I knew John Gotti, Sr. He was always broke and would kill you for a nickel. His wife is the only thing that kept the family together. But he was raised hungry and poor, two essential elements to being a real gangster.
The Italian "mafia" is another government bogeyman. Is there organized crime? Of course - there always has been and there always will be. Does it tend to concentrate in the lower social classes and neighborhoods, which usually involves immigrants? Of course it does. However, the ethnic Italian neighborhoods that used to breed tough guys are almost all gone now. The Italians still have some historical union ties in big, northern cities but most of the crimes they charge mafia guys with these days are usually inconsequential. The big earners in the mafia are now usually involved in white-collar type stuff, which they really don't even need the mafia for other than to legitimize the attitude that it's okay to rip people off. Most Italian-Americans have moved on to the middle and upper classes. They have zero connection to the mafia but some like to foster the impression that they do because they think it makes them look tough (thanks to Hollywood). Today's mafia guys would shit their pants if they were ever targeted by the cartels, or the Russians.
