Mafia "Americanization"

[Angelo Santino]

What does this mean to people when they say the Mafia Americanized?

I have my own opinion but I want to hear what others think.

[Eline2015]

for me, the American and Sicilian mafia is like authentic Italian cuisine and something incomprehensible Italian-American. It seems to me that the process of "Americanization" began almost immediately after the "colonization" of the United States. Although they are in fact a single criminal system, the Americans rather degenerated, having lost their ties with their homeland, gradually removing their common expressions from the lexicon. correct me if I'm wrong, but in the United States, the term rappresentante is in use. as for the representative, again, my opinion is that the boss in the American mafia has long ceased to function as a representative of his people, who was always obliged to defend their interests, and not just collect his share of the operations.

[B.]

- Cross-pollination between different ethnic groups (within Italian groups and with non-Italians).

- Fewer ties to place of origin, especially in the context of transatlantic mafia relationships.

- Fewer distinct cultural nuances in favor of general "Italian-American" identity... includes language, cuisine, etc.

- More localized relationships related to immediate geography, less based on relatives, paesans, etc.

- Involvement in a newer range of activities, though the mafia is adaptable so this might not apply.

- Identity blends in more with mainstream America than immigrant communities.

What's not necessarily an example of Americanization: adherence to mafia rituals. We can see the Genovese Family was more Americanized in the above ways, yet they appear to have stuck with traditional protocol including the textbook induction ceremony whereas more Sicilian groups like the Bonannos and DeCavalcantes didn't. They also have a reputation for secrecy and discipline to a greater degree than some more Sicilian-inspired groups.

I also don't completely buy the idea that a capitalist mindset is a purely Americanized view. Money is the ultimate resource under capitalism, so of course that would be the focus. The mafia has always been focused on accumulating and dominating resources throughout its history, though, so I don't think that mentality changed outright even though the lore says Americanization caused the mafia to sell out their "honor" for money.

[Angelo Santino]

I guess I should have asked- what was/is the mafia in Sicily and what was/is the Mafia in America and how do they differ at an organizational/cultural level.

If a corrupt Polish company moved to Palermo and allowed the Uditore Family to launder money, is that any different than an American Family having non-Italian connections?
If a Nigerian criminal does business with the Mafia in Sicily is that any different than an American borgata having non-Italian associates?
If a mainland crime boss is made in the Mafia despite their "only Sicilians are allowed" talking point, is that any different the Mafia bringing in Mainlanders here? (I know, but go with me on this, imagine if half of Naples moved to Palermo and how the Mafia makeup would look in 50 years.)

There are differences between the American and Sicilian Mafia, but at a cultural/organizational level, I'd argue it's roughly remained unchanged.

Luciano is considered "American" - even by myself - but why? Because he didn't marry into a Mafia Family? Because he didn't have the bloodlines and joined? He was an American rendition but the operandi of mafia recruitment- the best and brightest criminals of the day- remains the same. Did every Sicilian mafia member who was born and died in Sicily come from a Mafia background and/or marry into one or were they recruited in Sicily due to criminality. And if so, is that "Americanization" even though it happened on our island?

We know in Sicily that membership extended beyond blood lines. It constituted alot of members but there's never been a statistic on how many had bloodlines vs those that didn't. Take the Pagliarelli Family and the Motisis. They have been dominant in that family for the century but was each and every member related to them or did they pick up people who joined due to local criminality along the way? Definitely yes, but how many compared to those members who were related to the Motisis and/or had pre-existing mafia bloodlines. It's a stat that isn't known.

My thinking hasn't underwent any fundamental change but every so often it's healthy to question what you think you know.

[Angelo Santino]

I'd argue Americanization is an incorporation of traditions that previously existed applied to this country.

1- Compaesanismo. Decades after Sicilians from certain town lived in the US they had the Porto Empedocle club or the Ribera club. These clubs mostly faded or have declined. And some argue that's when the Mafia "lost its roots." But consider John Pennisi who mentions a "Brooklyn crew" who lives in Staten Island, they're called Brooklyn because that's where most of their members came from. How is that different than any early Corleonesi or Sciaccatani faction/crew in America?

2 Mafia members at the highest level intermarried. Michael DiLeonardo (Sicilians) married into the DeCicco Family (Napolitan), both families happened to have Mafia members. It was likely more social than anything else. Italians know each other. But on the surface, we have a mafia member marrying into another mafia member's family, just like in Sicily.

