Some of the more recent exchanges she had been privy to on the streets had left Ziva thinking deeply. People seemed to be quick to leap to and dismiss arguments on the legitimacy that rank may or may not add to a person, quick to dismiss the significance or difficulty of obtaining certain ranks, especially that of made man.

She'd been left to wonder what the significance of rank was actually considered to be in the world she lived in. She knew her own opinions; within her own crew, rank was not handed out like candy. She knew that she herself tended to judge a persons speaking on it's quality, regardless of their position, and come back at them accordingly; even when it got her into spots of trouble, she still believed in being straight up.

But what she didn't know, was what everybody else received. Curiosity getting the better of her, she decided one evening to hold a ballot of sorts in the streets the following day. Having spend the evening designing a short questionnaire, she enlisted the help of several associates to make plenty of copies, which would be handed out to passing crowds the following day after she made a short speech. Finally, taking an old shoe box, she cut a slit in the lid and wrapped it up in brown paper; the ballot box.

Walking into town the next day with the large brown box beneath her arm, she knew she looked a little odd; in fact, when she'd stopped to slip her pet elephant some tree snacks on her way out, he'd looked at her like she'd lost her mind, but she had faith in her plan. It might not be all too often that a leader solicits the honest opinion of the man on the street, but she was perfectly happy to break that trend.

Having popped into one of the cafe's lining a busy square in the centre of town, she had somehow 'persuaded' the owner to lend her a table to set her box upon, and a chair to sit behind whilst she kept track of the voting. Setting them up on a busy sidewalk, she stood on the chair and began to speak.

Ladies and gentlemen, I ask for a few moments of your time today.

Recently, we've seen it thrown around on what I believe to be a growing basis that rank, put politely, doesn't mean shit in our world anymore. That we as leaders award it too easily, that we don't make people work for it, that the standards and meanings of being a Made Man have nosedived.

Is that true? I don't know. My crew only a few weeks ago saw a member rogue and kill a fellow member of the crew because he wasn't awarded the rank of Made Man the second he came of proper age. And, it shocked me, in all honesty. Are people really growing so entitled as to think that just because they make the minimum requirements for a thing, they deserve it? Do they see no reason to push themselves harder? No reason to prove themselves indispensable? My own crew has had associates who have climbed through my crew in this way, and obviously we've lost people too, because they think that we're being cruel or unreasonable.

I'm interested particularly on that issue to know where people are seeing the standards having been set, and to know where they believe the standards should be set - if indeed they are seeing a significance to the rank of made that is extra at all.

I'd then like to expand further. We've also seen accusations that ranks higher up the chain have become devalued. That auth, that the role of Godfather, has been devalued. I'd like to know how you're feeling in general about that, too. Do you think it's a thing? If so, how come?

My final question, is more related to the way we interact on our streets. Do you judge a persons words with their rank in mind? With their bloodline in mind - for example, would you dismiss a comment by my own member, Kuku-, as worthless, simply because you have a negative impression of the his bloodline? Do you judge them purely on the quality of what they say?

I've done a small voting paper to gather up peoples views on this matter - my associates here will pass them around in a moment. I hope you'll take a second to fill them out and pop them in the box on this table. I'll announce the results in a few days, if enough people want to have a say. What I'd really like though, is to see people come out and discuss here. Let us know how you think about these things, let us know what you feel.

Thank you for your time, ladies and gents, I'll let you get on with your day.

As Ziva hops down from the table, a young man in a worn looking shirt passes you a piece of paper. You look down on it and read:

Rank & Significance: Voting Paper

1. Do you believe rank has become worthless in our society?

|_| YES

|_| NO

2. Do you believe that the rank of Made Man has become too easy to obtain?

|_| YES

|_| NO

3. How do you measure your respect for an individual on the streets?

|_| BASED ON WHAT THEY SAY

|_| BASED ON HOW THEY SAY IT

|_| BASED ON THEIR RANK

|_| BASED ON THEIR BLOODLINE

|_| OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)


Please return your voting paper here.

The Dr completes the survey and returns his card into the designated area. The question had been raised many times before, however as an important member of society, he felt it necessary to participate.

Unfortunately, these days, rank doesn't mean much at all. I would LOVE if it was like 'the good old days' and obtaining a promotion was a) more difficult and b) was more respected. What happens now, is that it is not taken on board during debates or discussions and examples of disrespect (solely based on rank) can be found throughout our world.

Jeddy takes the ballot from Ziva's associate and diligently completes the ballot and returns the paper.

I don't see a man's rank as completely worthless, after all as a man's rank increases so does his earnings potential. With more earnings come more rank, more rank more earnings. While I say becoming Made should be a privilege and not a right, ultimately it reflects on the crew they represent as to how they issue their buttons. Who gets Made and how should reflect on the crew as a whole.

As for an associate going killing a fellow comrade out of rage for not being Made, I would like to introduce another topic. It is commonly said that the use of a gun is a privilege and not a right and I ask has there ever been word of a crew that would only allow those who were Made the responsibility of possessing a firearm?

I think rank is more than just earnings Jeddy. With rank come responsibility and power, I for one think Made should be the rank people have to work for and gain trust of there crewleader. If you are promoted to Made Man you are part of the inner circle and also in charge of your own group of associates that shouldn't come just for earnings. 

