My family is Sicilian my dad came to the US in his late twenties and became a citizen. My father moved because the mafia had become so oppressive that they were killing my father's gallery and hurting his extended family. It wasn't a joke and it wasn't a movie. When the reign of the mafia ended in Sicily, they had a parade and erected a monument that is the only unprotected monument not stained by graffiti. They even tried to make the mayor who helped put the mafioso in prison, a saint.
People ridicule me for speaking out against mob movies that glorify this stereotype. I am okay with Mario and Luigi because I think we need to laugh at ourselves sometimes. The mafia is no laughing matter and family members have died fighting them. Why do Italian Americans glorify this? Why do we find this acceptable?
