Both within the Gambino family and within the wider mob?

As of his death, not a single Mafioso attended his funeral. Suggesting the Gotti era was something they’d prefer to forget happened

But has that attitude changed?

I would imagine its a mixed legacy at this point, which on one hand was the catalyst for the beginning of the end of the mob at the peak of its power, but also in hindsight a time where the mob was at the forefront of public fascination in the media; a time where one of the most powerful Mafia members in the country really did strut around in Brioni suits with perfectly coiffed hair, frequently beating the government at its own game.

It's like Gotti figuratively took all the "chips" that the mafia had, representing the wealth of their influence and power, and cashed them in to indulge his own ego and the public's fascination. I'm sure it was a lot of fun for five years. But the impact on the mob was devastating.

That being said, in a day and age where the most recent Gambino #1 was shot and killed by a deranged maniac and you have a wife killer sitting at the top of the Bonannos, and with the exception of Barney, for the most part leadership across the board that just isn't of the quality that it once was, I imagine there are a few mobsters who smile back on the days where the don was right in your face. But it's cold comfort given that his antics doomed the whole enterprise far worse than three previous decades of government scrutiny ever could.

A big mouth guy that nobody misses

Probably Pretty Accurate

Among newcomers, an awesome, based-ass boss and great dresser.

Among people who have even a basic grasp of mafia history, a complete wrecking ball to the mob.

You know whats funny when Gotti was on the streets
There were so many Gotti, wanna be's you couldn't keep track.
Everyone wanted to dress like him, talk like him, act like him.

The guy was LOVED in his neighborhood.
And was FEARED AND RESPECTED my my neighborhood.

For the guys I knew in the life they had nothing bad to say about him either for the most part.

Now after he is dead and gone.

The perception is way different.

To answer your question when the guy was alive he was loved, feared and respected by the average Italian american, in Italian american neighborhoods.
Young Italian american males, there was only 1 gangster they aspired to be like and that was John Gotti.
Nobody was running around saying I want to be like Chin.

He def made mistakes as a boss.
Def not the best boss.

One must ask the question if Gotti did not do what he did
What would have become of the Gambino family if Billiotti was boss and running the family?

Castalleno was going away for 100 years.

Another question to ask is would the family been better off with Billioto or Gotti as boss?

???

The Gotti legacy is like the Persico legacy aka a stupid boss that damaged his mob family,the only difference is that the Gambinos get rid of gottis while the Colombos not.

It also could be perceived and I know some may not agree that.

Gotti's Crew in the mid 80's was so fierce and feared that nobody on the street would dare come up against them directly.

The Chin, who was the head of the commission and had the full backing of the commission did not make a direct move against Gotti.

As the head of the commission, Chin had an obligation to enforce the rules and not by pussy footing around, the same way he did when Philadelphia took out Bruno without permission.

He came in and starting "OFFING GUYS"

As Salerno said on the tapes "YOUR DEALING WITH THE BIG BOYS NOW THE COMMISSION"

Casso who was a PSYCHO, even though he thought that Gotti, was behind the hit against him, still was too scared to declare war against Gotti and his crew.

The two families would only dare sneak attack Gotti's Crew when they weren't looking.

By using a Bomb, to make it look like the Sicilians did it.
Using the Mafia Cops, so it wouldn't trace back to the Luke's.

At that time mid 80's.

The Bonanno's were subservient to Gotti
The Colombo's, Orena Faction who should have won the war were subservient to Gotti
The Decalvcante's were subservient to Gotti

These are FACTS.

After he died I feel that alot of people are re-writing history and telling a different story.
Gotti was afraid of Chin, etc...

I dont see it that way
I dont think that facts support that theory

You are correct on all points BH. He held different degrees of influence over all three of those crews at the times through they're sitting or interim leaders.The only point I wanna make is that you have that wrong about Chin and Gotti. Chin was cautious about Gotti, but make no mistake about it. Gotti was extremely hesitate to go against Chin. He feared and respected him as an extremely capable and powerful leader. Both bosses viewed one another that way. Because of it they basically played a chess game with one another. Smiling to each other while they worked against one another behind the scenes.

To declare "open warfare" against another borgata was tantamount to the destruction of Cosa Nostra. Period! Not since 1929 and the days of the Castellammarese War have two different families openly fought each other on the streets.

