Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) made headlines this week after he panned a popular mafia film and TV series during an interview with public radio host Alan Chartock.
“… Italian Americans are not Mafia. They are not Mafia. Don’t you dare liken my family to the family you saw in ‘The Godfather’ or ‘The Sopranos,'” Cuomo, 61, told Chartock on Monday.
The governor didn’t specifically reference his brother during the interview, but his remarks came just days after Chris Cuomo confronted a heckler on Long Island who called the CNN host “Fredo.”
The exchange between the younger Cuomo and the man grew tense, and footage of the argument went viral as the news anchor argued the character’s name was a racial slur against Italian-Americans.
Hear more from Andrew Cuomo on his views over the entertainment industry’s focus on gangster stories (warning, explicit language):
CNN publicly backed Chris Cuomo, 49, while rivals and politicians took aim and derided his outburst.
Hours after the incident, the CNN host turned to Twitter, writing:
Appreciate all the support but – truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me. This happens all the time these days. Often in front of my family. But there is a lesson: no need to add to the ugliness; I should be better than what I oppose.
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) August 13, 2019
Many on social media have weighed in, pointed fingers and lamented the ever-deepening political divisions between Republicans and Democrats.
But, aside from those heated debates, what do you think: should audiences begin to loosen their embrace of mobster films that can be perceived as anti-Italian?
Please offer your constructive response in the Facebook post, below:
(Photo credit: Wikipedia-screenshot)