Are these examples of Americanization since a Sigilian married a Nap or a continuation of the same "process" that was undergoing in Sicily? And imagine if this happened a century ago we'd conclude it was two bloodlines joining hands. If DiLeonardo read that he'd maybe think- "Jesus, fellas. I met her at a social function and we clicked, it wasn't an arranged marriage. Some things just happen, now go outside and get some sun or get laid."

[B.]

If a corrupt Polish company moved to Palermo and allowed the Uditore Family to launder money, is that any different than an American Family having non-Italian connections?
If a Nigerian criminal does business with the Mafia in Sicily is that any different than an American borgata having non-Italian associates?

On a basic level no. They associate with all kinds of people and I've got no reason to believe that's an American development.

If a Sicilian member hangs out with Polish or Nigerian associates daily for decades, they identify as the same nationality (country-wise) to the point of developing shared cultural identities, and live in an area filled with people with those ethnic backgrounds who become on-record "associates" of the mafia, then that is very different from a one-off arrangement laundering money or simply doing business.

If a mainland crime boss is made in the Mafia despite their "only Sicilians are allowed" talking point, is that any different the Mafia bringing in Mainlanders here? (I know, but go with me on this, imagine if half of Naples moved to Palermo and how the Mafia makeup would look in 50 years.)

There are two questions here.

- No, there is no difference on a rule/protocol level in the Sicilian vs. American mafia each bringing in non-Sicilians, but it's a question of volume.

- Yes, there is a difference between the American mafia bringing in large numbers of non-Sicilians and Italian-Americans vs. the Sicilian mafia inducting a few prominent Neapolitan Camorristi. If the Sicilian mafia brought in hundreds of Neapolitans, it would impact the organization in ways we can't measure. It wouldn't make it resemble the American mafia, though -- a Neapolitan-heavy Sicilian mafia would still be a purely Italian product, whereas the American mafia didn't become more "Neapolitan" or "Calabrese" by bringing them in, rather the culture of the membership became more... "Americanized". See my above bullet points for what that means to me.

Luciano is considered "American" - even by myself - but why? Because he didn't marry into a Mafia Family? Because he didn't have the bloodlines and joined? He was an American rendition but the operandi of mafia recruitment- the best and brightest criminals of the day- remains the same.

Joe Bonanno felt there was a divide between himself and Luciano. He said Luciano spoke in a crude mix of English and Sicilian and lived in "two worlds" by associating heavily with his Jewish associates. He also felt Luciano didn't adhere to the "tradition" as he and others did. I'm not Bonanno, but that was his view.

Personally, I think Luciano's reputation has been exaggerated but I also think there's something to his reputation. There were likely always people from the same mold as Luciano in the mafia, though they may not have had his exact qualities as a product of the Lower East Side during the era he came up.

Contrast Luciano with Martin Bonventre (cardiologist), Mario Tagliagambe (physician), and Gregory Genovese (dentist). The mafia traditionally didn't have one single approach to recruitment. Earlier in US history and throughout Sicilian history we have doctors who became bosses, but something changed in America where this abruptly stopped.

2 Mafia members at the highest level intermarried. Michael DiLeonardo (Sicilians) married into the DeCicco Family (Napolitan), both families happened to have Mafia members. It was likely more social than anything else. Italians know each other. But on the surface, we have a mafia member marrying into another mafia member's family, just like in Sicily.

Like I said in the other thread, I don't know how you can separate the influences. The DiLeonardos and DeCiccos were both in deep with the local mafia and it was a factor in their local environment. No reason to think that's why they married, but the involvement of both families with Cosa Nostra was simply built in.

A big difference is earlier in history arranged marriages were prevalant. We know mafiosi arranged marriages with other mafiosi. Allegra's friend was inducted in Alcamo and the bosses of that Family immediately arranged for him to marry the daughter of the San Giuseppe Jato boss. When Joe Profaci arranged for his kids to marry the kids of Detroit leaders, you could argue it was just based on comfort/social ties but what these people were comfortable with was a subculture built around the mafia, so again there is no way to isolate any one influence and it's obvious the mafia played a large role in why a New York boss arranged for his kids to marry into the Detroit leadership -- definitely not an arrangement of convenience.

[B.]