I myself would never talk down to a Made or above with in my family because am only a Wise Guy they are above me in rank and the rank of my family. Its a shame rank is losing it meaning like one of Ziva member because he never got made in 11 days so he went rogue shooting members. I dont think him or his bloodline deserve the Made button for long time for that reason.

I will respect anyone who comes to these streets because it takes a lot of balls to stand up and speak out, no matter what their rank would be. I think higher ranks should get more respect than the gangsters trying to make there way because they have earned there power and respect already. 

I believe that Rank is connected on how much your boss trusts you, in a in relation to how much you have contributed to your family.

So rank has not become worthless.

If a crew leader can give easy the button to anyone, then he will soon face a problem. I think the most difficult in a gangsters life is to become Made. 

For the matter of respect, is all above that you are setting, what you say, how you say it, and when you say it counts. Your rank will matter because not everyone knows you personall. The bloodline, also counts, because as we have seen, and our ancestors told, that many times children are punished for the sins of their parents.

As Blaise passed by the small gathering of people, someone handed her a slip of paper.  She thought, ‘Why not?’ as she stopped to answer the questions on the survey. She could hear others discussing their reasoning behind their answers nearby, and decided to join them after she folded up her slip of paper and placed it in the box.

I wouldn't say rank has become worthless, but I believe that it has become somewhat devalued. I am not saying that this standard is everywhere, but it's become harder to see where the boundary lines lay. I believe we have some who want ranks to have more value, but are not sure where to begin, or they have become too cynical to believe such a thing will change in today’s world.

It has been instilled in too many impressionable minds that if you bribe enough cops to be able to carry a certain number of drug units, then that should be enough for you to rank, including prestigious ranks such as Made Man. I think the thought processing that goes into deciding one’s Made Man promotion has diminished significantly - it has, for the most part, been reduced to dollars and cents. Don't get me wrong - being a good earner for the family is great, but shouldn't be a major reason someone is given this rank. If a leader cannot trust a member, then that member should not be promoted. To me, Made Man is too important and respected of a rank for money alone to be a factor.

What has happened to Ziva would make some question as to whether or not holding people back from ranking if they met just the minimum requirements is the right thing to do. After all, times have changed and we have to change with them right? Members get restless and prolonging such a thing is not good for morale. If you promote them, and things don't work out, then it was just an unfortunate situation that could not be anticipated. However, I disagree that this is something that could not be foreseen. In order for this to be addressed, we have to recognize where this sort of thinking first originated.

Suppose if your lineage has been around for several generations. Every time someone in your bloodline obtained a certain number of units, and kicked up some money, they got their button (granted that they didn't cause significant trouble). Now it's your turn, but for some reason, you aren't getting it. Of course this would make you surprised, confused, or even outraged because this goes against everything that you know to be true. We can say it's up to the leaders to make sure that these members are aware of how ranking up works in their families, but they have a heck of a job to try to undo what has already been taught in previous generations. If these sorts of members are not shown a different way of doing things, they eventually obtain leadership positions in our world, and pass on these values to the next generation.

When listening to someone speak, I take into consideration what they are saying, how they are saying it, and what rank do they hold, all in that order. I do not think people need to be of a certain rank to say something respectfully in the streets, but I will hold rank against them if they choose to portray themselves as a circus clown in them. As for their bloodline, if am familiar with someone's bloodline, I like to compare and contrast what is in front of me with what is written down in my journals, newspapers, or other documented sources. To automatically paint someone's words as good or bad just solely based on their bloodline? Nope.

Thank you all for your votes so far, and especially to those of you who've taken the time to share your thoughts out here on the streets.

I think it might be about time that I come and share my thoughts with you all.

To me, rank has been reduced to very little. I think that for the most part, has come from two places. though I'll only get in to one for the time being.

It has been instilled in too many impressionable minds that if you bribe enough cops to be able to carry a certain number of drug units, then that should be enough for you to rank, including prestigious ranks such as Made Man. I think the thought processing that goes into deciding one’s Made Man promotion has diminished significantly - it has, for the most part, been reduced to dollars and cents. Don't get me wrong - being a good earner for the family is great, but shouldn't be a major reason someone is given this rank. If a leader cannot trust a member, then that member should not be promoted. To me, Made Man is too important and respected of a rank for money alone to be a factor.

This is the first. Blaise has it right on the head when she states that impressionable minds have been lead to think that rank is all drug units and dollars. There is a sense of entitlement that leads to the belief that rank is about doing the bear minimum to reach the requirements, when in actual fact, it's about going above and beyond the requirements, and proving that you're invaluable to the family - at least to me. If I can't look at a name and think that my family would be significantly worse off were they not part of it, they don't get their button. 

I dont think him or his bloodline deserve the Made button for long time for that reason.

I think Gimli actually makes a pretty interesting point here. Our world is incredibly against the act of bloodlining for reasons that make perfect sense, it would be incredibly unhealthy for us all to condemn a person on the basis of past acts and our society would soon become incredibly limited. However. Is it too easy for a person to be, put in simple terms, a complete and utter motherfucking dick, be killed, then be given a chance elsewhere? Whilst part of me thinks that perhaps bloodlines should be held more accountable for their sins, there's also a large part of me that knows that most of us have black spots in our histories and have gone on to produce countless fantastic mobsters.  So, that's a tough one. Another discussion all by itself even maybe.

Unfortunately, these days, rank doesn't mean much at all. I would LOVE if it was like 'the good old days' and obtaining a promotion was a) more difficult and b) was more respected.

