Ronin made his way out to the streets for the first time, eager to speak to people about something that was on his mind. He did not come this day to share a story, be it of his own exploits or his ancestors, he came forth to spring up a discussion. He had long felt that this world's slow change from a debate dominant streets to one rich with storytelling had both pros and cons. 

The streets were livelier today than they had been in years; Philadelphia in particular had been dominating them for what seemed like ages. While Ronin enjoyed a well told story, he yearned for opinion and banter from different sides of a debate. He had been pondering something for a few days now, and had found several theories on the matter. He decided to bring it to the masses, as they did in the old days.

A small crowd was standing on a corner on Broadway. He could tell easily by the attire and demeanor of the people within that it was "his kind of crowd." Ronin made his way into the center and waited for the murmur of chatter and traffic to die down a bit before he spoke.

"Thank you all for your attention. If you could spare me a few minutes of your time today, I would like to hear your thoughts on something."

No one said anything, they were all eyeing him suspiciously and sizing him up. It wasn't often a bald man covered in black and gray tattoos walked up to you in the street and asked you to listen to a speech. Ronin took this silence as consent and continued promptly. 

"Wise guys. The last rank before made man in this thing if ours, and the most common. It holds minimal status in our world, and yet still signifies basic competence in our ways. 

Current city hall statistics state that a staggering 34.48 percent of our population are wise guys. If you remove civilians from the equation that number rises to 41.67 percent. Nearly half of the criminal population (myself included) is sitting at Wise guy, yet to earn their button and truly join a family.

Why, exactly is this? Sure, a fair amount of the population is much younger after a recent war, but even still there are mafiosi around who have held the rank for months on end. I have several theories."

He stopped for a moment to survey his audience and gauge their interest. Most of them were listening, if not intently then at least begrudgingly. A few new faces had even joined the group.

"What I would most like to believe is that the rank of made man has finally gained back the significance and clout that it had in the old days. I'm sure several family heads are very selective of who they promote, but on the whole it is entirely unlikely that we have reached those lofty standards of our ancient forefathers.

Being a wise guy has several benefits to it though, doesn't it? Let us consider those benefits.

The most basic of those benefits is graverobbing. Graverobbing is taboo in itself, but it is completely prohibited for made men and above. Such a heinous and vile act is considered below them. But it is a great source of criminal experience and, in the long run, money. I know of several wiseguys who have requested not to be promoted because they wish to continue this line of work.

Another small advantage wise guys are given is they are not displayed on leader's official crew list, viewable to any mafiosi in our thing. Such esteemed places are reserved only for mades and higher, to signify true entry into the family. In times of war it can be difficult to track wise guys, especially after a leader falls. This can be quite useful for survival in the event that their leader sleeps with the fishes.

Furthermore, most takedowns focus solely on made men and above. Entrance into a family is considered until death, as it should be, and generally the attacking side pays the rank a respect by holding true to that, and killing all of them. There are exceptions,  but the majority of mades die with their leader.

Those last two benefits create perhaps the greatest benefit a wise guy has: chances of survival. Wise guys are far less likely to die in a takedown or the occasional true war we see. I can see why this would be a very important thing to a mafiosi when deciding whether or not they wish to commit to a family. 

Is it just the mere fact that the younger generation isn't old enough to attain the rank if made man  yet that is contributing to our rise in wise guys? Will the rise simply correct itself over time?

In reality it is most likely a combination of all of these factors that has led to the ballooning of the wise guy rank in recent weeks, and over the greater scale of time. But I'm interested to hear, not only from the respected made and above men and women of this world, but from wise guys themselves who have had to weigh these factors and make a decision on this matter. What do you think is the biggest reason people cling to wise guy?"

Ronin smiled and nodded to the audience, indicating that he was finished. He stepped aside hoping to hear from his fellow mafiosi from across the States.

Kaeden listened as the man at the front of the crowd spoke. He brought up a subject that Kaeden had spent some time wondering about himself. When he finished his speech Kaeden decided he would share his thoughts on the matter and stepped up to a little closer to the front before speaking.

