SpikeS slips out into the street slovenly dressed having slept under a bar stool with a not so becoming barmaid.

In the past week or so, I have seen much support for the use of our tongues.

Examples include:

Curtis’s Street Speech Workshop 

Whatsername’s Socialite’s Club 

Kelly_Kapowski’s Regarding, Street Presence 

And a few others.

These are all stray sparks with one common goal: To bring our liquor saturated throats alight with flames. These are just sparks though at the moment, and more is needed to really set this movement ablaze. The support given thus far has been quite admirable, but I think many of us realize that far more will be needed to achieve the result we are reaching for.

The questions I have to all of you, supporters, newcomers, and otherwise:

• Why are you so quiet?

• Do you require simple pulp controversy to part your lips and/or do you only open them for a half sincere kiss of praise (for a new leader or a speech of similar proportional real value)?

• Are you afraid?

• What would make you speak; do you need a real incentive?

The final question is the most striking, albeit the others can bring their own piercing conclusions. In this world, people want a quid pro quo for every action they do. If a person snatches a purse, they want money. If a person breaks someone out of jail, they want a higher status. If a person kills someone, they want their leader to recognize their value. But when it comes to speech, what is the quid pro quo? Most people don’t really recognize it. The superficial mobster will find that they may be given some insight into some things in the world should they choose to speak more in the streets or in the business districts, but at the end of the day, is that sight really of much value? I never really felt so. There have always been ways around that. What else is there topically? Well, yes, akin to breaking someone from jail, there is some aid in raising a person’s (yet again) superficial status, but there are many alternatives that even the laziest dolt could choose over speaking.

The real value in my opinion, as I’ve said endlessly, is that you have a voice, and through a voice you have power. I question the ideals of the masses of mobsters in terms of how they view power. The silent colossus https://mafiareturns.com/comm/thread/410650#7522998 has become the archetype of true power. For those that don’t know what I mean by that phrase: The silent colossus is a being whose only wish is to have that superficial status and a gun. By nature, s/he is silent, but why? That’s not something I can answer directly, but I can say that a silent colossus has no true concept of power. Most importantly, a silent colossus has no true concept of community. A community, a cooperative group, is the key to making this world, well honestly, fun, but also structured.

At the moment, and yet as it has been for a while now, the world is fractured. There are small communities, but they is no collective structure. Historically, the golden ages have always had a sense of this. In observation, I have also found many without a sense of even a minute community. There is loneliness in this world, and there should not be. This effect of the fragmented world is one of the most depressing.

Have bloodlines forgotten what it was like to be together in a wide scale community that transcends cities and leadership? It would seem so, and moreover the fear of those few who do wish to stand up to speak is also quite daunting. This is generally a safe place for those with a voice so long as they value respect.

Respect, however, is something that I don’t really want to touch on too much, but I can say that it has been oxidized, tarnished over, over some time now. None of this is any leader’s fault. At the end of the day, it is the community who has created this current environment. It would seem that some of the community is pushing for some of the older ways. I feel that this effort requires more backing, but that comes back to the question of incentive. What incentives can be offered to people to speak? Should they be offered anything? Technically, no. They should be offering their voices up on their own, but I think too much time has passed since regular speaking in the streets and business districts of the cities were truly active. Hell, even the coffee shop avenues have been dead, but why? It’s the issue of that incentive idea partially. People aren’t required to know each other as much. That is something that mostly leaders have control over, and while there are private avenues to speech within crews, there’s still far too much distancing… tiny morsels of communities, but far more mouths that could partake in a truly immense feast, that we’re just not having anymore.

So back to the idea of an incentive, what can we give? Our friendship? I’m not giving anyone money to speak. That’s for whores. No. The Gods have offered us a few things such as VIP to help encourage speech, but in truth, that’s really not enough. Is there something further they could offer? Should they be the ones offering it? Not so long ago, my line discussed speech requirements in regards to ranking, but that would only be a quick fix. It would get some people used to the form of writing though, which Curtis is currently offering to help with anyway. No. Requirements are not the true answer. However, I do think there is something wrong with the promotion of a mute. A mute should be kept away in rags, unbuttoned, but yes… an incentive.