I quite agree Dr-Evil. But how do we go about that? To make attempts to do this as an individual crew leader is one thing but it'd be nice to see a more unified effort, I guess? And maybe more effectual? 

My rank is my name.

You are the best example of the idea of people judging a persons words by their bloodline, I think, Kuku. For better or worse, you've made a huge name for yourself on our streets, the fact that when you speak, so many do pay attention, whether they want to admit it or not, and the fact that so many people react, is certainly commendable and must be respected in its own right. Do you feel that there are others who can make that claim? At what point does that claim become valid? Does anybody else feel as though their name has been made and means more than their rank ever can? 

Rank & Significance: Voting Paper

1. Do you believe rank has become worthless in our society?

|_| YES

|X| NO

2. Do you believe that the rank of Made Man has become too easy to obtain?

|X| YES

|_| NO

3. How do you measure your respect for an individual on the streets?

|X| BASED ON WHAT THEY SAY

|X| BASED ON HOW THEY SAY IT

|_| BASED ON THEIR RANK

|_| BASED ON THEIR BLOODLINE

|_| OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)


Please return your voting paper here.

Rank & Significance: Voting Paper

1. Do you believe rank has become worthless in our society?

|_| YES

|X| NO

2. Do you believe that the rank of Made Man has become too easy to obtain?

|X| YES -In some families

|_| NO

3. How do you measure your respect for an individual on the streets?

|X| BASED ON WHAT THEY SAY

|X| BASED ON HOW THEY SAY IT

|_| BASED ON THEIR RANK

|_| BASED ON THEIR BLOODLINE

|_| OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)

 

*Added commentary: Do I think the GF rank is devalued? No but I do believe there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians so to speak.


Please return your voting paper here.

Could I state for the record that there are directions attached to  the "return your voting paper here" part as to the location of the ballot?

Rank means exactly what the leaders of today want it to mean. It's not up to the common man to change something if he's unhappy with it, its up to the leadership that we all follow.

In times past its true that ranked meant more, but you have to take a step back and understand the reason why. Were there more wars? Absolutely, you didn't have MONTHS of staleness, there was constant action. When someone fucked up on the streets and called another out, what happened? He got his fucking brains blown out, instantly and without question. Does that happen now? Almost never.

Our entire world as a whole has changed, with the district implementation from the gods, there are now more leaders than ever. Want rank to mean something? YOU as a leader need to change it.

For me, rank MEANS something. Why? Because of who granted me with this rank. The man didn't press a button and walk away, IT MEANS something to me and the individuals that I work with. It means were going to die for this man, no matter when or how, we all know its inevitable. It could be tomorrow, or years down the line, but regardless, our death and his will be intertwined. 

If you want to sit out here and bitch about rank being meaningless I would challenge you the same way challenges were issued in the old world.

RANK UP AND DO SOMETHING!

With that Gaius mumbled to his bodyguard to get the taxi and they were off to rob a post office.

Hi Caius, thanks for taking the time out to respond.

Ziva flashes Caius a small smile.

Now my friend, pleasantries aside, I have to start off by respectfully disagreeing with you.

Rank means exactly what the leaders of today want it to mean. It's not up to the common man to change something if he's unhappy with it, its up to the leadership that we all follow.

I think rank currently means less what the leaders want for it to mean and more what the leaders find it easier to mean. I've already given an example of how trying to rock the boat and make rank be something that people have to work harder for can backfire on individual leaders. I think it's actually very much to the common man to make his voice heard if he's unhappy with something. Have the balls to call for a change, or else don't sit and bitch. There's a hell of a lot of sitting and bitching going on at the moment. I'm trying to give people the opportunity to make a statement here. Whether or not they take it is up to them. Whether or not leaders as a group decide to listen to the people.. is up to them too. But I'm facilitating the chance for these things to be aired in public. Sure, they can be ignored, but then when the sitting and bitching keeps on going, our current crop of leaders, myself included, will know why.

Making rank mean something, in my opinion, would be a far better use of the time of the Godfather Council than making up doomed-to-fail competitions and complaining when some of us point out that they are, in fact, doomed to fail.

In times past its true that ranked meant more, but you have to take a step back and understand the reason why. Were there more wars? Absolutely, you didn't have MONTHS of staleness, there was constant action. When someone fucked up on the streets and called another out, what happened? He got his fucking brains blown out, instantly and without question. Does that happen now? Almost never.

Our entire world as a whole has changed, with the district implementation from the gods, there are now more leaders than ever. Want rank to mean something? YOU as a leader need to change it.

Surely the fact that months of staleness DO happen now and the fact that we don't have constant action actually mean that it is more important than ever that we really make rank mean something in our world? Otherwise, we fly through the ranks in no time at all, then literally have nothing to aim for until the next time those up above decide it's time for action?

My bloodline has shared many times and has shared openly our feeling on our current set up, and of districts and how many Godfathers and crewleaders we currently have and all of that, but unless the Gods feel the need to change the direction of our world again, that's pretty immaterial.

I will state again for the record though, that I don't feel that our current set-up is at all conducive to our world being interesting and exciting. It's built for too many people to do well compared to the size of our world to start with. It's like the proverbial school sports day where we don't have winners and losers, but we give all the kids prizes for trying. Sure, it opens up a lot more positions that previously were quite difficult to obtain, but there isn't enough people to support it, so we end up with a disproportionate amount of people who may not be of the caliber that those positions have seen previously and to me, that isn't something that I can change.

