What I'm basically saying is that it was the kids who grew up in places like Westchester and Long Island who were more prone to adopt a romantacized view after watching a Coppola or Scorsese film.
You know what would be bizarre? If a kid who grew up like that eventually did join the mob and actually put the romanticization stuff
into practice in his mafia career.
Maybe it has started to happen a bit. I remember when Alphonse Trucchio was sentenced, he said "They can't take my honor." To me that sounded more like something from a Puzo novel than something Luciano or Gambino would have ever said.