Spider had had a lot on her mind. After gracing the streets with her presence the other day, she was invited to a loan sharking operation which was busted by the red and blue. Fortunately, she was able to coax her way out of being put in the slammer, but the officer wasn't that crooked and signed her up for some community service the next day. Which she showed up promptly to this very morning even though the event, as she liked to call it, was quite common of her and completely below her usual Thursday mornings. But a girl could pass up one classy morning brunch of mimosas at the Blue Moon Tavern. Plus, she figured it'd do her some good, getting into society again, mingling with the average man.

To her surprise, the community service included serving breakfast to the homeless. This was, well, shocking. Spider had hoped she would have been assigned to clean up trash on the beach which she would have just paid some bum off to do it for her. This though, this should couldn't just stick on of the homeless people behind the food line and hope no one noticed. So, she pulled up the sleeves of her cardigan and got a little dirty. After all the people had gone through the line and were seated with their food in the cafeteria under the church down on Spring St, many of the volunteers, the people that actually signed up to do this job for free and Spider noticed they all seemed happy doing it, joined the homeless.

Spider was definitely not that involved with the community yet and instead wandered over to the bulletin board. Which had a list of jobs tacked to it. After reading it, Spider made sure she had completed her duties and reminded herself not to loan shark on that side of town and made her way back to her side of town. Many thoughts on her mind and inspired by what she read on the bulletin board. She stopped on her favorite street corner, glamorously tossed her blond her behind her left shoulder and smiled, which caught the attention to most that were around.

I've just come back from doing community service at a homeless breakfast…party. It was an experience that will forever change my life and I can take a few lessons to be learned from it. Like, keep the hair net on at ALL times, don't stand next too close to the woman who is picking fleas out of her hair and always read bulletin boards because some how they make everything come full circle. Why am I telling you this? Well, settle down and let me explain and please, keep listening. I appreciate all attention on me.

As I was gazing over the bulletin board I came across a listing of jobs. Each job had a short description of the work, responsibilities and competence guidelines to see if one would fit the job. This got me thinking, which led to brain storming. Lets start first with the thinking.

Every job in the whole entire world has responsibilities. If those responsibilities aren't fulfilled like an employer asks them to be one would soon find themselves without a job. Responsibilities in a job are important, they make up the job, form it to what it is and give it it's title. Without responsibilities in a job, there would be no job. Let us take this knowledge and put it into our way of life. There are plenty of jobs in our world. From the important hit squad leader to the crew bartender or from top of our ranks of Godfather to the lowest, thug because even our ranks are jobs.

I've already used the hit squad leader as an example and it will continue to be a good one. Lets take a situation where there is a hypothetical family. In this family member C has been assigned to hit squad leader, she takes the role and does nothing with it even though she has many responsibilities to complete the job. She was just looking for a role in the family that the name alone gave her power, pride and she could keep up the act by telling other people to do things but she was not doing anything herself.

Then a war comes, another family attacks this hypothetical family and the crew leader calls upon member C for shot reports, but member C has been only acting as hit squad leader and has not been doing anything with the position at all. This will cause much confusion and chaos and possibly many lives to be lost with one not fulfilling the responsibilities of the job. The crew leader may even have member C swimming with the fishes before the day ends for putting the whole family in jeopardy like that.

This is obviously an extreme situation and hopefully never happens, but do you know what does happen much to often? Members of our society taking the job of crew leader, the power, the pride, the sense of importance and sitting on it. More and more over the years we've seen our world be filled with crew leaders who swiftly set up and quickly become rotting shells of the most sought after position in our world. The job is left to waste to those who don't know what to do with it or decide to do nothing with it.

Crew leaders take a lot of heat and are targeted the most for being mute in the streets because they are the leaders. Leadership is a very important thing in our world. Leadership is also a major responsibility of a leader. It comes with the job description. Without someone to look up to, new blood will get off that boat and stay new. If the streets lack life and our world lacks voice from our leaders, their hands and possibly even their members how is a new citizen going to learn the way of our life.

Two days ago I touched on the subject of auth threads. This is where the brainstorming kicks in. I believe I have come up with a very good solution to this problem of no speech, double speech, rogue confusion and the concern of "congratulations fellow mobster" vocal spam. It's a problem, always has been a problem, that when new auths come to the streets to announce themselves to the criminal world that the last we'll see of them, speeches made by themselves and comments they make to speeches. Sometimes this dropping off the side of the earth extends to the new crew leaders right hands, left hands and their whole crew. Lets take away that problem by not even letting it happen. If a new crew leader wants to prove themselves to the criminal world in public they've got to do it in another way besides their crew introduction.