Because the way our world is set up demands it.

For me, rank MEANS something. Why? Because of who granted me with this rank. The man didn't press a button and walk away, IT MEANS something to me and the individuals that I work with. It means were going to die for this man, no matter when or how, we all know its inevitable. It could be tomorrow, or years down the line, but regardless, our death and his will be intertwined. 

You say you got a button pressed and that that means to you that you're gonna die for this man, right?

Does that mean you weren't willing to do that previously?

Because it seems to be a pretty commonly accepted model of business these days that when orchestrating a take down - for instance, the recent death of The Loop, where I know your father was killed - that we kill every single last man, regardless of whether they are made or not.

So do we not need leaders to be willing to either show mercy to those below made man, or do we need as a community to accept that you're in the crew from the word go, and as soon as you join, you can expect to go down with the ship?

If we keep doing it both ways, we cloud whether made man actually does mean something in that context, right?

If you want to sit out here and bitch about rank being meaningless I would challenge you the same way challenges were issued in the old world.

RANK UP AND DO SOMETHING!

Come now Caius. You think this is me bitching? Dear god sir, I'm far better and far more direct when I'm bitching about this. I feel that offering people a forum for their views is actually a meaningful way of trying to do something about this. Sure, if I'm proved wrong and proved that these ranks to mean something to the community en masse, then I myself will accept it, but until then, I don't see how this is doing nothing about it. It's highlighting the issue, it's putting the information in front of the people with more power than myself, it's challenging them to play a part in a solution to this.

I know I'm fairly fantastic, but I'm not a single-handed miracle worker.

Gaius stepped in from the crowd and motioned for Ziva to step down from her soap box so he could respond to her arguments. Smiling curtly to her, he plucked a cowboy killer from his pack and struck a match while orchestrating his thoughts out of a random order to something resembling a reasonable argument.

I will start off in saying that you are without a doubt incorrect in your assumptions.

I think rank currently means less what the leaders want for it to mean and more what the leaders find it easier to mean.

Why? You mentioned that a single leader can't change it? Why? In previous times my ancestors have done just that. To receive a button under one of my ancestors meant something, it wasn't just given out. It was EARNED. What requirements were placed on it? A certain earning level for one. Let's get real here, money makes this world of ours go round, I think we can both agree on that central point.

What other requirements could be implemented? What about a certain level of street presence? Now it's true this has backfired in the past, but it backfired for a specific reason. Leader's weren't being LEADERS. How many times have you spoken to each individual inside your own crew just to find out how their day is going? How many times have you thanked them for the continuous contributions that they continue to send up to you? It's up to YOU as a leader to strike that conversation and then LEAD them to these streets where they can voice their opinions. It's up to YOU to ensure their opinions are voiced in a clear and concise manner. How many times have you proof read a speech from one of your underlings?

I will state that I don't know if you are already doing these things, but if you aren't... we shouldn't even be talking.

My bloodline has shared many times and has shared openly our feeling on our current set up, and of districts and how many Godfathers and crewleaders we currently have and all of that, but unless the Gods feel the need to change the direction of our world again, that's pretty immaterial.

I'm glad that we can agree on something my dear, although agreements are rather boring I think so we'll move onto the next point of disagreement.

You say you got a button pressed and that that means to you that you're gonna die for this man, right?

Does that mean you weren't willing to do that previously?

Because it seems to be a pretty commonly accepted model of business these days that when orchestrating a take down - for instance, the recent death of The Loop, where I know your father was killed - that we kill every single last man, regardless of whether they are made or not.

So do we not need leaders to be willing to either show mercy to those below made man, or do we need as a community to accept that you're in the crew from the word go, and as soon as you join, you can expect to go down with the ship?

If we keep doing it both ways, we cloud whether made man actually does mean something in that context, right?

That is precisely what it means for me. Before that button was pressed the option was there if he should die to an unfortunate accident, or he was taken out.  What option? The option of finding other employment opportunities. Whether you realize it or not, it does indeed happen all the time. However, once that button is pressed it is my opinion that it shouldn't happen. You die with the man that pressed the button, or kill all who oppose him.

Whether or not all below the rank of Made die, isn't up to me. If it were, I would revert to the old ways and save Wiseguys and below to find other employment opportunities within my own ranks. At the end of the day, it wasn't a lowbie that would've made an error to cause a war in the first place. Every leader I know would gladly kill off a Wiseguy without question at a mistake to save the rest of his family/district from unneeded bloodshed. Showing compassion is what makes a leader, showing mercy when it's due is what makes a great mafioso. 

Arguments could indeed go both ways on this point, but I thought it important to at least voice mine publicly to you today. 

Now when wars are planned it appears to be a scorched earth scenario. However, I can still point to five or six mafioso that lived through my father's take down. Alas, it does indeed happen.

To add a bit to it, when my Godfather blessed me with my button he received something in return. My loyalty AND my respect. Did he have it before? To an extent, does he have it now? Yes, let someone take him down without killing me. I assure you my beautiful Ziva, they would pay in blood if it was within my power to do so.

I know I'm fairly fantastic, but I'm not a single-handed miracle worker.

