Ironic as all heck,we had this discussion going the same direction three weeks with our Niece. Thirty years age difference,but her observations were spot on much like this story.

The show made it clear that they were all incompetent losers, constantly, overtly. There was zero glorification. Every character was depicted as ugly and small inside, especially the normal citizens who helped them for cash.

Not to mention the end -- in which the message was 'now you've killed your entire family, great job'.

where there is actually a TV show called "Growing up Gotti."

The thirties, for instance. Bonnie and Clyde were heroes to the poor farmers who lost their land to the banks.

Goes back to Robin Hood.

But the reality is always a little more psychopathic.

When it was still airing, I would watch each each episode twice on the night it aired and then I've gone through it at least two more times in the decade since it ended. I still believe it's the best series I've ever seen on television. Everything about it -- cinematography, writing, direction, production values, especially the acting -- is unmatched as a whole.

Anyone who believes it glamorizes crime or the mob, or specifically defames Italian-Americans has never watched it all the way through. It's a masterpiece of a show with numerous psychological and sociological layers.

I just don't find a bunch of thugs all that interesting.

I don't need TV that puts me in a bad mood.

So, I bailed out when Adrianna (?) was strong-armed into being a snitch.
That was the last straw for me.

Italians have historically not been considered "white" in America. They were oppressed, lynched, interned during WWII, and laws were passed in this country to prohibit italian and Greek immigration

Roman Catholic italian Americans are not the epitome of whiteness. The author of that article is clueless.