Anna is sat in her favourite coffee shop, nursing a strong black coffee and a sore head. As thoughts run through her head about recent events in the world, she finds that her thoughts are forming questions, and that questions are causing a thirst for opinions and answers. Addressing the mobsters around her, she begins to speak out loud.

In the last week or so, we’ve seen a number of wars claim the lives of many people. We’ve seen a city die and crews be removed, leading to the deaths of many of our own. This has left many young mobsters coming into this thing of ours to take the place of their parents, to carry on their family lines in our world, and many have come here, especially to the streets, looking for answers about the things that have lead them here. Sometimes, these orphans do come to the streets and approach questions as to the demise of their parents in an entirely inappropriate manner – let’s face it, for most of us in this world, demanding answers is NOT a right we have. However, what I’m wondering, is whether the majority consensus is that it is NEVER the right of a young mobster to ask these type of questions, or whether, if the question is asked respectfully and after a reasonable period of time has been allowed to pass, it’s acceptable?

Also, does the status of the parent have any bearing on this, in your mind? If the child of a Made man comes to the streets looking for answers, would your views on this be shaped differently than if the child of an associate approached the matter in an identical way? Would you be more inclined to respond positively to the child of a Made man or woman, or does every young mobster come into this world on equal status?

Perhaps to look into that deeper, you can also question as to whether the children of bloodlines who have been part of our world for longer should have the advantage of contacts made by their parents to find themselves a home in this thing of ours? We all know, of course, that they DO have that advantage, and we all know there is little that can be done for that, but, hypothetically, would you prefer to see that kind of advantage cease to exist also?

Anna drains her coffee, and nods for another to be brought to the table, then looks around at those around her, awaiting their responses.

The morning news had just about bored Jester to death when he heard a lovely lady speak up in the coffee shop. He folded up the paper, and listened. The questions she asked intrigued him. Mulling over the comments she made, Jester takes a drink of his coffee and finishes off his toast, brushing the crumbs from his red beard. Preparing to speak, he pulls the last cigarette from his pack. Making a mental note to grab a pack at the corner store on the way out, Jester looks up at Anna and begins to speak.

"The wars of late are a tragedy, this is true. Much blood, both young and old, friend and foe, was shed across the seven cities. I personally lost several friends in the struggle..however, I personally really don't give a shit whether their relatives ever show up or not, much less what they think they are entitled to when they get here."

Taking a slow drag off of his cigarette, James gently blows the smoke out of his nose as he continues..

"Don't get me wrong. This beautiful thing of ours is all about family, and the bonds we forge here will last us a lifetime. I do not, however, believe in any sort of entitlement simply because of shared genes. Above all, when a young relative of a recently fallen mobster disrespects the streets with their jammering about how or why their forefathers were killed -- that is absolutely uncalled for. If you think you are entitled to something in this world, don't you think you should probably respect the people who are empowered to give it to you?"

Taking another drink of coffee, Jester enjoys another euphoric puff on his cigarette.

"If a child of a Made Man, or the child of a Godfather comes to these streets demanding answers...they are still in the wrong. They are not a part of this society, they are friends of ours,  but not one of us. You and I go way back, Anna. Should you be whacked right now, I would weep for you. Should your daughter show up, I would extend to her my deepest condolences and my protection. However, should she disrespect me or another Made mobster by demanding something -- I would help see to it that she meets the same fate. Again, family is of utmost importance, but that doesn't give your relatives any sort of entitlement to anything. Respect around here is earned, not given.

As far as the children of powerful bloodlines having an advantage of contacts, that isn't something that either is to be decided or not -- that's just a thing. Some of these children run across their parents/relatives' old contacts and are immediately embraced and afforded for much in the same way I said I would earlier, were your daughter to show up.

Curiosity is human nature, and we cannot deny it. People will always be curious when a relative is gunned down brutally, but that doesn't entitle them to ask questions, or entitle them to any sort of special treament. They must earn their place in the world as the rest of us have."

Bringing his rant to an end, Jester unfolds his newspaper and goes back to his daily media dose.