Here is where I take the largest of offenses. My dear, YOU ARE FANTASTIC. I will grant you, it has been a long time since I have seen a leader of your caliber that will spend this much time in the streets. If you spend half the time you do in the streets speaking to your family members, my hat is tipped to you.

However, you can be a miracle worker in this regard. If you want rank to mean something, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. CHANGE IT! This conversation has been held countless times, part of me feels as if I should resurrect an ancestors remarks and merely reply to the same rant.

Let me wrap this entire argument up in a nice brown paper bag for you.

It is not going to be some fake Godfather council that will make rank mean something. It isn't going to be joe blow down the street. It's going to be YOU. YOU are the leader here, not me, not MrBean, nor any of the others that have entered this discussion. If you want it to mean something again, it starts with you.

In this life, there are 500 some odd bloodlines that enjoy our world? How many are under you now that will go on to lead in later lives? How many lives will you CHANGE because of your actions today? I know I for one have read every journal from every ancestor I've had. I take them all into account for various actions that I perform.

It's up to you to change it, if that's what your goal is. If your goal is to merely come out here and bitch about it. I guess that can be done too and I'll be happy to throw oral arguments back and forth for centuries. 

A Made Man promotion is a two way street. It is a representation of a leader bestowing ultimate trust in a member of their family, as well as the man getting his button pledging undying loyalty and devotion to the person that brought them up in this world. If either of those things are in question when ceremony time rolls around, even considering following through with the promotion is a meaningless sham.

When you turn a wise guy into a button man, you are accepting them as a sibling. And not the mooching, wife beating, child pornography peddling kind that comes with blood relation. Each party involved has hand picked the other to be a part of their Family. This has to mean something, right? After all, this is when they become more than coworkers. They are the ones you call when the chips are down. They will be at your dinner table on Sunday night. Aunts and uncles to your children. They're the ones who will stand behind you when some of your less scrupulous business partners decide you'd be better suited as an anchor than a Boss. That carries weight. Or at least it should.

Yes, there are cases in which an associate fully earns the trust and respect of their leader long before they're due for their button. And yes, they will be treated differently than Joe Earner on the next block over, but it should be understood that they still have to pay their dues. That's why the minimum requirements exist. But those minimum requirements in themselves are left severely lacking as standalone criteria.

After that, I must say that any leader that feels pressured by the expectations of those below them or common societal trends is simply losing their grip. Under no circumstances should a leadership position be considered an award for blindly following. It is true that in our world great leaders are forged from good subordinates, but if they're lacking that certain... je ne sais quoi that allows them to strike out on their own and conduct their business as they--and they alone--see fit, then they quite simply weren't cut out for the position in the first place.

It may sound cold blooded and callous, but a great leader has to be prepared to take risks and sacrifice a few "pretty good" lives to really find the greatness among their ranks.

A slow smile spreading across her face, Ziva pushes her sunglasses up onto her head, allowing her too look Gaius in the eye, and lights a cigarette up of her own.

You bring me a smart, reasoned argument Gaius. This... is rare. We all know that I can shout loudly with the best of them, but when somebody actually wants to make something count? Well, I'm sure I'll savor this, and we'll find out.

Why? You mentioned that a single leader can't change it? Why?

I don't believe that a single leader CAN change things, Gaius. And why is that? Look at the number of crews who are, at the moment, essentially fighting over scraps to bring in members. Nine crews are currently under half full - although that statistic may be incorrect by the time my words are heard, as there is currently some upheaval in the Bronx. Many of our Godfather crews are at less than full capacity - something rarely seen in my bloodlines time on these shores.

I already feel that I have quite high standards for becoming Made within my crew. There are several people waiting on promotions even now that aren't coming til they've fully proved themselves to me. But I'd quite like to further raise my standards. Sure, my level of give a fuck on whether those who can't be arsed stick around or not is lowering - even to a point where I'm willing to be the asshole and do it. But I do that, and my crew potentially loses out - not just in people who won't stick around because the scarcity of new blood and surplus of open crews allows for other opportunities, but in the damage they can do as they make their way out. My crew has already suffered for that. I speak from bitter experience when I say that the cost of being the one to say "fuck this" and have standards beyond what appears to be the norm can be higher than just the one dis-satisfied individual.

I will state that I don't know if you are already doing these things, but if you aren't... we shouldn't even be talking.

I assure you, my dear Caius, that I have been making efforts within my crew to encourage people to bring out the best in themselves. I think that, for example, across North Side as a district, we have successfully managed to coax more and more of our people out onto the streets and into making themselves heard more. I'm proud of the position we are currently in in terms of the streets on that level. It goes to show that leading by example as an individual can work beautifully. When I encourage my guys on to the streets, I'm not asking them to do anything I'm not willing to do, etc.

That is precisely what it means for me. Before that button was pressed the option was there if he should die to an unfortunate accident, or he was taken out.  What option? The option of finding other employment opportunities. Whether you realize it or not, it does indeed happen all the time. However, once that button is pressed it is my opinion that it shouldn't happen. You die with the man that pressed the button, or kill all who oppose him.

That's the problem though, right there. That's the old way of doing things, that's probably the most true to our way of life's way of doing things. But is that how we do things these days? Is it fuck. We want to have our cake and eat it too. 

We wanna cream off this person or that person, or we wanna protect the friends of our bloodlines or the friends we have from the coffee shops, or we wanna keep killing beyond what sometimes some people would argue is needed to keep building up our guns.

