UNICO Denies Italians Were in Mafia, Demand Take-Two Change History

UNICO Denies Italians Were in Mafia, Demand Take-Two Change History.

Take-Two Interactive recently received a letter from UNICO National, an Italian-American service organization, demanding that the publisher delay Mafia II’s release until they are able to take out all references to Italians and Italian-Americans.  UNICO’s president, Andre DiMino stated that ” (Take-Two) will indoctrinate a new generation into directly associating Italians and Italian-Americans with violent, murderous organized crime, to the exclusion of all other ‘mafias’ run by other ethnic and racial groups.”  Last time I checked, the Italian Mafia was the heavy hitters in the late 40′s, when this story takes place.  Apparently UNICO wants to re-write history and replace the Italian Mafia with a more politically correct “Rainbow Coalition” of organized criminals. I know that I am going to get off on a little rant here, but it’s the History major in me that is ticked off a little.  The Italians were running the Mafia for quite some time in the United States.  The fact that Mafia II’s story takes place in the late 40′s would dictate that the guys running it were Italian.  Now if the Feds took down Sergey Vladinov instead of Al Capone (cough cough an Italian) than maybe they would have a case.  The truth is there were other organized crime syndicates in that time period, but UNICO’s whining aside, the majority of the heavy hitters were Italian.  Period.  Unless you want to re-write history those are the facts.  Heck, Las Vegas legalized gambling in 1931 and the Italian Mafia was behind the major push of the Casino/Hotels in the 40′s.  Hmmm, right in this time period we are talking about.

The truth is that most Italian Americans get a little bit of coolness factor from the fact that they are associated with the bad-asses us “just plain” Americans watch on the Sopranos or in a gazillion other movies or TV shows about the Mob.  It’s the same feeling that Australians get when they tell you that their Great Great Grandfather was an axe-murderer the British dropped off in Sydney.  UNICO better watch what they wish for, if Media Outlets start revising Mob movies not to include Italian-Americans as the leads there are going to be a crap-ton of Italian Actors pissed off.  Andre DiMino might just find himself on the wrong side of James Gandolfini’s agent or at very least a wax horses head in his bed.  You wouldn’t want to piss off PETA in the process.

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