Cory Chase had left a speech he heard down the road and was walking the downtown streets on a bright sunny evening. He tended to himself and smoked on a cigarette and was in deep thought about something. Something that he had his own opinion on and knew everyone had a different thought on. He made a puzzled face and he let the smoke float into the sky as he looked up towards the sun. Cory turned around to one of his bodyguards and nodded to him.

“You sir.. Do you happen to know the definition of the mafia?”

At first the bodyguard was taken back by the question then he returned a puzzled look to Cory. He looked back at other bodyguard for some help looking for the answer. Knowing that he didn’t have an answer, one of the other stepped forward and spoke a little nervously towards his boss.

“In school I was always told it was a secret criminal organization that roams mostly in the United States and came from Italy. The mafia includes illegal operations such as gambling, drugs, protection, and prostitution.”

Cory stared at the man for several moments before shaking his head at him. He thought about it for a few more minutes and continued his walk down the street. He came across a nice section in the street and looked around. He found a bench and stepped up onto it. He was a little surprised in how much more elevated his placed himself, maybe he should have just gone with a soapbox, but that was too late.

“Hello ladies and gentlemen. I am Cory Chase, and I have came forward to you today to discuss something running across my mind the last few days. I saw Chris-Flannery come to the streets talking about a new sensitive mafia in this day and age. I attended the speech, however I never did throw my own words into the mix. I didn’t feel it was my discussion. When I left the speech it got me thinking though about what is the definition of the mafia? Chris spoke of sensitive mobsters. Is that the respect mobster’s personality or does that breed from the leader of the family? Certainly his answers could be found in the definition about us, but no... that is all it says we are.

I heard that definition of what the mafia was today and it did not satisfy me. That word can be more expanded rather than drugs, brothels, and wasting our money at blackjack. In fact, I think it goes much more deeper and it much more broader then that weak example of what we are all about. Truth of it all is that we are all different in many way and each family is handled differently. We do have all these different types of personalities that swim in and out of each city. Do we adjust the family and tweak it according to them or do we make them adjust to the way we do things with no leaning room in between? Every family has their technique, but everyone’s thoughts are different on the matter.”

Cory cleared his throat and took a drink of water a friend handed him.

“I am in no way attacking what Mr.Flannery said, but his speech did intrigue me into finding out more about what people thing the mafia is about. Mr.Flannery is his own man, with his own thought and beliefs and I will respect it as so. Should the mafia always respect everyone wishes even though they might be a lower rank? I have heard people say that respect should be given to everyone no matter who they might be. Should I not pickpocket a goomba just because his profile asks me not to do so? I have earned my rank and my position to maybe push that boundary, or do I? Mr.Flannery brought up a very good point in his speech and I don’t think it got expressed well enough in detail. In my opinion the mafia has always been based off respect and it should always be followed. That means respecting other wishes and knowing your limits of what you can and cannot do. Are these gangsters considered ‘softer’ the others? Do they just not want something done to the, just to see if we will test that limit? This is the mafia, where egos do become dangerous at times, I think we can all agree on that, depending on the person. Just like we are expected to deceive. Just because that is expected of us is it alright for people to do? Mafias are full of these problems that must face everyday. Should that person be looked at any differently on doing what we do best? Living a life of a criminal. 

We as mafia families are looked at and expected to get along with each other for as long as we possible can. I know some families take different approaches on something and others but for the most part we all attend to our own business and the business with the other families. With your definition of the mafia, is it ok to deal without people outside of the family or family members only? 

Like I said, the definition goes much more deeper then what the basics tell us. It is Omerta, family, and earning. There has to be a better definition for this world somewhere out there. I would love to hear peoples detailed definition of the word mafia, or you can answer any of the many questions that I left open for comment. I want the word expressed on your own and your beliefs about what the mafia is all about. Certainly we are worth more then that cheap one line excuse that they call us. If that is all we are about then we are indeed in a very sensitive age, because I know the roots grow much deeper then that.”

Cory looked around him and jumped off the bench before turning back to the crowd to listen to any comments. 

After listening to his leader speak, PandaBear decides he will put in his thoughts.

Mafia to me means family. You must have the highest respect for the leaders and the people who have earned their positions above you. However the people below you need to earn your respect. Part of that process is being harassed sometimes and possibly having to get up some of your hard earned money to meet their needs. Sometimes the people higher than you arn't going to ask for the money they will simply reach into your pocket, grab what they can, and walk off as if nothing happened. The lower ranked Mafioso should just turn his shoulder and go on with his life. The amount of money took will not hurt him and he can live without it.

