Is the mob a bad Italian stereotype?

I have met people who are Italian who get deeply offended when anyone even mentions the mafia/mob. One family I grew up with who are Southern Italian either Neapolitan, Calabrese, or Sicilian refuse to watch anything on TV or a movie that shows anyone Italian being involved in OC or at least their father, mother, and grandparents are like this. Their sons who I grew up with are not like this.

But I have also met people who are Italian/Italian-American who said, "Well it exists." and are not offended. But they just find it amusing that a lot of Americans and other people get really into movies and TV shows like the Sopranos, the Godfather movies, etc.

I fall more into the second category. But I did find it more amusing in highschool when I told someone I am Italian since they asked if I have that heritage since I look Southern Italian. Then they jokingly said my family was going to put a horse's head into their bed like in the Godfather movie. I just laughed and said, "You watch too many movies." I then said how if something like that was going to happen hypothetically no matter what race or heritage the person was they would just do it, have someone else do it, and there would not be a "warning".

I have met Italian/Italian-American people who did tell me with confidence how relatives either close or distant were involved with stuff decades ago. But they themselves and their parents had no desire to get involved with it, and they only found out about this after the relative that was involved passed on, and people started talking.

If you are Italian or Italian American how do you feel about this subject?