I think that a good resolution to this problem would be for the city head or crew leader to be responsible for the announcement of new auths. The announcement should be made before the new auth is set up. Then the new crew leader does not step into his or her proving grounds by boasting about their own crew and the goals they have made for it. Instead, the responsibility of showing face in the streets to let us know you are still alive and kicking that comes with the job will let us know you are cut out for the position. That the new auth has what it takes to run a good criminal syndicate, prove to the rest of our world that this is why they were selected to join the elite position of crew leader and what they can give to our world with this new found power. They got their introduction thread, no confusion from either side - the public won't think they are a rogue and the new auth won't know if they need to speak of their new crew or not.

This is not the same speech I delivered just the other day. I'm only touching back on this issue because it fits in with the lack of upholding responsibilities in jobs. This all leads back to standards, but maybe there is an underlying problem. Is it possible there has become a rift between new school and old school? How does one learn how to do a job? Someone experienced teaches them right? Or they learn from example.

It's hard for me to believe new blood is learning anything productive as the worlds standards are getting worse and worse as days continue. Much more is tolerated that shouldn't be allowed at all and I know it's been said over and over again, the standards issue. Speeches are wrote up and given about it, tyrants are killed, new order and law are put into place, but we still keep running into the same problems. Everyone wants to stand up and point the finger at the problem, but it seems no one wants to jump in, get dirty and make some changes.

Though, I can't really blame anyone for not wanting to dive right into this problem as on a large scale it seems quite impossible to solve. But, if people start small and remember and respect their job description and the responsibilities that come with them I think we may see progress.

Plays a harmonica.

Slash inhales and exhales a deep breath before starting to discuss certain parts of Spiders entertaining speech

Firstly, let me just say that I find it refreshing that someone is at least trying to bring some activity to our streets by starting these discussions. Much like your last, I expect there to be several differing views on various comments you made. Thats a good thing, though. Provided people are capable of actually focusing on the points at hand and not belittling one another of course...

Also, good job on the homeless thing. Not everyone is cut out for that sort of work. So with that said, allow me to comment on one or two things you mentioned;

Then a war comes, another family attacks this hypothetical family and the crew leader calls upon member C for shot reports, but member C has been only acting as hit squad leader and has not been doing anything with the position at all.

This may seem picky, but if your going to use a hypothetical situation as examples for the basis of your argument/discussion, then I feel its fair to comment on that aspect also: If the leader didn't know until that moment that his/her HSL wasn't actually doing any work, then the leader deserves to perish as much as the HSL, as they too were clearly neglecting their responsibilities in that scenario.

If any leader sits on their hands and assumes that those around them are doing their job to perfection and doesn't actually have any involvement in things, what on earth makes them the leader? The ability to delegate? Well thats exactly what the HSL did in your scenario. Therefor both are culpable for any deaths that occur in this hypothetical attack.

Crew leaders take a lot of heat and are targeted the most for being mute in the streets because they are the leaders

Leadership comes in many many ways. Having the ability, and time, to approach the masses often is never a good indicator of whether a leader is good or not. In fact, I've known many people that were excellent orators and absolutely terrible leaders. Don't get me wrong, I highly value street presence as thats how I was raised, but I'll never agree that just because someone has a presence it doesn't make them any better a leader than someone that doesn't have one. Someones ability to lead their family can ONLY be judged by those under their command, unless of course there are situations where the persons inability to lead/control things are evident (members constantly breaking rules).

Without someone to look up to, new blood will get off that boat and stay new

Really? Do you actually honestly think that people that are fresh off the boat are incapable of finding their own feet? Honestly, I don't think thats true. Sure, helping them along will certainly make the process much smoother, but I highly doubt that people that enter our life are entirely un-accustomed to the ways of This Thing of Ours. In fact, not so long ago I remember my grandmother praising a young lady that was fresh off the boat as like yourself she was often spotted in the streets making an effort. Again, I don't completely disagree with your viewpoint, I would just like things not to be over hyped. It is important that we teach those new to our world and give them any guidance they require, but that doesn't mean that if left alone they wouldn't find their own way and learn all on their own.