Then there is the other end of things. When a lower ranked Mafioso reaches into the pocket of someone higher than them it is a sign of disrespect. If that person sees them they then have the right to mug them and take back what was theirs and maybe a little extra. It’s the price the young Mafioso pays for the risk.

PandaBear then takes a step back and waits for any replies.

The mafia doesn't exist.

Cory stood there and listened to what his PandaBear had to say. He didn't change his facial expression, but instead, took in everything he was saying. He nodded with him and waited for him to finish speaking.

"You are correct PandaBear. Mafia should be most importantly about family. Without your family you aren't anything at all, just a solo gangster trying to make his way in this world, which will not work as well as they are to hope. The word goes much deeper then just family though no? I mean the definition of mafia is much more then gambling, whores, and robbing the liquor store.The word goes much deeper then just family also, that is only one aspect of what we are all about.

And I value your opion on the pickpocketing subject and what it involves with rank. Some people think differently however, and the city rules reflect what the leaders believe it should be like. Me personally, I don't care if someone tries to pickpocket me, it won't bother me. I respect those who wish not to be pp'ed. I may ask them or return the money after I am finished with the little game, but it is all out of good fun to me. 

But in the mafia world, is it a crazy idea that a higher rank has to respect the lower ranks wishes? On any subject for that matter. Rank is the most important aspect in a mobsters life at times, to climb the latter. What is the use to climb the latter, when someone still has to answer to a lower rank? Maybe I went too off topic with that, but what the mafia is about leaves so many open ended answers."

Cory then noticed that another man had walked into the scene and stated something. Cory Chase nodded towards the man and turned his attention that way.

"No mafia? Sure, some blind people might say there is no mafia that roams the city streets but that is false. We might not want to connect ourselves with the mafia for safety reasons but the truth is that we still are criminals. So, there is a mafia, there are indivuals who have followers and commit crimes daily. What seperates the mafia from other thugs is that it is organized crime, anything other isn't the mafia. If you don't mind Avram, who are you assocaited with? If the mafia does not exist, then why do you wear a family tatoo? Why do you crime and tribute? Why do you take orders from a superior?"

After the speech was done Snowball looked at Cory, he nodded and Snowball decided to tell his opninion.

"Hello, to me "Mafia" means alot to me. Mostly family but also respect. When i hear the word "Mafia" i think of a big family with a big rank system and people who respects each other no matter rank. However i still believe that if you have a high rank you have achieved it and earned it. Of course you should respect each other no matter rank, but there is more limits for a gangster than a capo etc. PandaBear spoke about pp which imo should be respected by any rank no matter what. BUT, if a gangster pp a boss or capo it should imo be punished harder than if it happend opposite, its hard to explain but respect is important but there is difference on WHAT person who  crossed the line. A good mafia family respects each other but will punish when neccesery, its important that there is rules and structure.

Right now i dont have more to say, i will speek again when i feel the need is there. Thank you Cory for the opportunity to speek."

When everyone stopped ,he approached and took advantage of the silence, waited for a couple secs and started to talk ....  

" Mafia is an organization, a group of people sharing the same interests, the same ambitions, fighting under their own code of justice....the elder Mafiosi lead the way creating families but the fear was the only way to respect your crew leader and this legacy seems to continue. In my humble opinion the structure of this organization has to be really simple. The higher ranks don't have to disrespect the lower one.... they are, as everybody says 'family' . It is understandable that some of the members have more experience and  they are natural leaders , it is obvious and because of that the lower one respect them ,naturally . There's no need to be afraid or respect their leader only because of the rank or because of the "fear" . It s maybe a tradition and many families operates still like this , but when you respect everybody and treat him as an "equal " ( i  need to define that with the word equal here i mean a respectful attitude ) he will respect you and give what ever he got for you . 

But this kind of opinions seems to be dangerous in this crazy consequential world  ... "

He look up in the purple sky as the night was coming and he thought  he needed a drink .....just another common night 

After hearing everybody's honest opinions wich are all true , _Zelux decided to share his own ..

Mafia is only a word , what gives it meaning is the people , the family that resides inside this world of "mafia". Every person that lives and even every person that died in our community (I say our community because we are all in this together) gives meaning to the word "mafia". What you make of it is up to you.

_Zelux lights his finely rolled cuban cigar and turns to the door , he heads over to the restaurant down the street still thinking about what the mafia really means to him.