Individual mafiosi had plotted against one another from time to time. Certain men in the hierarchy have plotted takeovers. etc. But these have mostly been "Intra" family, not between families. On the few occasions through history where there were plots between families, these were all accomplished or attempted surreptitiously. NEVER conspicuously.

That would be the equivalent of "declaring a gang war" on another entity. That never happened. Ever! It would mean total annihilation.

Good Point
I agree

However, you rarely ever see that scenario framed that way.
Its usually more so how powerful Chin, was and how bad of a boss Gotti was and that Chin was the real boss of bosses.

As I said in the past Gotti was not from my neighborhood however, there were more "GOTTI" Mini-Me's running around than could count.

It was Gotti this and Gotti that...

Now 20 years after he died

The story that is being told isn't really how it played out at the time.

I dont really see it or hear it being told for they way that it was.

Through the eyes of made members and from the inside out they could look at his time at the helm and easily see the mistakes that he made.
That is from a damage perspective.
Through the eyes of a civilian the story is way different.

That story is more so as I am telling of Gotti, the "FOLK HERO"

The truth is every boss made their fair share of mistakes.

1) Start with the Colombo's, Persico at the head for as long as he was and is to this day is wand was a huge mistake for that family. From what i can can see personally there isnt much wealth among its members.

2) Bonanno- Joe Bonanno who gave Guiliani the blue print for the commission case, Donnie Brasco, Joe Massino and whole administration flipping, the Boss, Under boss, 3-4 Capos filling at the same time.

3) Luchesse's Tony Ducks appointing Gas Pipe and Amuso as boss and U.B. that destroyed that family.

4) Gambino's Castalleno under his leadership the family had two factions and was divided, because of Castalleno's leadership or lack thereof it paved the way for Gotti to do what he did with out challenge.

5) Westside- Chin made the mistake with not killing Savino which lead to the windows case and all the fallout that followed that case. Which was the case that had Casso, whacking so many of his guys...

If you were to rate bosses from worst to best worst being #1.
Which bosses did the most damage to their families.

1) Joe Massino
2) Casso/Amuso ---> They were like one person.
3) Persico
4) Gotti
5) Chin

If you were to grade families in terms of strenth today what would that look like?

1) WestSide
2) Gambino
3) Luke
4) Bonanno
5) Columbo

Most of what you say is true about each of those crews. Most of what you mention befell them happened during the mid-1980s thru mid-1990s period. During that decades the feds learned how to properly utilize Rico and destroyed everyone. Not only in NY and NJ, but all crews across the entire country, east coast to west coast. It was devastating.

Note: But I have a few adjustments if you'll allow me. First off Corallo never sanctioned "Amuso and Casso" to take over. They were Brooklyn guys, not Harlem. He wasn't close to either of them they were Ticker's guys. They essentially seized power in a mostly bloodless coup (Buddy Longo did get clipped) afterwards Corallo and company was thrown into disarray because of federal assaults against them. Those two wrecked the borgata for sure which led to many defections; D'Arco, Chiodo, Accetturo, to name but a few of 15-20 top guys who flipped.

The real fear of getting clipped by Paul Castellano for narcotics trafficking is what pushed Gotti & company to plot Castellano's murder. Its called self-survival. Otherwise Paulie would probably never have gotten killed and Gotti probably never would have risen up. It was a "hostile takeover" out of fear!

Vic Orena of the Colombo's was actually a great "acting boss." Had he maintained that position the Colomob's IMO would have thrived for many years. But Persico was having none of it and the war started. Did Gotti whisper in Vic's ear? Most definitely! But he didn't have to whisper too hard because Vic was a very ambitious guy to begin with. But the rank and file generally liked Orena and they were doing well under his leadership (much better by the way than they ever did under Persico).

Those are just a few very true observations about those crews.
-
THE WORST BOSS? For a variety of reasons I largely agree with you on your 1 through 5 selection.
Massino
Amuso/Casso
Persico
Gotti
Chin

THE BEST FAMILY? Again (for a variety of reasons) I generally agree with you. The Genovese and Gambino crews would rank higher for strength if for no other reason than sheer size. They are literally double the size of the Colombo and Lucchese, and significantly larger than the Bonanno. But in recent decades they have also been more stable and cohesive. But the "true" answer would depend upon what era you wanna speak of?

During the 1940s thru 1970s era, Nearly all the crews were solid. Despite the Profaci (Colombo) family, and the Bonanno Family having internal conflicts during those years both were still powerhouses. The Bonanno Family less so because the entire family was "split" during the 1960s-1970s. The Colombo's essentially maintained stability despite that "gnat" called Crazy Joe Gallo buzzing around them causing bad press.

