the Mafia is just a mirror and a reflection of our larger society in general./

For the most part I agree with Liggio. During the 30s on up Italians can be found in all walks of life excelling. The criminals just chose that route instead. I don’t know if they were dummies or not, but a majority were uneducated and simple minded. Tough as nails though

All true. And one of the biggest reasons for the demise of "Traditional OC," (the Mafia as we knew it), is assimilation:

A century or more ago, Italian Americans were among the most despised and disrespected victims of bigotry in America. They reacted in part by banding together, as they did in Southern Italy and Sicily, against outsiders. Opportunities for advancement were practically nonexistent. Some ambitious and intelligent young men turned to OC as a means to make some money and gain respect. A few with leadership qualities, like Accardo, Costello, Luciano, Gambino, even Castellano, could have been successful in business, the professions or the arts if they'd had the opportunity. They didn't. Today's bright young Italian Americans are more Americanized and more confident: college, not the Mob, is their destination of choice. The Mob gets the Gottis, Gaspipes and Gravanos.

That was very well put, Turnbull...I'm glad we agree. And the additional points you mention are also true and only add to bolster my (our) opinion on the subject...It is a much different world for them today. It took quite awhile, but today, the Italians, as a people, are fully assimilated into the American mainstream and find themselves solidly in the middle and upper classes of society.

And to your point, typically, only the lower dregs of society - and a scraping of the bottom of the Italian barrel - so to speak, go into organized crime today as a career choice. Today's young Italian men are generally too well educated, have too much going for them, and have too many great opportunities available to them to have to resort to gangs, mobs and criminality.

Nice article and everything you said is all true. The Mafia is an illusion created for criminals who at least have some type of high IQ and in the end, most of them end up fucked.