Well you could also argue that they simply slipped into the mainstream a bit faster. The irish had it good with tammany hall which helped alot'vce people get some jobs as city offcials, police, etc. The jews have always been involved in other business besides organized crime, everyone else just kinda found something else to do (don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying the italians as a whole or even as a majority fell intot he criminal fraternity) but they were more organized as a whiole. You could also argue about timeing, irish and jewish gangsters were jussssttt slipping out during/after prohibition and the italians are the ones who kept the power where it mattered (sometimes they got kicked out of cities, but not in places like say, new york).

But like you said, various factors. I personally find the american mafia to be a purely american phenominan (sp) because the way it is today wasn't how it was in italy at all.


I remember talking to a few friends I knew from uh... Calabria I think it was (not just calabrese, they were exchange students) and they kept telling me how in addition to the usual american sterotypes of apple pie and white picket fences, the other big thing people thought of when they imagined america was the mob. Apparently it got way bigger than it ever did in italy.