The Gagliano (Lucchese) family, although the smallest of all five crews, was a near model of success and stability throughout five decades (1930s-1970s). Only in the late 80s the shit started to hit the fan.

In actuality both the old Luciano (Genovese) family and Mangano (Gambino) families are the ones with all the turmoil. People tend to neglect those facts. The killing of the Mangano brothers, and the later killings of Albert Anastasia and Frank Scalice, etc., led to tremendous problems for them internally. The conflict Vito brought between crews in the Luciano family in his bid for power, Costello's shooting and the killings of underbosses and top capos Willy Moretti, Tony Strollo, Augie Pisano, etc., etc., was no walk in the park either. Soldiers and capos alike were shaking in their preverbal alligator shoes during those years.

So its largely case of semantics.

Because depending upon which boss, and which era, and which family, those answers defer.

Gotti was the Donald Trump of the Gambino Family. Huge ego. Enjoyed media coverage. Some liked him, some didn't but were afraid of going against him. Just like the Republican Party..then you had VP Pence like Gravano that bailed out at the end and turned on his boss.

His legacy is that the top 3 topics being discussed on here are about him. People are obsessed with him to this day.

Outside of the Mob, Gotti did leave a huge lasting legacy. For a lot of young street guys all over the world the name Gotti has basically become synonymous with the word mobster. He is a brand, there's no denying that.

Within the Mob...it's clear to see that his way of handling business as a boss did some damage to the Gambino's and to the American LCN as a whole. He did have a huge ego and him loving the camera definitely turned him into a target for LE.

Now there's no denying that Gotti when he was around came from a very respected crew and had a TON of backing. I also get the impression that when he was boss and even before that, he was generally well liked by quite a lot of fellow mobsters as well as quite a lot of civilians.

One thing you can say about Gotti is that he was loyal to his friends and to Cosa Nostra. He did have a huge ego, but he wasn't an entirely self-serving asshole.
Gravano, Casso, Amuso, Massino...were all entirely self-serving psychopaths. Can you make the same case for John Gotti? I don't think so. Compared to most bad bosses, Gotti was a man of principle. He wasn't the greatest boss, but he wasn't the worst either.

In my humble opinion, Gotti is looked at today just as Merlino is, with a lot of jealousy and negative "opinions". His status just like Merlino's is neither is ever given the credi they deserve because most have a favored boss, or crew which makes it impossible to objectively look at the positives of these two gangsters. Gotti was without a doubt a gangster in every sense of the word, just as Merlino is. Doesn't make them any better than some of the other's that are written about in a more positive sense but it doesn't make them worse. Why? Just as BH correctly wrote before me they "all" made mistakes. It's just most here like to try and paint Gotti (and Merlino) as being prone to bigger mistakes when in fact they were and in Merlino's case gangsters through and through. They did it their way and when anyone went against them guess what, Gotti and Merlino were left standing. They were also surrounded by loyal members. Facts are facts. Again, I'm not saying either deserves to be a MENSA member but they deserve to be recognized as true gangsters and not anything less as some try to make them out to be. Just my two cents.

In my opinion, Gotti's legacy will always be that he was somewhat of a hero for regular, blue collar type people. He didn't come from much, wasn't some high IQ type of guy, but he worked his way up the structure and when he saw an opportunity he took full advantage of it. I suppose you could make this case for most mobsters, but there was something different about John that I really can't quite put my finger on. Perhaps how available he was and how he wasn't operating in the shadows, but rather out on the street where he was seen.

When you think of people who beat the government in court not once, but 3 times, you generally don't think of guys like John Gotti, who was doing it while rubbing the governments nose in it. He had a contagious swagger about him, and was charismatic as hell.
When you see old videos of him from when he was on the street, its apparent that people were incredibly drawn to him and saw him as one of them. Obviously, his ego and a few other variables caught up to him and were his down fall, but he achieved the American dream, even if only for a short time.

He was this and he was that, he did in a way make the family dynamics change and allow the non-American born mafioso to rise up and have a bigger say in the family. His curse may be seen as a blessing in disguise.

Who in particular ?

He did what he did so his son can get made.
What non Italian members had any say?

Joe Watts?
Joe Watts had say before Gotti, he reported directly to Castalleno I believe