There is no direct incentive that I can think of that as mortals we can offer. What I can conclude is that if enough of us do act towards talking, others will in fact join in, and if they don’t, well, we can recognize them as the true dumb mute fools that they are, because this is one of those things that actually for once if everybody’s doing it, and they say it’s good, it’s actually good for you and others. There are no diseases to be caught, but perhaps an addiction to sex. No, an addiction to speech.

Anyway, I shall end my rant here, because the truth is I’m guessing that most of you have not bothered listening this far. That is yet another sad truth I’ve found in the youths of today, short attention spans. I can say that “TL;DR” is a very revealing statement about a person. People that say that to others here, especially those that have put in effort, deserve some sort of punishment, because it’s truly disrespectful, and against the community, by putting fear and reticence into others’ speaking.

Personally, I’ve gotten more listeners from my retard acting than from any intellectual speech I’ve done in recent history. The funny thing is that I have received letters in support of my more scholarly statements, but none of those messaged replies mattered so much. Really, if someone had spoken back to me in public, that would’ve proven to be a real means to backing the causes. Mind you, these were not causes to be fearful of. Some were mainly just discussions of political and social theory such as this, but anyway...

For those that have listened, thank you for auditing this speech of mine. I hope that the current writings for this cause will help bring that fire to our voice boxes that can only be cooled by further long winded speeches.

To the mutes, please stop being lazy. This world could be so much more for you, and for the others around you, should you choose to emit some noise from your mouths instead of sitting there with a dangling chin, and an agape drooling mouth. I know that there is far more to everyone here than what is on the surface, and we’d all be better off knowing what’s truly there, instead of the topical inferences.

Cheers to the rise of #Socialites and the accompanying movements in motion. I hope "CCC" can stick. May this be a revolution of tongues, minds, personalities, and new friends. And yes, in a world of loud talkers, there's plenty of room for enemies too to collaborate with, true irony, as arguments breed the best conversations.  

SpikeS slides down an imaginary firehouse pole and goes off to find that sultry sordid sleazy strumpet of a bar maid, or whichever slut was feeding him his drinks. 

Requiring a certain length of speech is discouraging. Sometimes one is in a place where they cannot speak at length. Other times they may have something to say but not a huge amount to say about it.

I don't think lengthy speeches are an inherent quality for dialogue or even valuable information.

You raise an important point about length of speech Hermione and in many places brevity can be a virtue. It's not one I'm blessed with sadly, but this is a cross I shall have to bear. However, there is a huge difference between SpikeS lamenting over the current inability of many to listen to a speech that goes past a handful of lines and suggesting any speech that doesn't go into the depths of a novella is not acceptable though. I fully agree with SpikeS that this trend is very regrettable, while completely agreeing with you that setting an arbitrary length aim is also counter productive. The two certainly aren't mutually exclusive.

I love a short punchy speech that gets right to the point, but I also love listening to a detailed talk that goes into the nuances of a topic and fleshes out the details for anyone who might not be familiar. Both have their place in our world, yet one often falls on deaf ears as peoples eyes glaze over and they tune out day dreaming after just a few words. It isn't a positive sign for our community or the health of our businesses to see this type of thing, a short attention span isn't indicative of the type of members this thing of ours needs to flourish. 

I hung on every word there SpikeS, a fantastic discussion that both illuminated an area of our world for all to see while sparking thoughts in all who took the time to consider those words. Kudos sir, kudos. I will say that anyone who makes a speech to receive the praise or even the input of others is on a hiding to nothing. It's a fruitless task that in many cases will lead to nothing other than frustration. If however they're doing it because of a fire in their belly, they have the bit between their teeth and they just wish to share their thoughts and opinions in the hope of it potentially sparking a discussion or even simply an idea in another, they've contributed more to our world than my mere words could ever express to them.

Obviously, I paid Satanta to reply to me. 

That's a practice I don't really wanna see taken up again, but it was pretty amusing when leaders would actually order people to make replies to things, either in support of a topic, or to bury another. 

