Not only do the people in those neighborhoods today not have values the italians had, they dont seem to value much of anything. I hate to say it but its true. Almost all of those neighborhoods turned to garbage. It was never like that when the italians lived there. Many of those neighborhoods were low income but were very safe and despite poverty, kept up very well because the italians had pride in their neighborhoods.
The Italians seemed to have a “ no excuses no sense of entitlement†mentality.
Yes, agreed.
Even straight out neighborhoods that were considered "Italian ghettos" like East Harlem around Pleasant Avenue, First and Second Avenues were poor sections of town, yet the streets were extremely clean, everybody's stoop was swept, the neighborhood was chock full of thriving storefronts offering; Italian groceries, barbershops, cleaners, bars, cafes, restaurants, produce markets, fresh fish stores, candy stores, luncheonettes, florists, pharmacies, etc., etc.
All those type Italian areas whether it be Harlem, Mulberry street, Downtown Brooklyn, Bensonhurst, etc., had a lot of pride for their neighborhoods. And it made all the difference in the world growing up. I remember that I had a lot of respect and reverence for our neighbors, their property, and our area in general. Most others I know felt the exact same way.
Ya know when the same families, the same surnames, the same faces, remain in one area decade and decade you get to know each other. It becomes like one big extended family. And you watch out for each other.
In 99% of ALL inner city neighborhoods today most of your neighbors are strangers to you. You, or they, only moved to the area a few years earlier and most don't have intimate ties to the area. That generally can have a negative effect. But in the poor area generally has a devastating effect.