I don't have one single theory to explain it, but here is one divide between the American and Sicilian mafia:

- A significant number of physicians, lawyers, mayors, and even the nobility have been identified by member sources as made members throughout Sicilian mafia history, a number even becoming bosses.

- Some physicians, lawyers, and politicians have been ID'd as American mafia members during the first half of its history, but this noticeably drops off to the point where it would be unheard of in recent decades. I'm not sure how common it is in Sicily now but modern examples still come up and this tendency remained stronger in Sicily long after it dropped off in the US, indicating the Sicilian mafia accomodated or encouraged this trend more than the American mafia.

The examples we have aren't "front" professions, and though these guys aided the mafia (it can't be separated from who they are and what they do) and enabled criminality, why was this tendency a measurable part of the Sicilian mafia identity and not a part of the modern American identity?

I'd argue this is one aspect of Americanization.

-

Summary of a bugged convo between non-Sicilian NJ Genovese leaders:



Not saying it was an absolute rule but that's where the evidence seems to lead.

[Ivan]

- Some physicians, lawyers, and politicians have been ID'd as American mafia members during the first half of its history, but this noticeably drops off to the point where it would be unheard of in recent decades.

One weird exception to this is that I've seen internet rumors that the Merlino bunch inducted one of their lawyers. No idea if that's true.

[B.]

I think people said he's a relative of one of the leaders. Philly's a good example of how a modern American Family made up of street guys still has a bunch of blood and marriage ties. Not like they planned it or it's the reason everyone joined up, but it's just there.

Should be pointed out the idea of "Americanization" comes from the members themselves, definitely not an academic thing from the outside only.

Magaddino describing "Greaseball" and "Americanized" factions in 1931 Chicago:


Unknown informant:


Jackie Cerone:


Magaddino member:

[CabriniGreen]

I'll throw a couple thoughts in the pot....



I think a lot of this has to do with the culture and attitude in reguards to the Government in Sicily, versus the same attitudes in the US.


In Sicily, history seems to have taught them Government is fundamentally a corrupt machinery, they seem to really view the Government as something that only exist to oppress its population. That material you guys posted about mafia feudalism really stuck out to me. They wouldnt exactly make it law, but they DID use loopholes in the laws to kind of justify it.

It's almost as if they dont trust public assets, and industrial components of the economy under the government's direct control, but are ok with mafia influence.. it's like they prefer the DECENTRALIZED corruption of a constellation of mafia " firms", to the CENTRALIZED corruption of Government misappropriation.

In Sicily, the Government is something to be kept under control, they want self rule, but still dont trust government, even if its run by Sicilians it seems. Understand, they go to the mafia before they will SUE, or take you to court! It's about POWER THERE... not necessarily money, and that's why I think they draw on ALL of society.

I've said before they share some characteristics with intelligence orgs and resistance movements, and both of these type of organizations actively draw on " sleepers", deep cover types, and rely on patience and subterfuge.


But I dont think the MAFIA, is actively interested in Medicine, or Engineering, or Journalism, or Education, you get me? Just like an intelligence service, or resistance movement, they want any and everyone who has influence in Society. Military guy, Lawyer, Poet, Reporter, Cop, Teacher, Doctor, Banker, Judge, Singer, Actor, Corporate Titan, Prostitute, Pimp, hitman, Priest...... on a fundamental level, all these are aspects of the same mosaic of power that they weave throughout society.

In Sicily, one aspires to RULE, not neccesarily to get rich.


In America, this dynamic is reversed. You guys ever seen The Good Shepard? With Matt Damon, about the formation of the CIA? There a scene with Joe Pesci, I think hes supposed to be Luciano. He ask Damon's CIA character, what do you people HAVE? With "You people" meaning WASP. Damon responds, "The United States of America, the rest of you are just VISITING".....

In America, ultimately, power is going to reside with the descendants of the Founders, WASPS basically. Theres no trajectory for the kind of POWER they have in Sicily, while there was MUCH more potential for money making opportunities, business.

I feel like the Genovese, and Chicago guys figured this out very quickly. The best you gonna hope for here is making a nice fortune, moving to the burbs, and ASSIMILATING and becoming good Americans. That's why they like... started learning how to golf and shit, to better fit in with the power elite. Unless you play ball, you go nowhere. America encourages you to assimilate with a kind of reward system. You change your name from Giovanni to John, teach your kids perfect English, send em to the right schools, move in the right social circles, and you get a piece of the American dream. You dont really get this by adhering to your " Sicilian-ness"

I dont know if this was something that existed for the average poor Sicilian in Sicily. Look to Bonnanos take on himself, an immigrant owning property, it was like a dream come true. So... your hard work got REWARDED in America with good living, and I think for many families, this was enough. You made your money and moved to the burbs.