I think that a good resolution to this problem would be for the city head or crew leader to be responsible for the announcement of new auths

Isn't that already the case? If they choose not to make an announcement, thats up to them. Who are we simple criminals to decide whether a leader is right or wrong in this regard? Personally I do feel that a speech from the City Head should be done, purely because it should be an honour for them and for their new leader to be presented to their fellow criminals and give them a chance to give us some insight into what to expect from them. But i'd never in a second suggest that anyone not doing this is doing something wrong, they are simply doing it their way. Who are we to tell them their way is wrong?

If you really feel strongly that an announcement should be made, perhaps you should make your feelings known to your City Head and ask that it be raised at the next meeting between all city heads so that a formal discussion can take place on the matter with an actual decision made on some sort of etiquette for it?

The announcement should be made before the new auth is set up

Again, this is really down to the respective leader/city head. I see no reason why the people that are authing the leader can't simply send a notice to their fellow leaders to make them aware that they are giving permission for X to run their own family in that City. If there are really people so trigger happy out there that would immediately think to gun down someone that appears in a new bold suit without first asking questions, then these people should really think twice about their reason for being in this life. Its simple blood thirst to act in this manner, it can be dressed up as protecting your family all you like, but unless that person in bold has done something to merit being attacked other than deciding to put on a bold suit, the only people that should be declaring them rogue and attacking them are the leaders of our world.

That the new auth has what it takes to run a good criminal syndicate, prove to the rest of our world that this is why they were selected to join the elite position of crew leader and what they can give to our world with this new found power

And who are we to decide whether this new auth has what it takes? That concerns only 1 person, their City Head. A new leader has nothing to prove to the rest of the world. Sure, we are all curious bastards and want to know what this new leaders next move will be, we would also wish to know their credentials, but we have no divine right to this information.

This is not the same speech I delivered just the other day. I'm only touching back on this issue because it fits in with the lack of upholding responsibilities in jobs.

It actually really is the same speech. Sure, you've added a little about responsibility of jobs, but only in a hypothetical sense and even then it was your basis for the rest of the speech, rather than an integral part; I don't want to seem picky, but if i'm going to come out here and discuss your points then I need to be honest and share my full opinion on all of your speech.

That said; I don't care that its virtually the same as your last speech. After what happend with the last one, I'd rather it be left alone and people will hopefully be more open minded and actually discuss points, rather than attacking one anothers point of view purely because it differs from their. Id especially hope we don't see people twisting words again, either.

How does one learn how to do a job

Do we seriously think new blood should just sit back and absorb our experience? Surely fresh views on our life should be encouraged? Let them find their own feet and help as often as possible when they seek it. I don't understand this obsession with focusing on how things have always been done, in order to progress and evolve our ways we should encourage people to find their own way of doing things, who knows it might be better than what we currently do?

Anyway. I think thats enough for me to comment on. I'm happy to hear views that differ my own and look forward to seeing many of them.

Its an age old debate this one, does an active street speaker make a good leader, or does a good leader make a good street speaker?. Personally i think it depends on your character to start with, we have many people who come out to the streets and make an effort whether or not the thread is any good fair play to them for doing so in the first place, now would they all be good leaders?, No!

No one likes a mute granted but that doesn't mean that the said leader is a a bad one, my ancestors have been around for quite sometime now and have been in lots of different crews over the years some good some bad, Im not going to name names but one crew i was in the CL was a mute in every sense of the word not just in street presence but in presence full fucking stop the guy wouldn't even respond to mails, now that was bad leadership, i have however also been with people who were great in the streets but fairly clueless as a CL and had most of his crew doing all the work for him again bad leadership.

For me at least good leadership means good communication within your own crew and accross our world as a whole, have time for people regardless of their rank or position help as much as you can no question is a stupid one and all that, on the other hand though if someone in my crew fucks up they will get whats coming to them, its sort of like a balancing act those who can walk the middle generally make good leaders.

As for the main topic at hand street presence i'll be the first to admit i haven't come to the streets as much as maybe i should, does that make me a bad leader or a mute?, i guess only my family can truelly answer that , i could come to the streets daily and spout any old shit would that really better me?, dont get me wrong i read the streets as much as i can and try and stay on top of whats going on in our world on a daily basis but you wont catch me posting for the sake of just posting, if something catches my eye like this thread i will put across my opinion. Have to say i agree with much of what Slash has already pointed out and this about sums it up for me:

Leadership comes in many many ways. Having the ability, and time, to approach the masses often is never a good indicator of whether a leader is good or not. In fact, I've known many people that were excellent orators and absolutely terrible leaders. Don't get me wrong, I highly value street presence as thats how I was raised, but I'll never agree that just because someone has a presence it doesn't make them any better a leader than someone that doesn't have one. Someones ability to lead their family can ONLY be judged by those under their command, unless of course there are situations where the persons inability to lead/control things are evident (members constantly breaking rules).