Questions, questions, questions... Lets face it this is the mafia. Children do not have the right to ask questions. The simple fact of the matter is this... If your parent died and you want awnsers, rank up the ranks of a respected family and then start wringing the necks of some associate's to find out what they know.

If your father/mother has died and some of their family is still around then by all means try and get some information from that family, I'm sure they will be willing to help if it wasn't an inside job.

Always be careful and plan your approach to asking questions.

Is it right? No, but I can't blame them because they are young and overwhelmed with emotion from the recent death of their parent. I believe the true mobsters, young or old, leave their emotions at the funeral or don't say anything at all. Sob stories out in the public makes their bloodline look weak. Everybody's bloodline has suffered a great loss at one point or another so why should their parent's loss be any different? I find it arrogant sometimes, regardless of their parent's status.

While my work is mostly motivated by getting my city to the top, I also care about my bloodline's reputation so my child (grandchild, great-grandchild, etc) will be taken care of later down the road when I'm not around anymore. I think this advantage serves a great purpose in this thing of ours. It's all about who you know when you strive for the top. But I must ask a question...hypothetically, how would one bring this advantage to an end? Just curious.

I don,t have the eloquence of my past speakers but I will say this. If the children of the deceased come in the streets for answers, they will get a response in their own tone. Respect attracts respect and an ass will attract half assed answers, if any. The kin come back, they are upset of course, but a Godfather or related CLs are not obligated to give such open and public explanations...I know that for a fact.

As far as well established bloodlines getting a ahead on invites, and whether or not that should cease...I say NO! You spend amounts of time building a good reputation and proving yourself, a scoop up on an invite is nothing to be ashamed of. Once in the family though, you work and build again just like anyone else.

We all go through this...we live and we die! We are the first of our bloodline or the 15th...we need to speak and we need validation but it is all in the way we do it, and that's it!

I think it's only normal to have questions and want answers. Should they be demanded? No. Should they argue with someone's reasoning if they choose to come to these streets and explain? No. To the victor goes the spoils. Sometimes the reasonings are true and sometimes they aren't, but that is for the ones that choose to explain to decide how to present it.

I agree with Marlborough. The tone you set the conversation at is the tone you will probably receive in return. Being disrespectful in your search for answers, no matter how upset you are, is never a good solution.

There is no place for this kind of question in this place, it is as stupid as asking "Why me God, Why?" As a rhetroical question this is fine, but don't expect an answer, don't even ask this question, ask yourself. Find out yourself in a manor that won't get you killed or lose respect. Many more will fall, and there will be many more unanswered questioned. 

Actually there are some answers or replies to her questions I can think of, Whitty, making it NOT a rhetorical question, but I do love your ability to use a word you don't understand.

WhereWasWadeWilson turns to Anna,

Yes it's unfair for prior bloodlines to be treated differently but they always will be. Whether it's trust, or the fact they have access to a diary crammed filled with knowledge and bloodlines to associate themselves with, there are advantages to bringing in known bloodlines. I myself told the man who got me sponsored that I wasn't even planning on trying and he still was near forceful with his approach on recruiting me (and yes he got to know me and didn't whore me). The thing you may not understand is they also have ties to sins of the father, unjustly and it's both good and bad.

WhereWasWadeWilson turns to AnnieWilkes

Oh, and children have every right to ask questions. Most just fail to ask them in an adult manner.

Gent listens to what Anna's has to say along with the comments of fellow mobsters...

"Good day people, i am The_Gent... for those of you have'nt heard of me. Well, my bloodline had been around these streets before and from reading diaries i have to say that my ancestors were treated differently. Why because in time each ancerstor has learned for his fathers teachings from generation after generation. We have become fairly good speakers of these streets and learned what to say and what not to say. What to ask and what not to ask. So... coming out here whinning and crying never gets good attention, you are most likely to be slaughtered here in the streets. There are ways to talk here, ways to get the answers you seek. Using a respectful and clever tone will probably get you more answers than simply asking why would.

