Hugo stepped out onto the streets of New York. These were new surroundings to him. A hub of the capitalist revolution, he couldn’t help but notice the bourgeois extravagance that had begun to enchant the city and its inhabitants while going about his daily business. It had got him thinking about the treatment of those who followed his way of life. Having bought his morning coffee and bacon sandwich from a local café, he stood outside and began what he hoped would become a lively and healthy debate with those within earshot.

“Friends and comrades,

I wish to talk to you today about the concepts of equality and of the value of human life. You see, I believe that in this era of modern capitalist thought, human life is commodified. The ordinary person is used by their masters, the owners of the means of production then tossed away like a read newspaper, or an empty coffee cup. This happens in all walks of life, including our own. All too often, leaders simply do not adequately value the contributions of the proletariat. I recognise that the structure of our life is as such that there is an upper structure, and that there would be little direction to our lives. However, within that there lies the opportunity for the leader to present themselves as first among equals, rather than simply the ‘first’. I truly believe that in order for our families to truly become successful, they must fully value and reward the work of their members, and leaders must not simply sit in their office all day waiting for the spoils of labour to come rolling in.”

“I believe my Comrade and Dear Leader Che Guevara to share my ideals on this, and many other issues. Following my father’s recent death on the streets of Chicago I sought him out in order to become an integral part of his glorious socialist revolution at the heart of a global capitalist city."

Therefore, I offer my topic of debate to you all. In particular to those who find themselves in a position of power, but to all mafiosi in general. Are you a subscriber to the inherent hierarchy of our world? In what light do you consider the lives of the gangsters and thugs of this world? Are they simply commodities that can be thrown away, or are they worth more to you than that?”

“Essentially, what I am saying is: do you consider your crew to be a family or a mere business?”

Offering a salute to Comrade Guevara, he stepped down from his pedestal in order to allow the contributions of those within earshot.

A common misunderstanding of our forever immortal Comrade Marx centres around his view on capitalism. His argument was not one made from the moral imperative - that capitalism was 'unfair' - that was a bastardisation that came later, though admittedly a thoroughly legitimate bastardisation. Marx' view on capitalism was complicated and, to the uninitiated, perhaps even contradictory. He views the means of production as a corruption, a complete non-fulfillment of our human condition. Nevertheless, the acknowledged the supreme efficiency of capitalism as a meas of production (to the detriment of equality nonetheless!) and understood it as a necessary evil in the march towards  true human emancipation and the realisation of the communist dream through glorious revolution.

I mention this because my own views on hierarchy are necessary. My made men and associates are masters of themselves and the fruits of their labour much more than the average man on the street; but that is precisely because they exploit this man on the street. In turn, I am the master of them because, to an extent, I exploit them. Then, surprise surprise, I am the subject of exploitation by my Leader Curtis. I do not use the term exploitation to suggest it is deliberately or personally nefarious and insidious; it is merely the manifestation of the hierarchical condition to which we subscribe.

So, can I support hierarchy? As a principle, of course not. As a stepping stone, a bridge towards emancipation? I must, though I must also concede that this blood is built with the corpses of our comrades and lubricated with their blood. The path to revolution, sadly, must have a price.

So, to answer your question; are the lives of those that are hierarchically 'less' than me - commodities to be discard for personal material gain? Never. Are they comrades whom I would consider sacrificing if we move closer to the revolution? Possibly - but I can only allow that if I am prepared to sacrifice myself for those very same ideals.

In many ways, I can draw parallels between the status quo with which we find ourselves to the state of things in the Soviet Union. Comrade Lenin has fallen ill and a hierarchical troika of comrades Kamanev, Stalin and Zinoviev have been appointed to guide the Vanguard Party in his stead; I look east with baited breath and hope they provide the blueprint  which we can follow in our own struggle.

There are aspects to both Chavez. The Rock knows that at the end of the day, we're all here for the money. Its all about the money, everything else you may desire is related to the money. You want power? You want to be a CL or a GF? Sure you may want to make your stamp, to shake things up, to change how things are done, but that takes money. Those Fortifications and Bodyguards aren't free, training your gun isn't free, protecting your most valuable assets isn't free. You can try an meet your goals without spending the money, but when the reaper comes calling, you will be the first to go with him.