I'd prefer if I wasn't a leader, to go down with the ship. I'd prefer, as a leader, that my trusted men would go down with me. But there has become so many variables that we've lost sight of that way of thinking. We now have to see everybody as a threat because of the risks of pro'ing. We know that we're going through insanely long life spans, so I think that makes people want to hold on more when previously they may have accepted going down with the ship more.

Put basically, we've lost the balance between reducing the risk to our own people, but still being true to the world that we live in.

Ziva pauses for a second, throwing her smoked cigarette to the ground and pulling down her sunglasses to hide her eyes from the words that had made her blush a little.

Here is where I take the largest of offenses. My dear, YOU ARE FANTASTIC. I will grant you, it has been a long time since I have seen a leader of your caliber that will spend this much time in the streets. If you spend half the time you do in the streets speaking to your family members, my hat is tipped to you.

Well, now sir, you're just flattering me. As I said though, I'm not gonna ask my people to do anything that I wouldn't be willing to do. 

However, you can be a miracle worker in this regard. If you want rank to mean something, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. CHANGE IT! This conversation has been held countless times, part of me feels as if I should resurrect an ancestors remarks and merely reply to the same rant.

Let us be honest with each other Gaius. A lowly crew leader in the world as it stands at the moment.. we're ten a penny. Sure, I can raise my standards any amount. But more important, in my eyes, is adding my voice to the debate. Making myself heard. Maybe even adding a bit of legitimacy to the dis-satisfied people, who knows? I guess I'm hoping that when someone in a bold suit is willing to put their word in, it does encourage a little more listening to go on. Maybe I'm wrong.

It is not going to be some fake Godfather council that will make rank mean something. It isn't going to be joe blow down the street. It's going to be YOU. YOU are the leader here, not me, not MrBean, nor any of the others that have entered this discussion. If you want it to mean something again, it starts with you.

I'm perfectly willing to do my part. But I'm not willing to offer my people up as sacrificial lambs to the slaughter for this. This might sound soft, but I fucking care like hell about my guys. When I saw my member dead and knew it was because I was doing things differently to what seemed like the norm... I felt bad. I seriously did. But this isn't something I CAN fix all by myself. If I can give evidence, give reasoned arguments though.. maybe I can persuade others to see it my way?

In this life, there are 500 some odd bloodlines that enjoy our world? How many are under you now that will go on to lead in later lives? How many lives will you CHANGE because of your actions today? I know I for one have read every journal from every ancestor I've had. I take them all into account for various actions that I perform.

And I hope to god that I will change people and influence them for the better for my time in a bold suit. I really hope that that could happen. I've never seen myself as much of an example, but sure I'd love to have had a small part down the line in some of the greats of tomorrow. 

Gaius lets a soft smile fade from his lips as Ziva steps down off her soap box and motions for him to step back up, it appears they had a little thing going here back and forth and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps now was the time to let his ego out of its box and teach a thing or two.

Plucking another cigarette from his pack he struck a match and inhaled putting his thoughts together before voicing them publicly. 

I don't believe that a single leader CAN change things, Gaius. And why is that? Look at the number of crews who are, at the moment, essentially fighting over scraps to bring in members. Nine crews are currently under half full - although that statistic may be incorrect by the time my words are heard, as there is currently some upheaval in the Bronx. Many of our Godfather crews are at less than full capacity - something rarely seen in my bloodlines time on these shores.

Ahh my dear. You are so wrong it actually amuses to me. A single leader is everything. Fundamentally to the CORE of this thing of ours its that single leader that leads the newb mafioso in this thing of ours. You will take that newb, or individual that perhaps has been around the block a time or two and shape them, mold them into a better being. You have already begun doing that, whether you realize it or not. Perhaps my next point will make that a little more clear.

Indeed, your district has an amazing street presence. Well done on that. What's the cause? YOU are my dear. Your actions are the reason for it. I'm not saying that you've done it alone, I'm sure you've got some great people behind you. But, to say that a single leader can't change the face of this thing of ours would be the gravest of mistakes.

Throughout history it has been that single leader who was responsible for every major change that has STUCK around here. It was a single leader that said hey, we shouldn't kill -48's. It was a single leader that said hey, we shouldn't do this or that. I could quote hours of recorded journals from my ancestors that have watched a single leader make change time and time again.

Now I will admit that, a single leader didn't stand up and say it and everyone else didn't respond. In the end it took a collection of leaders to bring those changes to pass. But the single leader was responsible for it.

However, let me put it to you another way. Under you at this precise moment, there are what? 35 mafioso? How many of their ancestors have led in the past? How many of their ancestors have been hands to great leaders? How many of their ancestors will do so again?  

Do you think they won't take what you have taught them, and showed them into account when they are in your shoe's? That's the reason for leading my dear. It's not some constant fucking power struggle to take over this thing of ours, its about the PEOPLE that are under you.

I assure you, my dear Caius, that I have been making efforts within my crew to encourage people to bring out the best in themselves. I think that, for example, across North Side as a district, we have successfully managed to coax more and more of our people out onto the streets and into making themselves heard more. I'm proud of the position we are currently in in terms of the streets on that level. It goes to show that leading by example as an individual can work beautifully. When I encourage my guys on to the streets, I'm not asking them to do anything I'm not willing to do, etc.

Tips his hat in her direction when this is stated and mumbles well done.