Unfortuately, one needs to be subtile in his/her ways in order to get the right answers. Subtile as in... class i would say, simply put... treating others with respect and try to get enough attention going your way so the ones that knows the answers will be willing enough to come out here and provide explanations you seek. If you plan to come out here and whine about it... might as well shoot yourself in the head. Because in the long run, you may be forced to do it in order to start a fresh and successful life.

Respect has always been the key to success... if your bloodline is known to come out here and whine each time one of your ancestors die, than of course... your treatment will be different from a respectful one. Lets not forget, reputation follows you at all times... you and your bloodline. After all, we are all influenced by own our fathers or mothers are'nt we not?

Listening to the thoughts of those around her, Anna feels the need to respond to some people in particular. Taking a sip of her coffee, she looks first in the direction of Whitty.

Whittey, WhereWasWadeWilson has pretty much said what I was thinking as I read your post, but please, enlighten me, what exactly are the streets for? Are the not for debate, discussions and the like? Or is it merely a sounding board for the leaders? Something that the rest of us should stay well clear of?

Psychopath, I genuinely don't think that the advantage that bloodlines have in terms of contacts and the like COULD be brought to an end, and, to be honest, personally, I don't think it should; it is, afterall, natural, surely, that the son of a mobster may wish to follow into his fathers footsteps, that he may find his first steps slightly easier than those of a total outsider?

Another question could also be raised concerning the elevation of non-Made members to RHM and LHM status.  If respect shouldn't be inherited from a father or mother, why the trust for rank in a crew?  The family line will always be more important around here than it would be in other walks of life, because of the unique nature of our life. 

Now, people should always be respectful when speaking to others, because that's just the way it should be.  But, in our world, a son should receive the same repsect as his father (or daughter and mother).  People change.  People improve.  But, apples don't fall far from the tree . . . I'm sure you get my meaning without my trite phrases from me.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm to engage in a battle of wits with a Sicilian.

Perhaps to look into that deeper, you can also question as to whether the children of bloodlines who have been part of our world for longer should have the advantage of contacts made by their parents to find themselves a home in this thing of ours? We all know, of course, that they DO have that advantage, and we all know there is little that can be done for that, but, hypothetically, would you prefer to see that kind of advantage cease to exist also?

I think this was a bit redundant, but to answer this question simply... yes, they should. In the mafia world or out, parents work very hard to create contacts that may one day be passed on to the child. Now, I think sometimes we encounter the "greatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreat grandparent" epidemic. I think there should be an amount of time that passes where we go, "Okay, maybe its time you prove your worth again because you're just riding on the coat-tails of a name long since passed. But really this only applies to a man or woman who does not continually prove their worth. In theory, they are and this is, as I said before, redundant.

With this being the Mafia, I think the general consensus is that you do whatever the hell it takes to succeed, within a certain construct of rules and expectations. We are a society that is difficult to penetrate and, frankly, those who name-drop their parents or grandparents are really just demonstrating a natural flare for what we already do: we use every tool and every resource available to progress.

Now, for a youngster to come to the streets and let loose a long litany of reasons as to why they are 'entitled' to anything is entirely wrong. If I were faced with someone like this, they wouldn't be considered Chicago material. On the flip side, if I encountered a child who asked the right questions, politely alluded to having learned a great deal from their ancestor and professed a desire to follow in their footsteps (or in some cases, change the family legacy), then I would snap them up and do everything in my power to support them. It's like this: you may wish refer to which bloodline you happen to come from and that is acceptable, but you are an individual. You are not your mother, nor your father, nor are you anything until you prove otherwise. You may have a journal bursting at the seams, but the ability to apply the advice within it is an entirely different matter, particularly if you are compromised by some past injustice misting your vision.

In my own case, I only ever informed people of my mother's name when asked. I didn't deem myself worthy of bringing up my past unless prompted and even now, although my mother was a successful woman, I would much rather be valued for my own merit and worth than hers. That is one of the main thing she taught me; to be an individual and to stand out. That, according to my observations, is the key to real success in this thing of ours. Make a lasting impression off your own back and you're set. Just don't fuck up.