Thank you Slash on the homeless ordeal, it's obviously not my cup of tea, but I powered through it.

Spider shudders at the thought of ever doing it again.

Please, be picky, it helps to really dissect an opinion. I agree with you Slash, if a hit squad leader fails to do their job and a crew leader fails to do their job by not keeping tabs on their members, they should both die. There are two sides to every story, so lets flip the coin.

In some cases the crew leader may have all their faith in this hit squad leader and not think twice that they aren't doing their job. You may call this crew leader a fool for giving so much trust, but what if the hit squad leader is deciding the crew leader and making it seem that they are doing there job? Then, like I said, the war comes and the crew leader finds out the terrible truth. That the hit squad leader has actually just been sitting on the title and not actually doing anything with the role. The crew leader is obviously going to be upset about this. This situation, I feel, represents our faith in new auths.

The city head that is giving this new auth the nod and/or the crew leader that the new auth is coming from have the utmost confidence in this individual that they will run a successful crime organization. But then a week later the city head has lost all hope in that new crew leader, much like what Lancelot has mentioned about his ancestors being in terrible crews. How do these people become crew leaders? Is it that they have an excellent skill at killing the enemy and protecting their previous boss? Or do they deceive their previous boss by making it seem they know what they are doing, but then when the time comes for them to step up to the place and become a full fledge crew leader the ball is dropped. Instead of taking on the jobs responsibility they just sit on the power the job comes with and do nothing else.

As for new blood staying new, in this day in the world, things are completely dumbed down for those who step off the boat. An offer to join a family is sent to them and I could go on with more examples, but I already feel this to be a lengthy reply. So, of course they'll survive without any help if they really want to survive, but how many really want to survive? You mention one young woman and how many others in the same time frame didn't become anything in our world. This also introduces us to another problem, because things are easier in our way of life compared to generations back, those who have no ancestors to our world, climb the ladder to the holy spot of crew leader on their first generation and then are shot down from whatever political reason. When their next of kin come back they, more often then not, feel their bloodline are entitled to the luxuries of the world and shouldn't have to work their asses of every again.

Spider turns her attention to the point Slash had made about this speech and the last speech being similar, covering the same topics.

I felt I couldn't bring my opinion of a solution to the authed speech problem as it would be lost in those who are just trying to clear their name. Which is terrible unfortunate and now I understand why some people from thugs to leaders do not waste their time in the streets. I didn't want to bring it into this one at all and unfortunately it made up a large part of this speech, but I felt strongly about the solution I had come up with.

She then comments on what Slash ended with.

You may encourage people to find their own way in our world, but that doesn't mean that other mentors do the same. I believe some leaders pump people through their crew like factory made solders. Set them up with the skills to do exactly what they require, no depth to learning them is given, require them to send up all of their money. Slash you may encourage freedom of thought and speech, but I don't think everyone does. Because of this crude "teaching" our society suffers.

Spider turns her attention to what Lacelot has come to say.

Lancelot, you admit that your street presence isn't what it should, or is it not what you would personally like for yourself? Though, has there been anything worthy of your time? Sure you could reply to the 18 pick pocketing debates or the speeches that were replayed from a record that were spoke ages ago. I respect the opinion and I can't tell you are wrong because you are not wrong about anything. Quality over quantity, a good balance between public and internal leading.

Lancelot, you admit that your street presence isn't what it should, or is it not what you would personally like for yourself? Though, has there been anything worthy of your time? Sure you could reply to the 18 pick pocketing debates or the speeches that were replayed from a record that were spoke ages ago. I respect the opinion and I can't tell you are wrong because you are not wrong about anything. Quality over quantity, a good balance between public and internal leading.

Before i became a crew leader i didn't think it too important to hit the streets, my only concerns were serving my own leader and family to the best of my ability, never being one to shy away from responsibilities i generally undertook whatever job or jobs that needed doing within the crew so mainly concerned myself with internal dealings as apossed to the external goings on, but since i am now a crew leader myself you will find me out here more often putting my opinion across but again only if i feel the need to comment on something worth commenting on, its not about a thread being worthy of my time im no different to anyone else its about me having something worthwhile to add to a certain debate, i think you hit the nail on the head here

Quality over quantity, a good balance between public and internal leading.

As i said before a good leader is someone who can successfully balance it all, only time will tell whether or not we get it right!