhoods in South Boston. The culture centers around alcohol, the Red Sox, poker, and taking on the style of Black people from 15 years ago.
My bad. I meant to say St. Paul.
You shoulda just gone here, the place is lousy with 'em.
Mods, unless they change stuff, I’m sure the link is at least two-clicks safe.
Which answers the OP’s question too.
Because humans are primates, displays of sexual vitality predominate youth subculture. Cultures that focus on elders are less affected. Shoulder pads & cheerleaders vs. Tiger Moms and ancestor worship.
And then there are those who think for themselves.
Anyone else get an image of a bunch of young Italian punks all dressed like this?
Uber-Irish? What does this mean?
Yeah, but no one likes them because they aren’t as cool or interesting as they think they are.
There are guidos for the same reason there are/were hipsters, goths, jocks, preppies, metalheads, skaters, frat dudes, and any other subculture you can think of. Because people like to display their individuality by dressing up exactly like all their friends.
It doesn’t mean people that are like extra-strength Irish people from Ireland. Like the guidos, the Boston Irish are a white subculture derived from mass immigration of people that were once looked down on among other whites and tended to go into the blue collar trades and form their own neighborhoods, accents, and social networks. It is referring to people that are ethically Irish but grew up in the Boston Irish subculture which has historically been very blue collar and rough around the edges.
The uber-Scandinavians in Minnesota are a bit more subtle, but they’re there. They tend to hang out in the live audience of A Prairie Home Companion.
Ok, but when I think of Guidos, I think of bright orange tans, muscles on show and hair sticking up. What seems to be the common look or trend for “Uber-irish?”
I see the links msmith537 posted, but they just look like pictures from the 80’s, early 90’s. Is it as simple as that? And if so, is that a common look in places?
But, for the most part, Guidos are predominantly Italian-American/Canadian/Australian. (Yes, I know there are probably Guidos that aren’t Italian, but they’re a very, very small minority of Guidos. Also, yes, only a small minority of Italian-Americans/Canadians/Australians are Guidos.) You can’t say that about the other groups you mentioned; their members could be long to any ethnic group.
Guidos aren’t a new phenomenon, either. They were around in the 1980s, when I was in high school and college. The look was a bit different then (Chess King instead of Affliction/Tapout/Ed Hardy, Chevrolet Monte Carlos and Camaros instead of the BMW 3-series), but the major traits were all still there; bodybuilding, extreme machismo, quite loud and obnoxious, love of dance music, and so on. My Dad remembers Guidos from the 1950s.
IROC = Italian Retards Out Cruising
Also, Guido Style car seating = Dudes in the Front seat, Chicks in the Back
Yep, Guido style was definitely around in the 1980s, at least on Long Island - who else remembers the Guido room at the Malibu in Lido Beach…
White non-Jewish Americans have to be careful about exhibiting too much cultural pride, lest they get labeled as some kind of Neo-Nazis. We’re supposed to be ashamed of ourselves, remember?
I would say, yes, there are absolutely “Polish guidos” in the Chicago culture. I’m not aware of a particular term for them, but my friends and I refer to them as “Mareks,” (the Polish name for “Mark.”) As far as I know, this is just our own appellation. You can find them all over the Southwest Side, especially along Archer Avenue.