I made a very bad joke on the blog earlier this week, where I ignorantly referred to one of the sacred relics from the summer Saint’s Feasts as “creepy”. I spent about as much time thinking about the comment as I did typing it, and have found out today that I offended many of my neighbors as a result. My remorse stems from a true admiration of this neighborhood, rather than any stab at self-serving diplomacy. I have lived here seven years for a reason.
I hope that my continued charitable activities in the North End, and my many positive remarks on the site about the neighborhood and the people within it over the years, will attest to where my heart truly stands in regards to it. I also maintain a separate website devoted to the area, which is a labor of love. I have actively worked to maintain good relationships with my neighbors over the years, and frequently go out of my way to meet as many new residents as possible. That is what makes this incident all the more unfortunate and unacceptable.
I do not pretend or assume to be a true North Ender, and for that reason I can never fully understand how my remarks effected those that are. I would like to ask that you excuse me, and have agreed to redesign the NEMPAC website as a gesture of apology and pennance. I had already been asked to help migrate it to a new webserver, but I know for a fact the organization wants to pay to have it re-vamped, and I am offering to do this myself now for the first time – because I truly feel awful and have to try and make things right.
I was raised a Catholic, have many Italian cousins and I am absolutely mortified that I have been responsible for generating so much offense. My Grandmother would surely slap me if she were still with us. It was a terrible comment, and I will regret making it for a very long time. My deepest apologies to you all.
Very sincerely,
– Dave
That was the best apology I have ever read. Who the hell did you piss off?
Thanks. Hopefully others felt the same way.
And as for who? Take your pick, apparently. I don’t want to perpetuate it. I’ll tell you more when I see you in person.
Dave, thanks for the apology. But next time choose your comments wisely. You Pissed off a lot of people in this neighborhood,especially us native North Enders with your comments about our “creepy” saints and traditions. Because of this a lot of us will be monitoring this site.
Ciao
Who the hell do you think you are saying the things you said about our “creepy” saints and traditions. Next time think before you write.
A lot of the people that made this neighborhood the way it is are upset. Ignorant people like you should move out of this neighborhood if you find our traditions comical or somewhat foolish. You won’t be missed.
P.S.
If you have a comment or something to say about our festivals be a man and say it to someones face.
Aubs: I am one of the people who Dave has pissed off. I was also the one who brought it to his attention through our mutual friend at Donpiano.
Dave: What offended me and many other “old school North Enders” was your apparent lack of understanding of how important our traditions are to us. Yes, fried dough and sausages are a part of many of the Feasts but more importantly it is the faith and customs that they symbolize.
Many of us who do carry the “creepy religious statues” do so as an act of faith, with true belief in the good that these blessed people have done on earth.
Many more of us carry on these traditions because our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were the ones to begin these centuries’ old traditions here in America. They began these Feasts when the North End was considered a slum, when the people who lived here were treated as second class citizens. They were poor and had nothing except each other, their faith and these traditions.
That is what you mocked. That is what pissed us off. You ridiculed something much bigger and much more important to many of us NEW and OLD North Enders than you realized. We just don’t carry a plaster statue around the streets for ten hours for laughs. There is a much deeper meaning to it all.
I invite you down this summer as we prepare for the feasts and see the hundreds of hours that are volunteered by many people to continue these traditions. All of our time & toil allows us not only to pay the expenses of the feast but also permits us to donate thousands of dollars back to our neighborhood through scholarships for kids at Saint John School, little league sponsorship, donations to the nursing home, the parish churches and even to NEMPAC. That is just to name a few of our charities.
I have heard through our mutual friend and others that you are a great guy. You obviously have shown a commitment to the neighborhood by your work at NEMPAC, and I applaud you for that. I also want to thank you for your apology, it was appreciated.
I look forward to seeing at the any of the feasts this year and possibly to say hello when we march by your window this August. I also hope you can join us at our neighborhood BBQ on Thursday, August 24th on Endicott Street. I will treat you to an ice cold Schlitz!
Thank you, Jason Aluia
While Dave unintentionally ‘pissed off a lot of people in the neighborhood’ I think he has made a great effort to right his wrong both personally and publicly.
I come from an Italian family and have attended many of the Italian Feasts both in my hometown as well as the North End. So I have seen my share of statues and know what they represent. Dave admitted what he said was ignorant, asked for forgiveness – and that is good enough for me. I don’t think he has ever apologized for anything he’s written here before.
This aggression towards Dave that I have read today saddens me because I think it is unfortunate and misdirected. If you look back through his archives and read the many entries he has posted in the past attesting to his adoration, you will see that Dave is a true friend to the North End and all the cultures it has to offer.
Wow. A friend of mine sent me the original post you made. You must have been really tired when you wrote it because you always talk about how much you love the North End and your neighbors. As I’ve told you, I have lived in this neighborhood for about 35 years and I’ve heard this sort of thing before. Back then, people talked on the front step instead of emailing each other. Things get blown out of proportion when people don’t get to see the people they are talking about. Right now, I think a lot of people are directing a lot of anger at you when they are really mad at the changes happening around the neighborhood and to their lives.
Life is too short to stay mad. I hope everyone who knows you better invites you over for dinner. We know you didn’t mean anything by it. And yes Dave, we’ve always called it ‘gravy’. Smart ass.
You know what’s really creepy?
“A lot of us will be monitoring this site.”
And
“If you have a comment or something to say about our festivals be a man and say it to someones face.”
Dave, these people obviously don’t know you very well nor have they read much of your blog. Move to Toronto, our Italian community is much bigger and has a sense of humor.
JV (J. Venditti)
P.S. – Hey relentless native, monitor this!
I am going to disable comments on this post, as I think we’ve all had a chance to weigh in at this point. I also do not want to see this conversation degenerate into further nastiness. We’re done.
I appreciate the criticism, and I appreciate the support.