# \*Why\* are there guidos? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214 "2011-04-05T00:32:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/1 "2011-04-05T00:32:33Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/2 "2011-04-05T01:08:21Z")
Wild guess from a paesan’: Italians are preoccupied with style, even when they don’t have clue one about it. [_La bella figura._](http://www.eyeitalia.com/2009/03/17/la-bella-figura-italy/) :rolleyes: PS: I don’t know St. Louis all _that_ well, but I know it used to be very German. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Audie\_O\_Dynamite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8dc957/32.png) [@Little\_Audie\_O\_Dynamite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Audie_O_Dynamite)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/3 "2011-04-05T01:34:35Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/4 "2011-04-05T01:44:15Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/5 "2011-04-05T03:02:24Z")
[Guidos](http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=guidos&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1920&bih=1071) were definitely popular on the Internet before Jersey Shore. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/6 "2011-04-05T04:05:46Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/7 "2011-04-05T04:08:14Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > PS: I don’t know St. Louis all _that_ well, but I know it used to be very German. My bad. I meant to say St. Paul. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/8 "2011-04-05T04:09:26Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > [Guidos](http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=guidos&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1920&bih=1071) were definitely popular on the Internet before Jersey Shore. You shoulda just gone [here](http://hotchickswithdouchebags.com/), the place is lousy with 'em. Mods, unless they change stuff, I’m sure the link is at least two-clicks safe. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/9 "2011-04-05T10:17:58Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > You shoulda just gone [here](http://hotchickswithdouchebags.com/), 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. ---
**Author:** ![ZomZom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zomzom/32/5620_2.png) [@ZomZom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZomZom)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/10 "2011-04-05T12:19:19Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/11 "2011-04-05T14:11:04Z")
Anyone else get an image of a bunch of young Italian punks all dressed [like this](http://cdn.babble.com/famecrawler/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Father-Guido-Sarducci.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/12 "2011-04-05T14:13:29Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Or, are there in-your-face uber-Irish young adults in Boston > [@sh1bu1](#): > > There are still uber-Irish people and neighborhoods in South Boston Uber-Irish? What does this mean? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/13 "2011-04-05T14:29:54Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Uber-Irish? What does this mean? [Some examples..](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.soulstrut.com/images/uploads/reviews/album-house-of-pain.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.soulstrut.com/index.php/reviews/indepth/House%2520Of%2520Pain/&usg=__W6mkyqOnzckZkytHeOJJcMXavtw=&h=455&w=455&sz=34&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=trINpU3GgFJ3gM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=112&ei=ZiSbTeiFFczUgAfx5OCeBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhouse%2Bof%2Bpain%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1323%26bih%3D545%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=110&vpy=100&dur=963&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=101&ty=132&oei=TSSbTYZejpO3B-_z1LYH&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0)[here..](http://www.rokpool.com/files/u1/odule10120777photo_1214148526DropkickMurphys.jpg)[and here..](http://www.showbiz.ie/images/stars/peterwolf-bono-1.jpg) > [@ZomZom](#): > > And then there are those who think for themselves. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/14 "2011-04-05T14:35:24Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Uber-Irish? What does this mean? 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. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/15 "2011-04-05T14:44:00Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > My bad. I meant to say St. Paul. 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. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/16 "2011-04-05T14:49:58Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > 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. 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? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/17 "2011-04-05T16:35:29Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > 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. 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_. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/18 "2011-04-05T17:16:25Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Camaros 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… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/19 "2011-04-05T17:26:48Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214/20 "2011-04-05T18:01:29Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > ultra-Polish young adults in Chicago, 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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-guidos/577214.md?page=2)