"I think the biggest reason there are so many of us Wise Guy's at the moment is definitely due to the recent wars and so many of us being young, I don't think that is the only reason though. Granted this is just the opinion of a single Wise Guy but I think Made Man is the most difficult rank to reach for a reason. 

If a Wise Guy messes up and does something to tarnish the name of the leaders in their crew and their city it's not really that big of a deal; at least not compared to if someone who holds the rank of Made Man or higher does the same. Once you are a Made Man it signifies that your crew and your city trusts you completely to represent them. That is a lot of trust to put in someone and is probably the second biggest factor for why there are so many Wise Guys in the country. If you don't take the time to prove yourself to your city's upper structure than you can't really expect them to trust you to represent them can you? 

Once you are an actual member of your family that means your family trusts you completely, that's how I look at it anyway. I think that level of trust takes a while to build. Before the recent wars I have been told there was a long period of peace, and maybe that gave more people the required time to prove themselves worthy of higher ranks.

I am sure there are some outliers, the occasional Wise Guy who either really likes to rob graves, or figures he will live a longer life by not committing fully to their family. For the most part though I think it is probably due to trust... or a lack of trust."

Joining the growing group, Joe Adonis checked his wrist watch as he listened to those before him. He was due for a game of poker in an underused building just around the corner. It wasn't the glitz of Prospect Park Casino in New York or the complete package of The Tops in Detroit, but when the itchy called you had to scratchy-san it.

With a few minuets to spare and some thoughts wanting to be shared, Adonis added his input as he dug his hands into his trouser pockets.

"I can't speak for others, not even the more senior in the Race Street outfit. From what I've experienced and witnessed personally though from Philadelphia as a city, it comes down to putting more honor into the rank. You truly need to work for all titles in the life and it comes down to more than just days in and the amount of luggage you can sneak through security."

"It really does come down to having more respect for the rank itself. You truly need to build something called trust, which can't be bought or haggled. Trust can only be developed through experience, through shared experience, and only with those living this life currently, not from ancestral connections. It's only after many instances where someone has shown themselves to be trustworthy that they should even be considered to be a more involved part of the crew, the family."

"And that's just the beginning. You then need to show you have what it takes to be a captain, to lead others. To teach and mentor others. And then there's the ability to oversee more of the operation and have that respect and reputation that has others automatically gravitate towards you from both in and out of the family. Beyond the button, the true legacy begins."

"I don't believe everyone follows this route but having spoken with people outside the fair city of Philadelphia about the made man experience, I do know there are more leaders out there who put more emphasis on having their members truly earn their right to represent the family at that level and beyond."

"I believe right now though it's more a case of the war just gone and then more and more leaders wanting promotions to mean more, so their standards have risen." 

*Zeitgeist has been listening to Ronin's thoughts intently; he steps out from among the crowd, his hat firmly in his hand eager to share a few of his own thoughts with the crowd that was listening*

You have brought up some valid points and ones that have definitely been on my mind since my lineages return to the streets. You pointed out many of the benefits of remaining Wise Guy; and quite honestly for sometime now mafiosi have been disincentivised to progress past the point of Wise Guy. 

If we look at the benefits Ronin brought up as well as a few others below.

- Increased safety in wars

- Anonymity from advertised family rosters

- Increased reward for work when compared to higher ranking mafiosi

- Access to Grave-robbing

- Equal opportunity to earn money in almost every regard

The only noticeable downside is a "Wise Guys" inability to organize more structured crime, but honestly; the benefits here greatly outweigh the the downsides. Furthermore should the Wise Guy ever been in a position where he needs to move up in the family he can often find himself rapidly rising from Wise Guy all the way through to Don in a matter of moments. This seems really problematic to our way of things and against the natural order of our world.

*Zeitgeist steps down from his little soapbox eager to hear what his fellow mafiosi of the 7 cities had to say* 

The status of Wiseguy, or that of Made Man, will always be a discussion and I guess there is no clear cut answer. In short lived careers often doing something is more important than doing something valuable. When times a fast-paced, dangerous, it might chance the way how people perceive the status for ranks. While I'm fairly certain people having been enjoying the benefits of being a Wise Guy for longer, a time like this might also factor in that people simply aren't promoted for flimsy reasons.