Having been listening to the conversation since it's inception, Irina decides that this might be the ideal opportunity to break her own silence.  Most of those around seemed to have gone back to their drinks or newspapers, but Irina had no problem upsetting the quiet.  Stepping to the same general area that the first speaker had been standing, she pauses for just a moment to collect her thoughts before beginning.

I don't think this is a topic that should be so easily ignored.  Mr. Spike brings up quite a few good points here, and I think it would be a damned shame if the majority of citizens don't at least take a moment to consider the questions posed.  

It's chilly on the street, so Irina buttons her coat and continues.

In observance from what you might call my "bloodline," the trend of street and business interaction has faltered at a steady yet alarming pace.  Sadly, the answers to the questions Mr. Spike posed are the handwriting on the wall.  Allow me to elaborate by answering these questions with my own musings.

Simply put, creative interaction of acceptable quality requires far too much effort for a generation of citizens who can gain the notoriety they need through elementary, repetitious actions. It's much easier to get to the top through crime rather than through the fine art of oration.  There is no thought required in crime- we do it every day all the time.  Speech, however (especially extemporaneous), strikes fear in the heart of even the most hardened mobster.  That is, until there is controversy.  

The culture of this place fosters an interesting environment.  You know what they say- opinions are like assholes; everyone has one.  On our streets, those who normally remain quiet suddenly crackle to life when there is something to argue about.  The "pulp controversy" referred to in the original speech is a flame that is sparked and fueled by the sheer fact that everyone can throw their opinion in.  Of course, that is a right we should treasure, but it is a sad excuse for interaction if it's the only thing a person opens his mouth for.  The question I would like to counter with is this: is it the fault of the people who only speak when they can rant, or can some of the blame be laid on those who are more skilled rhetoricians for not encouraging other forms of involvement?  I am heartened by the advent of the various organizations that have come about to foster a more interactive environment, and I am eager to find a place where I might be of help in keeping these alive and well.  

Still, we are left with the final question: is there incentive needed to prod people into further interaction?  Quite the contrary, actually.  Reward is not the simple answer.  Creative interaction is not something that can be produced with a carrot on a stick.  We, as a whole, must change the value we place on thoughtful speech and interaction.  The idea of tipping is an excellent idea, and can certainly create an environment of confidence; but we must remember that creativity begets creativity.  

Do not let die this brave revolution.  This is not a call to arms, it's a call to hearts and imagination.  Shall we allow the continuation of a society that places glory on those who rest on their criminal gains alone?  I say thee nay!  Shall we- the creative minds- shrug our shoulders and give in when we meet resistance or adversity?  I say thee nay!  

Do not let die this brave revolution.  

TinyTina was a multitasked. She could listen to a speech and drink a cup of Joe. Coffee, not a person. She could knit a sweater, convinced that her knitting needles became supreme deadly weapons in the process, while tuning into the latest debate on these fine ass streets. Today, well today she had outdone herself.

A simple crowd had gathered as SpikeS took a corner for himself and started to light his tongue on fire with speech because his throat was so full of liquor…or something. In the time that she listened to his yapping she had read a short story to all the orphans Vodquila the Vampire did not eat through. The book was called Moon, Goodnight. It was a lovely tale, full of fantastic pictures. Tina tossed the book into the pile of orphans when she had finished reading it and watched as they tore each other apart for it. 

Next, she watched both her bodyguards, Mr. Pinky and that other one, age right in front of her. Age until they died. If people asked around for Tina’s protection level they’d be slipped the news that she was not protected, but don’t get any ideas, she had a vicious and savage gang of orphans following her around. TinyTina had three coffees delivered to her, not all at once, but individually. One coffee per hour she had been there listening. She even knitted a scarf. It was freaking chilly in December in Chicago. If she had balls, they would have fallen off. 

While doing all of that and some extra shit, she had also listened brightly to the words that spilled and tumbled and continued to flow on and on and on from SpikeS. There were many questions to answer and many topics to think about. Tina kept a small journal…death diary with her at all times. As SpikeS spoke, she jotted down notes. As she listened, she decided she’d start with the questions he asked firstly and then maybe she’d dive into the topic(s).  

