'Fredo' debate: Is the term considered an Italian slur?

An incident involving CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has ignited debate over if - and why - the name "Fredo" is an ethnic slur directed at Italian Americans.

A video surfaced on Monday evening showing Cuomo berate a man for his reference to The Godfather films' fictional character Fredo Corleone. The Corleone brother is seen as the weakest brother in the films, seeking approval from his mafia boss father.

In response, Cuomo claimed that Fredo is "like the N-word" for Italians.

"Are any of you Italian?" he asked of the men involved in the altercation in the profanity-laced video. "It's an insult to your people... It's like the N-word for us."

Cuomo's analogy to the N-word drew condemnation, with critics saying it was inappropriate to compare Fredo to the explosive and offensive term once used to insult black slaves.

Citing Oprah Winfrey, journalist Yashar Ali wrote on Twitter that "the N-word is the last thing black men heard before they were strung up from a tree... Nothing is comparable."

Anthony Tamburri, dean of the John D Calandra Italian American Institute at Queens College City University of New York, said that he and his colleagues spoke about the incident, and do not find Fredo personally offensive, but recognise the potential malice behind the term.

"The use of the word Fredo as an ethnic slur... is a regionalism," said Mr Tamburri, who is a third-generation Italian American. "It's definitely something more local than it is national." In some parts of the US, Italian Americans would see the term as neutral, he added.

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