We all remember the recent wars, but despite those fews days, this is still a fairly safe time and place. It shook the tree, but it wasn't burned down to the ground. Now in a time when we collectively live longer lives, there's more time and reason to properly evaulate people before handing out promotions. Having numbers in rank at some point can be assumed an advantage, but when families live this long together... rank hardly says anything anymore. It's not about appearing strong and ambitious to the outside world, nor is it about keeping people happy on the short term. There is no short term, everything takes long.

I feel this is a time that people aim to properly value the rank of Made Man again, as families are spending so much time together that they actually invest in something meaningful. Now, if that were remotely true, we need another change apart from just taking longer to promote people. We need to train those Wisecrackers to be absolutely brilliant. This era seems fairly humane and mature, but having some youthful enthousiasm and entrepeneurship be active in that world... that'll push things forward properly.

Nina was rapping up her daily tasks when she heard a raspy voice mentioning the words "Wise Guy." Being a Wise Guy herself she decided to take interest in what the speaker had to deliver. Noting they identified themselves as Ronin, she continued to hear what they had to say to the masses. She listened intently, and suddenly she realized the name Ronin was duly noted in her ancestors diaries. With no time to read the diaries, Nina decides to address the "Wise Guy" dilemma Mr. Ronin speaks about.

Mr. Ronin are you aware that being a Wise Guy is an honor? So much of an honor that they are made men in any Sicilian and American Mafia family. Did you know When a leader known as a Don in the Mafia was popped, the UB known here as the RH takes the family over? 

When your ancestor was GF did you have an issue with the "Wise Guys"? Are you looking for a suggestion box?

Ronin smiled serenely at NinaBergamaschi. There was something very familiar about her, and the vernacular she used. 

"Firstly, thank you to you gentlemen who shared your opinions with me and the group as a whole. Different viewpoints can be so helpful when one has questions such as mine. As much as I would like to break down each of your monologues separately and continue our discussions, it appears as if I should speak with miss Bergamaschi."

He turned now and faced Nina, smirking slightly. 

"My dear you seem to have missed the point entirely in your haste to be rude to me. But I will humor you. Naturally being a wiseguy is somewhat of an honor, holding any rank in our world has it's own honor. But you speak of it almost as if it were equal to Made Man, like I am silly to wonder why more people wouldn't want that esteemed status. This type of thinking is part of the reason the rank has devalued.

I know quite well of the sicilian mafia, but this is not Sicily. I dont know what American mafia you are speaking of, but in our thing, wise guys are not made men. Therefore it is irrelevant what status they hold across the ocean. You seem to be showing symptoms of OOCitis, perhaps you should see Dr. Telkin? I'm sure he could assist. 

My ancestors opinion on this matter is, again, irrelevant. I am not him. I may share his name and to an extent his appearance,  but I am my own man, not a reincarnation. I get the feeling your family feels wronged by him in some way, and if that us so, I am sorry for you. I prefer to live in the present, and in the present I bear you no Ill will.

I'm not looking for a suggestion box, honestly I'm not sure what you're getting at there, unless you're just trying to be rude. I specifically asked in my original speech for the opinions of others. Obviously, that was what I was after, but I am not necessarily looking for a way to "fix" the issue. That is not my responsibility nor do I think anything needs fixing. I am simply sharing my opinion and looking for others."

A grave robbing associate not trusted enough by their leader to be leader is a position of honor? Look, I know the value of the Made Man rank is a scratched record stuck on repeat, but there's no way I'm going to pretend Wise Guys wield any kind of honor. They've sworn no oaths. They jump ship as soon as things get tough and are often extended protection because they are precisely that disloyal and expendable.

Made Man is a position of trust, which means Wise Guy is a position of distrust. It's where the amateur learns his lessons. It's where someone is left to stagnate while the leader takes their tribute. It's where one can put their protege and their nemesis. But it is not a position of honor.

There was a time in this world where the "free movement of peoples" was advocated for- that until they've become Made, individuals are free to travel the cities and work for whomever they pleased. My thoughts on that policy aside; it's clear that the rank is just a tiny step before a big leap and nothing more. As Zeitgeist pointed out, they have it pretty good. So I'm not losing sleep over the fate of their uninspiring multitudes.