The thing is, to have an efficient, productive family, that is generating tons of the almighty dollar, you need to be loved by your followers. Not everyone is blessed like the Rock, not everyone has the millions, and millions of the Rock's fans to back them up, so they have to be liked by their family. This is where your crew comes in. Somewhere, you need someone that they love. Whether it be you, your Godfather, your RHM, or in the case of Guevara, his LHM. You need that someone for the masses to trust, and want to work for. So while it is entirely possible for a CL to think of his crew as simply a money generating business, his crew have to believe that they are a family for the system to work.

I am a firm believer in a hierarchy or status quo in our world. There has to be something the common mobster can aspire to be, something they originally aren't priviledge to... whether that be the family hit room, being made, becoming part of their boss' 'inner circle', getting their own family, or even their own district and Godfather position.

This doesn't mean that the person(s) in charge need to point out that they outrank those below them 'in the grand scheme of things'. Many times I have overheard conversations in the streets about how someone should or should not speak to someone who is 'higher ranked'. We may not live in a democracy where there is total freedom of speech, but you will find that a condescending tone will more times than not elicit a defamatory response in kind. The argument of 'lowly little thug speaking out of turn' with only serve to incite more negative reaction.

Any leaders new members are his/her most important, as you should always be looking for that next 'diamond in the rough'. Those are the people who you need besides you in this life. There should be no 'discarding' of anybody until they prove they are not worthy of your time.

In time, anyone could be part of my (theoretical) 'true family'. They would need to make the effort as much as I would. If neither of us are willing or able to put in that effort, then yes... it's time to start thinking from business point of view.

Curtis was very interested to see what the Venezuelan had to say for himself. He listened intently as the discussion was laid out. When he was done Curtis went over to Chavez and shook him warmly by the hand.

"Hugo, a very nice subject. It is an understandable juxtaposition your socialist values and the inherently capitalist world in which we participate. But as you say, there are different ways to go about things. Take yourself for example;

You lead a revolution against the US controlled puppet government in your own country and liberated the nation's oil industry for your country's benefit. Your name is sung right around Venezuela and your legacy, godlike. It takes a committed man to turn down the offers from the corrupting north and instead filter all the oil profits back into infrastructure, like schools, universal medicine, roads, farms and so on. An admirable lifetime dedicated to incredible acts of committed socialism. Now, as much as these were socialist acts for the people, it required great leadership and drive to see them realized. And that is what the crux of this thing is about now isn't it.

We say our life is a capitalist one but I don't see it as so far removed from the socialist acts you have spent your life involved with. This thing of ours was largely a community orientated system where we would protect the homes and businesses of our neighborhoods from corrupted law enforcement and debt collectors. We would rob and extort money from other neighborhoods and feed that back into our own. All the while enforcing our own law and looking after our own people's problems.

Taking care of greedy land lords, overpriced amenities, goods and services. We make sure our communities pay fair price and are treated fairly and in return they pay us tribute and help us when we need it. To me, this is socialism in action. Socialism with leadership. Now I'll grant you, we make a healthy amount from our own enterprises and the community we protect help a great deal in the smooth running of those but we will always be primarily concerned with our own districts and ensuring the well being of those that lie within."

​He opened his jacket and took out the silver hip flask that had been his companion for many years now. Taking a good nip of the Czech turquoise madness inside, he winced with pleasure, screwed back the cap and went on with what he had to say.   

"As for leadership perspectives. I have seen various approaches from different people and several very different styles have yielded great results. Personally I am a philanthropist. I love people, and the people that work for me interest me. I have a genuine enthusiasm for all of them and I will do all I can to make time for anyone in my city. This can occasionally be exhausting but I have found that it yields the best results for me. I am this way because this was the leadership I responded best to while making my bones.

I knew that the guys giving me orders genuinely cared about me. Their words and more importantly their actions proved it. This being the case, when they asked me to go to bat for them, I never hesitated. In fact I was pleased to get the chance to put my ass on the line to repay them. And so I am that way with everyone I can be now. Leadership for me?

A cool head, a warm heart and a gun full of bullets."

Hugo considered the responses of all who had replied to him. The response to his original speech was just as he'd wanted. Healthy debate was an inherently beneficial thing, the pursuit of differing opinions was enlightening to him, just as he hoped the expression of his own opinion was enlightening to another.

"First of all, I'd like to thank you for your responses. I've found listening to your opinions on this subject to be highly interesting to me personally."

"Comrade Guevara, I fully understand and agree with your position. Indeed, there are many sacrifices we must make in order to strive for a better world. Exploitation is inherent in our profession, yet that exploitation is the bedrock of our life's work. It both serves us and we serve it, until we reach the very top."