That's the problem though, right there. That's the old way of doing things, that's probably the most true to our way of life's way of doing things. But is that how we do things these days? Is it fuck. We want to have our cake and eat it too. 

It's happening right now my dear. I don't know if you received the same message I did when NY fell, but allow me to quote.

***Mass Mail to all Upper Structures***

No one from the bronx under made wearing any crew tags is to be shot for the next 7 days. Give them time to find homes please. 

I don't think I could have asked for better timing, so thank you to the Godfather's that decided to issue that order. I believe my point on that matter has been made here.

Let us be honest with each other Gaius. A lowly crew leader in the world as it stands at the moment.. we're ten a penny. Sure, I can raise my standards any amount. But more important, in my eyes, is adding my voice to the debate. Making myself heard. Maybe even adding a bit of legitimacy to the dis-satisfied people, who knows? I guess I'm hoping that when someone in a bold suit is willing to put their word in, it does encourage a little more listening to go on. Maybe I'm wrong.

THIS is where you are wrong. So what if there are a hundred crew leaders? Who gives a shit? It's about the people that are under you! It's about what YOU do with them! It's about how YOU encourage and bring the best out in them! People don't become legends over night my dear. Do you think Deimne built his empire alone? Do you think Whatsername built hers alone?

NO! NO! NO!

They started as ALL greats did, WITH ONE CREW. ONE MEMBER AT A TIME.

They took a single individual, and built upon that. They weren't legends because of their prowess in war, or their street merits. They were legends because the people UNDER THEM call them legends.

The ball is in YOUR court my dear, its up to YOU to make a difference. It's up to YOU to change anything you see fault with. If you want the rank of Made Man to mean something? CHANGE IT.

You say it is being earned already and you don't just hand out buttons like its Halloween candy. EXCELLENT! What a start! Now take it a step further, what can Made Men in your family DO? How can they serve you better? How can YOU serve them better? 

I'm perfectly willing to do my part. But I'm not willing to offer my people up as sacrificial lambs to the slaughter for this. This might sound soft, but I fucking care like hell about my guys. When I saw my member dead and knew it was because I was doing things differently to what seemed like the norm... I felt bad. I seriously did. But this isn't something I CAN fix all by myself. If I can give evidence, give reasoned arguments though.. maybe I can persuade others to see it my way?

Why would they be sacrificial lambs to the slaughter? If they don't want to follow the rules/style that you bring to the table then what good are they anyway?

It does indeed sound soft, feelings shouldn't come into play at all around here. Unfortunately, that isn't the case and I am a realist. I have always cared for those I've worked with. More so than most in fact, its the reason I always tend to fight harder for the one's I love, rather than the idiots that get themselves shot up for no apparent reason.

And I hope to god that I will change people and influence them for the better for my time in a bold suit. I really hope that that could happen. I've never seen myself as much of an example, but sure I'd love to have had a small part down the line in some of the greats of tomorrow. 

My dear this is where you are wrong. You are an example, not only because of that bold suit you wear, but your ACTIONS. Do you think I come out here and speak very often these days? Do you think I even want to attempt to put together a decent response to half of the garbage that litters these streets?

You changed me already. How many others have you changed without knowing you did?

A single leader is everything. Remember that. 

Having voted earlier, I wanted to take some time and compose my thoughts before I actually commented here.

I do think this is a very interesting debate, and that both sides have good points... but ultimately, I fall on the side of "Yes it is too easy to make Made Man and that it diminishes the impact of what rank is supposed to mean."

My family line has been around long enough that we've passed down stories from the old days about people actually having to work and earn the rank of Made, where there were strict requirements in order to achieve that rank - not simply "earn this much for me and I'll promote you" which simply inspires mindlessness - and where, once you HAD accomplished those goals and impressed your leader enough, not only were you promoted and truly brought into the family, but where that was made to be a BIG DEAL. Ceremonies were thrown in the headquarters, accolades were handed down, being Made MEANT something. 

Nowadays it seems like the only way you can even tell that you've been promoted is the ability to get a group together to start planning bigger crimes. I've seen people promoted to Made Man and, literally, that was how they found out.

But I'll admit that this isn't the old days anymore, people live longer than ever before now, and it seems as though human interactions are at an all-time low. 

Perhaps the questions aren't "is Made too easy to get" or "has rank been diminished" but... "how can we make rank mean something again" or "is there anything we even CAN do, at this point, in order to make rank more meaningful"?

And those are questions left to smarter people (or at least, people who actually care more) than me.

Pulling a flask from her pocket, Ziva takes a swig of the whiskey inside before throwing it over to Gaius.

Glad to amuse, Gaius, glad to amuse.

I think you over estimate me though, my friend. I think you over estimate greatly my abilities and potential. I myself am nothing without my crew, my district, my Godfather, and especially my right hand man.

Throughout history it has been that single leader who was responsible for every major change that has STUCK around here. It was a single leader that said hey, we shouldn't kill -48's. It was a single leader that said hey, we shouldn't do this or that. I could quote hours of recorded journals from my ancestors that have watched a single leader make change time and time again.

Now I will admit that, a single leader didn't stand up and say it and everyone else didn't respond. In the end it took a collection of leaders to bring those changes to pass. But the single leader was responsible for it.