Its like.... In THIS government, they ACTUALLY have a shot at living good, prosperous lives, and this kinda replaced any need to " RULE". The quest for...political power, metamorphosed into the American quest for Money and Status. And just like they draw on all of society for power, so they do the same in their pursuit of money. Cause in America, money IS power.



The 1st and 2nd generations, with the immigrant populations, would have transplanted this attitude of Government mistrust, and this need to control your surrounding environment. Extended families of relatives in ethnic enclaves would perpetuate this mentality for maybe, 2 generations. But by the 3rd? These kids are listening to whatever the fuck is popular, concerned with fitting in, trying to get into college, chasing the latest fashion trends...... they not over here trying to like,
control the local Alderman, the politicians are NOT at the mafias disposal here.... it's very telling Zito rigged a mayoral election in Torreta, but not Philadelphia. Why not? Because it's not really possible here.... the 1st gen guys, it probably mattered where your Grandparents were born in Italy, and which relative was mafiosi, by the 3rd, 4th gen, it's how wealthy is your neighborhood, what college you went to, and what Fraternity you joined.....


I read about the Sicilians, Calabrians, Albanians, Nigerians, Mexicans doing CRAZY shit in their OWN countries, but here? You just get money, it's all you can really hope for.




That's my lil seasoning..... who's gonna stir?

[davidf1989]

Did the likes of Tomasso Buscetta from the Sicilian Mafia have any relationship with their American counterparts?

[B.]

Great points Cabrini.

- Made me think: in America we have mafia members who hate the federal gov but are flag waving patriots. Do some Sicilian mafia members have the same patriotism for Italy? I have zero idea but Italian nationalism may have developed more quickly among Sicilian mafiosi in America due to Italian-American solidarity than it did for Sicilian mafiosi in Italy.

- Sicily is a different world today, though. To speak to CC's points, if Sicilian mafiosi from 1880 met Sicilian mafiosi today they might seem like aliens to them culturally in Sicily even though the structure/rules have stayed more the same than different and some of them could even be related. Would make a great movie, an early Sicilian member who gets sent to the future.

- The professions thing still has a lot of questions. Impossible for us to analyze their psychology, but Dr. Martin Bonventre was a cardiologist and head of a Brooklyn hospital and Genovese member Dr. Danny Noto was head of the Passaic Board of Health. The current Brancaccio capomandamento is a surgeon who was head of a hospital like Bonventre. They might have served the mafia but they were accomplished in medicine and their positions were a resource beyond just extracting bullets in the middle of the night.

- One of Joe Bonanno's big points is conservative vs. liberal factions. He defines conservative as the Sicilian traditionalists and liberals as the more Americanized element, saying there was constant tension between them. On one hand, the mafia needed to rely on the elements that formed it, but the American mafia wouldn't have experienced so much wealth and growth without its "liberal" leaders. I think the mafia has always had this dynamic but the definitions would change -- a liberal mafioso in 1895 might have been pushing for changes that would have been considered conservative by 1915. My take is that the American mafia evolved through this back and forth as much for environmental reasons as it did through deliberate decisions.

- I'm a broken record, but when Morello was disturbed by leaders not contacting a proposed member's paesani for verification, it probably led to them questioning whether they even needed this practice and within ten years we know they weren't even limited to Sicilians.

[furiofromnaples]

Simply the Italian-Americans becomed more americans that italians! The start speaking english as first leanguage,come out from the Little Italies and integrated.
For the mafia means that the american cousins cant speak the dialect,that are more soft respect the sicilians.
In the 1970s Galante trusted the zips because was more ruthless and in the 1987 while made scandal the Aronwald murder,the sicilian mafia was killing judges,cops ecc

[Dr031718]

I agree with a lot of Cabrini points especially about just carving your own little piece of the pie over ruling power. In Sicily, where I have family, it seems more about power and control and people knowing you have that power.

[scagghiuni]

for me the Americanization of the mafia means that the members now all speak English and have adapted to the environment; moreover, in recent years there has also been a suburbanization of the American mafia as the old Italian neighborhoods have almost all disappeared