Mafia/Italian Stereotypes

Most people think that people from the mafia are ruthless gangsters, who don’t care about anybody except them selves. They can do anything they want to and not get punished or caught. Another stereotype is all Italians are part of a mob or gang. A perfect example is the show “Sopranos”. In this essay ill show you how shows and movies stereotype the mafia and the Italian race.

A very common Mafia Stereotype is that all Italians are part of a gang. The Sopranos shows this because the soprano family is all Italian and all the people who the family deals with are Italians. Another stereotype is that all gangsters cheat on their wives. In The Sopranos pretty much all the guys have a mistress who their wife doesn’t know about. You always see them leave there loving family and then you see them hanging around with a girl which are usually much younger and more attractive than their wife. Also another stereotype which is popular is that the legal business that the mafia leader runs out of is either a bar or nightclub.

In The Sopranos Toni, The Gang leader runs his gang out of a night club. One of the biggest stereotype about the mafia is that all of the gangsters can do what ever they ant and they almost never get caught or punished for the crimes they do. In The Sopranos they also make all gangsters look as if they have no feelings for others and don’t care about other people. A lot most of gangster/mafia movies are taken place in a big city which stereotypes that all, and only big cities have mobs or mafia figures in them.

In the Godfather they are a mob family who are all Italian. An Italian /mafia stereotype is how they have 2 Families, one is there blood family and the other one is there “gangster” family. The Don loves and cares about his real family but treats his other family as if they were related and would do almost “anything” for them. Family plays a major role in the Godfather . The men are part of the family business where as the women are preoccupied with their jobs as housewives cooking and cleaning. Lastly, violence is stereotyped to Italians through being associated with organized crime.

When Italia Americans think of Italians they think: Good Food, Intelligent, Charming and Good Looking. When Americans think of Italians they think: Mafia, Greedy, Sneaky, Good Food, Violence, Nice Suits and Nice Cars. This proves that some of Hollywood’s greatest gangsters movies such as the Godfather or Scar Face make us think that all Italians are in the Mafia. IN spite of all this belief, less than 1% of Italia Americans are or have been suspected of collaboration with (or belonging to) the mafia. Fewer than 3% of Known American Criminals are Italia Americans. So are all Italians greedy, ruthless criminals they don’t care about other people that are part of gangs and mobs. No. There the exact opposite, so if you see an Italian, don’t think he’s in the mafia, that’s just what Hollywood wants you to think.