He takes a moment to pull a cigar from his coat pocket, and lights it.

It is a very interesting perspective taken by Godfather Curtis insofar as we are exploiting those who seek to exploit us through the capitalist status quo, and this has made it much easier for me to reconcile my own personal ideology with our definition of hierarchy, as we do battle with an altogether different form of hierarchy. That we may ourselves be seen as the enemy of the capitalist machine, while at the same time maintaining it within our own separate sphere. A lesser of two evils, if you will.

Indeed, I might add that it is a system that rewards your worth to society; we may view our individual contributions as a contribution to our collective, if you will. The greater your contribution to the collective, the greater your personal reward. It is largely different to a system we fight that simply uses your labour with no prospect of true reward. Within our lives, if you make a worthwhile contribution it will make a difference. 

Father_TeQ, I have also noticed cases where fairly high-ranking members of our profession have refused to entertain the opinions of those of a lower rank, for reasons of pure arrogance. Indeed, the fact that I am speaking here now must surely be of annoyance to certain members of our society, given I am of mere Goomba rank. I am pleased to see such practices are frowned upon, as it really does not help anybody. Indeed, it is clear that respectful, constructive and considered debate can be had by members of all ranks.

Chris_Vaughn, I absolutely agree with your contention that in order for a leader to be a successful leader, they must be well-liked and respected by their members. What kind of loyalty can be held by a member without those traits? Ultimately, as you say, it must be a combination of the two. We must as members buy into the notion of our family. Yet the leader must also cope with the day-to-day running of the crew, and the expenses such responsibility entails. Yet, as I say, it must be achieved in a way through which the individual member feels valued, and part of a comradeship rather than simply a cog in the machine.

Hugo smiled. Debate was truly alive and well on the streets of New York, and he was glad to be a part of it.

Crews are businesses. Do you know why? Because businesses have inequality; a hierarchy. Families don't have inequalities, they have generations. You choose who you work for, but you can't choose your family; nature has granted them to you for better or for worse. Businesses are efficient and driven by profit, while families pursue tradition and congregation. I think no matter how you slice it, the mafia is a business. Cities are gargantuan enterprises through which millions of dollars pass each and every day. Districts divide those enterprises, and crews are their embodiment. Though there are sometimes controversies and conflicts between these districts, they nonetheless operate as businesses.

Crew members - people - are components to those enterprises. They are by no means the product of our enterprises, but they are undoubtedly and undeniably the primary input that powers the mechanisms of profit. At the core of our syndicates there is a collection of hard-working mobsters churning out money for themselves and their bosses.

Denam looks down and realizes just how much he talks with his hands when he speaks. Is he being persuasive or making a fool of himself? Better just to keep talking instead of worrying about it.

And let's be honest! Where would they be without their boss and the protection he provides? Can you really call it exploitation when every single one of us would be dead if our boss hadn't taken us in? Bosses offer a service to their members; survival. It isn't permanent (as Chicago has unfortunately learned), it isn't free, and it isn't unconditional. But it is survival that would otherwise be entirely unavailable. Without crewleaders, we wouldn't be organized crime. So I must protest the use of "exploitation" to describe the mutually beneficial agreements between leaders and members. And I think that point somewhat shows whether we're a business or a family; is there an agreement between mothers and sons? Fathers and daughters? No! Those relationships are the product of nature, where the relationships we form here are the products of ambition and trust.

I'm not going to be so short-sighted as to reject the tradition and brotherhood that Our Thing has always meant; but I fear times are changing. Without a strong pursuit of those traditions we're left with nothing more than a complex business operation. We have some social subtexts that mandate how we behave; but those are primarily driven by "good business". Why do we avoid war? Good business. Why do we adhere to most of our social constructs? It's all good for business. You get to make money, I get to make money, we're both happy. That's why everyone hates the fucker who shoots first, right? Because he violates that unspoken agreement to pursue good business. Unless, of course, shooting someone is good for business.

So we can either shed our traditions (some of which we already have) and embrace the enterprise, or we can revert to our traditional roots of family. I'd contend that most traditions of which I'm aware are really only applicable out here in the Streets. The real driving force of Our Thing isn't out here in the Streets; it's the whores on the street corners, the drugs flying from New York to Chicago, it's the trail of blood flowing from some poor bastard's temple. It's money. It's power. And it's good business.