Cory noticed more people had joined in the discussion and he cracked a smiled. He turned to the group of them and began to listen to what their definiton was. He would give the occasional nod to let them know he was paying attention.

"Thank you Snowball for speaking your opinion. I value that you said that respect must be given to all ranks because they are a unit, very good wording with that. Knowing that you can go to a higher rank to be able to sort out a problem is what it is all about. Fighting for your family is the key to it all, knowing that they have your back just as much as you have theirs. No one is to be misplaced from the organization and trying to get everyone involved.

El_Lobo respect is also a must in the mafia. It is what the organization is based from, and it is what gets us to our goals. Having more friends then enemies is a way of surival in this word of ous. The disrespect that one might receive is just the person in general, and not where they came from nor the family they represent. The guy you might meet might be a total ass but his boss might be the most loving man in the world. These people are what makes up each organization and yet what makes each personality so exciting. I have met many people in this life of mine, and my father has told me stories of what all he has experienced. I can say that this world is full of the most twisted and eventful things to take place in the world. When we war, everyone knows about it. When someone achieves GodFather you are no longer a secret to the rest of the world. That is why the definition of mafia should much for deeper then what I have heard. 

Ahh Mr.Zelux, it is nice to have you with us this evening. I love your definiton of the word. You bring it to much a bigger point then what has been discussed. You bring it to every living and dead gangster that has walked the streets and describe the word as everyone in the country, not just the city. Very well put my friend."

Speaking on the importance of Family and Respect is all well and good, but in the context of the world we live in, the Mafia is about Power. Those who have it run This Thing of Ours and have the freedom to do as they please within the parameters of that power.   Those who don't are left with little choice but to bend at the knee and occasionally kiss the ring of the ones who do.

The notion of respect among the ranks is very utopian but not very realistic in Our World, considering that one's rank is only as good as the power his or her Family yields. If a Consigliere from some pip-squeak Mafia outfit in Albuquerque tries to push his weight around with me due to my lowly mob-associate rank, would I show him respect because he holds a higher rank than me? I would, since it is something my Don would expect of me. But the fact that Philadelphia could mop the floor with that Consig's shitty Albuquerque crew means that Consig would be best served not to push it with me, because ultimately it could end badly for that Consig, higher-ranked  or not. Power outweighs the ideal of Respect when it comes to ranks.

Theoretically, a gangster could tell a Don to go fuck himself without repercussion with a powerful enough backing.  Contrarily, a Family could have a Don killed for pickpocketing a gangster if said Family was powerful enough to make that happen.  It's an extreme example, and Chris-Flannery might have considered that to be overly-sensitive, but it's an example of what possessing power in the Mafia means in light of our other standards.

Chris-Flannery's speech was mentioned earlier, and while the delivery and tone of his speech resulted in his demise, he wasn't exactly wrong.  There are plenty of mobsters that are overly-sensitive. Today's Mafia isn't like the Mafia of old, the original Mafia from the motherland, where Mafioso lived and died by their ideals. Today's Mafia is greedy and spoiled.  We throw around and hide behind our values (Respect, Honor, Omertà) in arguments and street debates when it is convenient for us, and then bend them when it serves our purposes.  Our value system is easily compromised and exploited. Power, on the other hand, isn't as easy to dodge or skip around when we want things to go our way in This Thing of Ours. You either have it or don't have it.  For better or for worse everything else is secondary.

So sure, the Mafia is about Respect, and Honor, and Family, and blah-blah-blah and all that other shit, but ultimately the Mafia is about Power. Power is the sole constant in our world when our other values fail us. Accepting that as fact makes all the unpleasant and burdensome aspects of a Mafioso's life much easier to swallow.

Lux listens with a smirk and pulls out a small book her mother left her, and hands it to Cory. "this is what mafia means to me, and to some others. To break these is asking to die, or at least pay a hefty fine, a finger say? Enjoy."

http://mafiareturns.com/comm/thread/46509/tpass/f852fcc99b2cd42d835d165ad81d3462

Cory then heard a voice come from behind him that made him turn around. It was Mayor_McCheese who gave his input on the who discussion. Cory listened to the man with detail and after he was done, Cory began to clap slowly. He walked up the man and put his hand on his back.

