Noah sat in the small bar just west of Fairmount Park and listened idly to the converastion going on around him. As always people were bringing up valid points and, as always, Noa didn't feel the need to add to it unless he had something worth saying. As Plato once remarked, 'Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools speak because they have to say something'.

Today was slightly different, as Noah sat fiddling with the signet ring on his little finger, twisting it over and over, he looked up at some of the associates sitting with him, draining his coffee before spoke.

"Heard of Jimmy Hats, anyone?" As they shook their heads no, Noah nodded to himself as if confirming a private thought. "Alright, how about Paulie Di Matto?"

At once, the associates nodded, chattering animatedly about Paulie, the guy from West Philly in Don Gigante's crew who ran with an inordinate number of bodyguards.

"See, boys, this is the thing. None of yous have heard of ol' Jimmy and yet he's a Capo out in Cleveland, an important feller - a made guy. Yet you all know intimately about Paulie and yet as far as rank and seniority goes, he's a nobody - a two bit earner!

"Times have changed, see. When I listen to stories about the old timers back at the HQ, they paint a picture of the old days when rank was everything,  and even more! I know a lot of us get so reminiscent of the golden times that we picture them as they didn't really exist, but that can't be the case here. Back in the day, rank truly was the only barometer of respect and standing, there could be nothing other indicator to show the extent to how much a Leader regarded and trusted the individuals in his flock; so rank was everything. You looked at a made guy and not only did you respect him, you feared him because you knew the only way he earnt that rank was through unwavering loyalty and dedication, and unfaltering service to his Family.

Things are so different now. The ranks have stayed the same; of course there is still honour being a made guy as there always will be, but your rank alone can no longer be used as a way to indicate your standing in the community and your Leader's faith in you. I remember a time when demotion was a word spoken in whispers, it was a punishment some feared worse than death. If you embarrassed the family, you weren't afforded a dignified death, you were stripped of your title and humiliated. It was, without labouring the point, the ultimate in dishonour.

Now, demotion is taken as standard. It is the common practice today to demote your most trusted members so they are able to take advantage of cheaper protection. With one or two notable exceptions, the insanely high level of protection most mobsters walk around with is paid for by their Leaders; and I don't think anyone could argue against the fact that investing in some cases at least $75,000,000 into one individual to keep them safe is an infinitely more grand gesture of faith, trust and regard than the ceremonial nature of elevating an invidual to the rank of Made Man.

It's interesting how times change.

With that, Noah interlocked his hairy fingers and rested his clasped hands on his amble stomach, leaning back in his chair and waiting to see if anyone had something to add.

Rank still holds weight and value. True, by in large most people dont respect it, but there are those of us out here who do. We know the hard work, total dedication, and unwavering loyaltly that it requires to obtain the rank of Made Man. So worry not good sir, you're not alone in your respect for the button man.

and I don't think anyone could argue against the fact that investing in some cases at least $75,000,000 into one individual to keep them safe is an infinitely more grand gesture of faith, trust and regard than the ceremonial nature of elevating an invidual to the rank of Made Man.

At first, the argumentative little bastard in me thought I could.. but alas, your right.

Making the grade and becoming a Made Man should still be the aim for any mafioso, in my opinion. But the fact that peoples lives are so much longer now than they were before, is partially down to the crazy high level of protection that is around now. Back in the days you speak of, people were lucky to be alive in this thing of ours after 30 days, so to become a Made Man was a massive move really as you spent literally half your life getting to that stage.

These days, Made Man is here before you know it and you live for a long time after it. Is this maybe one of the many reasons why the stature is so diluted? Is it cheapened by the fact we seldom expect to be gunned down before we make our bones?

After listening intently, Africanus decides to join the discussion.

Friend Noah, you bring up an excellent point and the little lord has remarked - things are more stable these day. Houses are thriving and life is long, yet not everlasting.
Thermodynamics parallels nicely with our discussion. The property of entropy is often associated with disorder. Let's consider a block of ice. Ice is composed of a crystal lattice structure, highly ordered, relative to a puddle of water or vapor. Now, entropy is said to be increase as time progresses (isolated system). This is relevant to an abandoned building falling into disrepair and rotting into oblivion. The same goes for the respective families we have today. To remain competitive, families need to raise hitters. To keep their investments alive, these hitters are supplemented with protection. The cheapest route is the cheapest route, demoting highly ranked members to the depths of thug. We all understand why it happens, but it cheapens the values of old. I don't know what the solution is and almost fool-hearty at this point to abandon the practice.