I'm not sure I am that kind of leader. I'm not sure that that type of leader even still exists Gaius. I'm looking around me, and I don't see this sort of move being made anymore. I see contests and auths but I see little else from any of the rest of us. We make our moves and whatever, but nobody seems to be interested in making real change. Can one lowly crew leader really make that kind of difference?

Bearing in mind that when my first ancestor entered this world, there were probably not all that many more crewleaders than there are actual Godfathers now?

The power of the individual has been diluted greatly by our worlds set up, I think. Sure, most of us get nice new chances, but at what cost?

However, let me put it to you another way. Under you at this precise moment, there are what? 35 mafioso? How many of their ancestors have led in the past? How many of their ancestors have been hands to great leaders? How many of their ancestors will do so again?  

Do you think they won't take what you have taught them, and showed them into account when they are in your shoe's? That's the reason for leading my dear. It's not some constant fucking power struggle to take over this thing of ours, its about the PEOPLE that are under you.

I hope that my way of doing things can help, inspire, can teach them something, can add something to their game, but it goes back to what I said before. 

I genuinely do think that the power of individuals to make great change has been decimated by the set up of our world.

Does that mean that we should give up on trying to make change? Does it fuck. It just means that we have to go about it in different ways than perhaps we were used to.

I don't think I could have asked for better timing, so thank you to the Godfather's that decided to issue that order. I believe my point on that matter has been made here.

I feel like this is in some way proof of that. Points that have been brought up publicly, have been acted upon. We had two examples last night - that protection order, and the speech that was made immediately following the fall of BackToShootPeeps and the Bronx. Not an hour later, not twelve hours later, not two days down the line. Immediately. I know that the delay in explanation has become quite a contentious issue lately.

I join you in thanking the people who made the decision to act on what the public are calling for. It's change being made because people are being brave enough to take the risk of speaking up.

THIS is where you are wrong. So what if there are a hundred crew leaders? Who gives a shit? It's about the people that are under you! It's about what YOU do with them! It's about how YOU encourage and bring the best out in them! People don't become legends over night my dear. Do you think Deimne built his empire alone? Do you think Whatsername built hers alone?

NO! NO! NO!

They started as ALL greats did, WITH ONE CREW. ONE MEMBER AT A TIME.

They took a single individual, and built upon that. They weren't legends because of their prowess in war, or their street merits. They were legends because the people UNDER THEM call them legends.

A separate point here Gaius, but can legends even still be made anymore? Can someone still be considered a legend in the same way that they used to? Sure, I've had crew leaders that I've thought were fantastic and that in my eyes, were legends, but I think that it's become so commonplace for people to reach these ranks now that it really isn't all that big a deal, and that once a person dies, unless there's something particularly spectacular about their death, they pretty much get forgotten about.

How many crew leaders since May can you name? Realistically? I know I can't name as many as I perhaps should've. My bloodline has been authed twice and held several hand spots since then, so it's not like we've been out the loop, but the only ones that particularly stick out in my mind are the ones who died with some drama around them, like Orithyia (may her spectacular tits rest in peace), or in a particularly sad way, like Tommy.

I'm pretty sure the only reason anybody remembers my last run is because of the way it ended.

Leading has become anonymous, for the most part. Sure, there's a few exceptions to that, but for the most part... pretty anonymous. We have pretty much no requirement to speak up and speak out, no requirement to make ourselves known, none of that. Legends aren't anonymous, Gaius. Legends stood for something.

The ball is in YOUR court my dear, its up to YOU to make a difference. It's up to YOU to change anything you see fault with. If you want the rank of Made Man to mean something? CHANGE IT.

You say it is being earned already and you don't just hand out buttons like its Halloween candy. EXCELLENT! What a start! Now take it a step further, what can Made Men in your family DO? How can they serve you better? How can YOU serve them better? 

Like I say, I'm working on it, I'm making an effort internally AND externally - externally in a thread like this where it's being brought up to be a thing.  But, I really don't believe that a single leader can bring about the kind of change that you seem to think. I especially don't think I have that potential. It needs to be more than just me, I guess.

Why would they be sacrificial lambs to the slaughter? If they don't want to follow the rules/style that you bring to the table then what good are they anyway?

I've already lost a member to the temper tantrum of another member who shot one of his own in cold blood because he didn't get the button right off. 

Risking that happening again, is giving my crew members up as sacrificial lambs for slaughter to support what could be considered an arrogant personal crusade - unless, of course, there are more leaders than just myself willing to go on this crusade with me.

My dear this is where you are wrong. You are an example, not only because of that bold suit you wear, but your ACTIONS. Do you think I come out here and speak very often these days? Do you think I even want to attempt to put together a decent response to half of the garbage that litters these streets?

You changed me already. How many others have you changed without knowing you did?

Ziva laughs a little.

I'm genuinely glad to have brought you out here Gaius, you've been a pleasure to go back and forth with. It is incredibly rare to have a discussion on these streets rather than a shouting contest, much respect to you for that.

I guess I just wish more people were willing to have the nuts to stand up and say what they actually freakin think rather than hiding behind a suit, or a position, or this or that. Maybe I am changing people, I hope so, cause I am pretty proud of my actions, my willingness to speak out. But I think there needs to be more of it. That has to be encouraged somehow. I don't know how else to go about it.

A single leader is everything. Remember that. 

It takes more than a single leader, Gaius. There has to be a hell of a lot of other qualities within that person to. I think the kind of leader than can change things for real is a rarer thing than we want to admit these days.