" Now that sir, is spot on. The best definition in my opinion I have heard yet. Yes the simple definition does describe us as this and that but the mafia is about constant power and trying to be on top. Why is the point of wanting to be the best if you don't strive to be the best. When someone takes over a family they dont say, "Ya know, I might want to just be a decent crew leader or be one that won't be noticed". They step into that position to be noticed and have the spotlight on them for that sole purpose alone. We all hold the power to make of it what we want and that is the beauty about being in the mafia. We might have stepping stones to lead us on our way, but we choose our own life decisions. Our fate is undertermined and none of us live forever. Some of us value our lives more then others while some are standing in line, ready to take a bullet for any of their respected family members. Mr.Flannery made a very good point in his speech and he touch on one aspect of this broad category. I am glad you say that he wasn't completely wrong, because he wasn't. Sure, this might not be a new ear of the sensitive mafia, because in my opinion to be in the mafia you take away all sensitivity that you have ever had. The power to be able to murder someone in cold blood and it is expected of you to walk away like nothing ever happened. Sometimes the murder chooses whether or not he will make an funeral appearance hidng behind his straight edged face and knowing inside that he was the cause for this. There are some less sensitive gangsters then others, but that comes down to personalilty and what that person leaves an imprint for us to judge from. No one will ever thing you are are the greatest leader in the world, but you must still fight through everything knowing that. I am sure there is no leader in any part of the history that was was loved by every single person. Yes, they might have had very good friendships with a lot of people, but there is someone out there who would love to see you dead. When they see your name in the morning obits, they laugh to themselves a little. Everyone is going to have that, and if you don't then you aren't doing something right."

He then notices Luxuria_Procel walk up to his side and hand him a small book that had a lot of information about the codes they were suppose to follow as members of the mafia. Cory glanced through the first few pages, closed it and smiled toward her.

"This is wonderful Luxuria. Everyone should have one of these handy to look at if they are ever in any doubt. I hope you won't mind if I hold onto this copy do you? It might become useful to me one day."

Luxy smiles sweetly "Feel free, just remember to put credit where credit is due." ^.^

grinning like a cheshire cat he simply looks on at the opinions being exchanged.  Looking round he sees many faces some he was familiar with, others not so.  Adjusting his tie he looked on to the crowd

On the first point of pp'ing that you briefly rubbed on i say this simply like much of life in general it is often about who you know not what you do or say.  We often seen people placed in certain cities or making speeches on street corners which in some minds insult, insinuate or inflame a situation.  Often these people are gunned down or suicide after a conversation.  This is often the true power of the mafia in peoples mind.  Do i respect one rank more then another of course, do i value the importance of each rank yes.  I believe like a chess peace each member can offer value to a cause and be as valuable at crunch point whether through their eyes, stealth or abilities with a gun.

What would i say about the mafia? i would say is an organisation set out largely initially to support, encourage and increase the profitability of its own.  We all know your blood lines looked upon to rank allegedly; we all know their is ways to earn your place in the family...

he pauses slightly "or thats what the papers say"

he laughs to himself

to me it is just like a business, you choose your employer carefully thinking who will help bring out the best in you, and where you will achieve all the things you desire.  It sits like a company diving peoples abilities like departments, just the dismissal from human resources comes in a more painful manner and retirement is often frowned upon.    The difference is i see it as a global organisation with bigger rewards and harsher punishments and a lot more risks. 

The business grasp is beyond the simple element of the alleged crew or family as crew fronts appear in business districts, some allegedly advertising their run by criminals.  This tightens a grasp on a city, its voters, their employees and with time their governors, senators and presidents; their judges, police and even their customs people.   I look at it as much as a business variation through imports, corruption, gambling and even the odd dissapearance.

The Mafia is a smart business which even in front of your eyes you often dont see it or its impact; whether protecting a city from threats or guiding it politically.  Its based on secrecy, honour, loyalty and respect.. but is also much more then that..

Do i differentiate it from a typical criminal gang? of course, its objectives, structure and organisation even its tactics used.  Where many street gangs lack structure and organisation and their crimes are simply small scale generally, an organisation such as the mafia is constantly evolving and expanding.  It's crimes offer bigger returns, involve more people and the evidence is likely to go missing.  The protection level of a solo criminal or street gang is often dog eat dog world, where the mafia protects all their family and people know it.  The common criminal doesnt have the legal protection more money creates but doesnt attract the spot light either.

These are all suppositions though and ideas from the paper and tv, we all know no one could hold that much power and influence.  Plus honest folk like me just working in export and import would notice such criminality.

he smiles walking off with a sly grin on his face.