[lbo-talk] Warm summers or dark ages?/ (An offer you can't refuse)

[Dennis Perrin]

> Actually, anyone who grew up in this kind of immigrant community -- Irish,
> Italian, Jewish, Greek, etc. -- is likely to consider it a very realistic
> portrayal of the striving first- and second-generation types who peopled
it.
> I can recognize at least some of my old relatives and friends among the
> finely-drawn secondary players who form the backdrop in the series. Each
of
> these communities had their crime bosses and petty racketeers whose
> newly-acquired status and comfort were widely admired by the greater
number
> of their more cautious and law-abiding compatriots. It's a sociological
> commonplace, and you'll find the same range of characters in today's
black,
> hispanic, and Asian ghettoes . . .
> There are and have been many other TV and film vehicles which are
> simply about "gangsterism, pain, misery, death and moral corruption",
which
> treat the subject in a way that is far removed from the experience of
> everyday life.
>
> Marv Gandall

I'll grant you all the above Marv. Like I said, "The Sopranos" is first-rate
drama (comedy too, as Carl noted), and yes, it explores the sociological
elements and generational struggles of immigrant communities. I was dealing
strictly with whether or not the show "celebrates" extortion, murder, etc.,
and that apart from its artistic triumphs, I wouldn't want to hang with Tony
S. and his pals.

DP