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Is the stereotype about Italian gangsters still true? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago

What do you mean "still true?" The stereotype was never true.

There were Italian mobsters. There were also Irish mobsters, Jewish mobsters... There were mobsters of just about every major immigrant group in the US, especially if they were marginalized. Organized crime allowed these communities to not only build an economy of their own, but police themselves when they didn't trust the police.

The stereotype doesn't come from the fact that Italian mobsters existed, it comes from their portrayal in the media. The Godfather was popular, Al Capone was famous, so people got into it and made a ton of movies about Italian mobsters. That's all.