I was watching House M.D. and it showed two Italian brothers who were gangsters and involved in illegal activity. Like a crime family, Godfather type.
So, I know where the stereotype originates from. Italians came from Italy to the shores of America as migrants in the last century and were able to make a life of their own, but a small sliver (I think) of the community did involve themselves in not so legal activities. I thought it was the thing of the past that Italians were disproportionately involved in Criminal activities and I had though they got mixed in the American melting pot and probably are not disproportionately involved in crimes anymore. So, is the stereotype of Italian gangsters still true to this day (I know probably to a lesser degree?)
I must say I am not white/American/Italian or anyone who has anything to do with these groups. I have never seen an Italian in real life and I don't hold any prejudices against or for them.
I have never seen an Italian in real life and I don’t hold any prejudices against or for them.
Some of us can be admired at several zoos all over the world
Reminder that House started in 2004, 19 years ago.
Im not an expert but I dont really think that the stereotype still holds up, like in a "A pizza restaurant in NY?, definetly a front for the Mafia" or knowing an Italian and immediately thinking they're mobsters.
The great families in the US had a huge downfall starting at the 70s, and by the 90s they were no longer the big classical Mafia families.
Some of them crashed because of internal struggle, others by the preassure of their greed, and others just went legal.
Also the gov cracked down hard on racketeering and mobster activity.
The Mafia concept has evolved and they moved to other types of illegal activity.
But I think that most people when they think about Italian mobsters, they think about the Godfather, Al Capone, and the golden age of the prohibition and the 50s.
It's less that the stereotype isn't true and more that it applies to everybody. American stereotypes are widely based on racist enforcement of laws. Obviously there are italian crime families, but there are white crime families like the Sacklers that do far worse shit, but we don't stereotype white people as criminal masterminds. Italians are considered white in America now though, so they have less stereotypes attached to them.
If America was less racist, you wouldn't hear about country of origin in crime. I've had people of all races sell me cocaine out of the back of the sketchy restaurant.
I've had people of all races sell me cocaine out of the back of the sketchy restaurant.
This is the post-racial utopia I fight for
I don't know anything about white crime families and what they have done. But, I am pretty sure there are differences between these families which make Italian crime orgs more visible than white crime families. One of them of c is their country of origin and other differences like languages, food, etc.
I am pretty sure Italians were disproportionately involved in criming than native americans even in 1940. Crime per capita probably was more which is one of the greater reasons they became popular. Again, the fear of foreigners and differences also have to do with this.
If America was less racist, you wouldn’t hear about country of origin in crime
it's not racist to recognize patterns and these are not false patterns the human brain is perceiving (which it does do very often)
If a people from a certain country or race are doing well or poorly in america, it's not racist to notice it.
Why are you gonna ask if you're gonna argue when someone tells you the answer? You said you're not American or Italian and don't know about it. Why are you arguing using information you said you know is wrong?
It is actually a minor theme in The Sopranos about the role of the Italian Mafia today.
Basically, the Mafia grew up in poor immigrant communities where the immigrants suffered some mild racism. Over time, the immigrants became integrated into American society. There are some stereotypical Italian-American industries like hospitality and construction, but it isn't out of place to see successful and educated Italian-Americans in all fields.
After the RICO trials gutted the Mafia, what was left didn't have power they used to have and a lot of the smarter Italian-Americans could go into legal careers. This has caused a really bad brain drain for the Mafia, making it less effective and powerful.
There is still a Mafia around, but it is a shadow of its former self.