After SpikeS stepped off his self placed podium of glory and doves and spot lights, TinyTina stretched her arms above her head, moved her neck around in a circle and yawned. She looked down at her watch and decided she needed another coffee….or ten. At least five espressos. After that rant….speech…sermon, Tina didn’t know what would be better: attempting to figure out what she had just sat through or get ran over by a bus. That’s when she realized she had wandered into the bus lane. Some part of her brain was making decisions without her. It may have been the good part, but she wanted to live through this….whatever this was. Tina read through her notes and decided that yes, she would start with asking his questions.

Why am I so quiet? Didn’t know I was. If you heard my pretty song I sing at the TOP OF MY LUNGS every day to wake Kelly_KaPOWski angel from her beauty sleep you’d wish I was quiet. I came out of me mum screaming, I’ll go through life screaming and I’ll die screaming. SCREAMING I TELL YOU.

Do I require simple pulp controversy to part my lips and/or do I only open them for a half sincere kiss of praise? What are you even talking about? Who am I parting my lips to? Who is getting half sincere kisses of praise from me? If anything everyone should be praising me with REAL kisses of cash because I am pretty fabulous. As for the pulp, no pulp, I like my orange juice smooth like I like my trips across the ocean back to the motherland. Antarctica if anyone was wondering.

Are you afraid? NEVER

All the shouting. Quiet, she laughed at the thought. 

What would make me speak, do I need a real incentive? If you give a mouse a cookie….he’ll kill you while you sleep. This is obvious and also extremely valuable advice. Don’t feed the freakin’ mice! 

With the important questions answered and out of the way, Tina looked back into her death diary at the notes she had taken.

Give me a second Spikey, need to collect my thoughts. If I just start talking it’ll be a bunch of words jammed together in desperation of hoping to make sense with each other. 

Tina took her time. Like five minutes. She cleared her throat, coughed up some phlegm and spit it on one of the lingering orphans. 

A lot of all of this comes down to standards. STANDARDS MY PEEPS! Spikey, you speak of the golden ages, which should not be confused with the dark ages…..which wasn’t as much fun, but held it’s own pretty well, good, well. Whatever. So, these golden ages, when the streets were alive! ALIVE. Like that merry celery chick. Bloodlines, bloodlines, bloodlines. Golden ages - bloodlines….a lot of those golden bloodlines retired out of the life of crime or died from heart attacks or earthquakes. The ones that hung around to finish what they started or couldn’t cut the drug, well, they dropped the ball. They didn’t pass on the traditions to the younger, newer, generations. 

Now, we all stand in the streets at one point or another and cry for the return of the dark ages! Err….golden ages. We drop to our knees in the snow and look up to the sky, our hands placed together in prayer that respect, creativity….standards will come back to us. No one can just wish on a sparkly star in the big ol’ sky for their wishes to come true. Gotta do it the hard way. Pay a guy with lots of muscles to dig a hole in your backyard so you can have a swimming pool like everyone else! And also bring standards back to the way of crime. 

It’s quick and easy to call people lazy. To put them down and write them off as sloths. Can older generations call younger generations lazy when they were never expected to speak publicly? Sure, they can if they wish, but is it fair? Ohhhhh life isn’t fair is it, but it’s also not a fucking tea party. What do you expect from people who never had to have a public voice - they aren’t naturally going to start doing that. 

Back in the yesteryear of the gold ages if a new auth set up without a moment in the streets before they dressed themselves in a new bold suit they were shot. There wasn’t a question about it, today however, all you’ll hear in the coffee shops, through the telephone lines and talked about in general if a bold suit pops up “Rogue?” “Rogue?” “ROGUEROGUEROGUE??????”. Personally, I’ve been waiting sometime now for one of those supposedly legit new bold suits to be popped right in the noggin with a bullet for setting up shop without an appearance in the streets beforehand. There have been debates about this…issue, but talk about incentive! A person gets one of the highest (debatable) honors to strike out on his or her own and they aren’t even proud enough to share the news with the rest of us? 

There are many things that have changed in our lives of organized crime throughout the years, but the one everyone likes to talk about is how our streets are quieter, silent sometimes, not good enough other times. The standards in the streets have slipped, slipped down that slippery slope and now we are all here. Let it slide for so long it’ll get out of reach, harder to grasp onto. This isn’t a terribly complex concept. Or a conspiracy complex concept. Okay, that doesn’t really make sense, but I wanted my own CCC so I could feel special or something. BIG WORDS!!

So, now we are here, grasping at straws and trying to come up with incentives on getting people back into these streets and start poppin’ things off. I personally don’t think added incentive is desperately needed. The majority rules, right now, the majority are silent. What are you going to do with incentives? Throw candy at the new generations and hope they’ll stay after you’ve run out? This seems like a band aid fix. Which doesn’t fix shit, well, except maybe that crack on the bomb I built a customer last week….

Look, my neighbor can play a mean ass trumpet solo, but he’s not selling out clubs like that Lou Armstrong guy. Soceity says ol’ Lou is the man to listen to. Heck, 30 years ago there wasn’t jazz, but now it’s all anyone talks about. Why am I going on about this Lou guy and jazz? Besides it bein’ my favoritist shizzzz everrrrr I’m just pointing out that the majority will come back to the streets or at least there is hope. We don’t have to wreck ourselves with brainstorming thoughts of incentives. It’s safe and warm to follow trends. 

Encourage your brothers and you sisters, your mothers and your fathers, your lovers and your pets. You get what I mean. Tell your neighbors, your butcher, your crew leader and your crew mates that our streets are the place to be. Participating in them can be crazy rewarding with no additional incentives on top of the ones we already get. Let’s start a revolution. As that wise guy Batiatus would say, foot to ass. FOOT TO ASS PEOPLE. Or something like that, he’s always talking about his bum like it’s fucking gold or something. 

TinyTina starts a chant up with her orphans. Barely whispers at first, but as the chant becomes louder and louder…

Revolution! Revolution! 

They started down the streets, beating to their own drum. Seriously, one of the mangey orphans had a drum. 

You’re not a quiet one TinyTina, so don’t worry about that.

But you do come to the streets for pulp, as many do. As for parting your lips, you’re not big on that, but what was being referenced there was the forced ass kissing and other oral praise people give for certain types of speeches, that’s not always genuine. Those are wasted vocal tributes; they have no real meaning most of the time. Sometimes they do I suppose, but a lot of times they’re out of following a status quo.

The mice are caged TT, so I don’t see them eating you in your sleep unless they’re smart enough to unhinge the wire door.

Those bloodlines didn’t exactly drop the ball, though many disappeared. Leadership in the post Roman era started dropping the ball. However, those bloodlines that gloried the streets seem to have made a bit of a return, and perhaps that’s the driving force behind this movement.

This isn’t a wish for standards. This is a movement for them. A wish is like a prayer to -od by bedside. This is a request, a push, to people that actually exist. That’s why it’s out here in the streets. It will be hard. There will be a lot of hard linguistic work to get this moving, but we’re working on it.

I don’t really blame the younger generations lazy. I think they’re afraid. I think some of the older generations are in fact lazy, but should this catch on, that won’t be an issue, and they might just be the ones to really help this all catch fire.

Yes, newly set up auth protocol has slipped, and we’ve all been waiting for one of them to die, like they would’ve in the old days. However, some of that has been handled better now. It would be nice for it to be perfected though.

The majority does rule, but there are ways to make a majority move. My goal would be to create a new majority, a new mentality with aspirations that aren’t so… basic, as they have been. Incentives don’t really exist, at least mortally. It is something to question though. What would make them act? Candy? Maybe, but I think we can do this for free. A mob of people can rise up for a cause, and a lot of that mob might just join in for the sake of being part of a mob, as a collective, a CCC. A social movement that’s actually moving is far from a bandaid, especially if there are nice stitches put in, with a scar, to remind them what they’re a part of and what they’re supposed to be doing.

We are telling everybody, but the truth is, there are incentives, free ones. Being a part of something, a community, is the incentive. That’s far better than the way things are now, disjointed, alone, and caring more about interactions with Durdens, CAs, and that Madame, than regular people.

Yes, revolution arise.