JkL steps from the confines of his LA mansion, a rare lull in business
meetings finally enabling him to stretch his legs and catch up with
life on the streets. His suit crisp, as always. Taking a deep
breath of the cool February air he allowed himself a smile. Once again,
it seems, there's a few Civilians with something to spout off about,
some of them seeming strangely familiar.

I love a healthy discussion, it's one of the bedrocks of our society,
the ability for all people at any rank to come out here and air their
feelings is a right that must be protected. This applies at any rank,
from the lowliest petty thief to the mightiest Godfather, we can
disagree on many areas of business... respectfully. From time to time
there will be a speaker who shows no respect, seemingly has no clue
what it means to be a mafioso, isn't it strange how they are all
seemingly civilians?


I suspect there is a disease spreading through the population of our
fair cities, and it has me more than a little worried. Balls. Yeah, you
heard me right, balls. They're shrinking. It seems that for a large
proportion of Italian Americans are suffering from this condition.
Given the predilection for this condition among certain families, I
suspect genetics hold the key.


Obviously I am talking metaphorically, this isn't likely to affect our
ability to produce offspring. We are all of us born with a set of balls
seemingly made of steel, and most of us have in place a filter that
stops us spewing hellfire and brimstone at those who irk us without
needing a physical muzzle. This filter will serve us well all the days
of our lives.


So why is it, I am forced to wonder, that so many civilians and petty thieves don't have it?


Certainly, some come out here and are brazenly disrespectful - these
people are invariably dealt with accordingly. However there are those
who start out their lives of crime willing to be vociferous in their defense of a position, or willing to engage a crew leader on what he or
she considers a short-coming in the way they do business, or...
whatever else they want to contest.


Less and less, though, do we see these people out here once they have
something to lose. Once they have reached a rank that requires some
effort, once they are making some decent money and progressing they
seem to fall silent.


It's the balls, you see. They're shrinking.

I agree whole heartedly with this speech, alot of people can be rather anti-social nowdays.

Ziben sits down near Jkl.

Question isn't do Civilians and Thugs speak up, Question is Do we want them to speak up?

Maybe, Maybe not. You know, as some of us, low ranked mafiosi have a long bloodline of Italian values, some come as new blood dues, filed with anger and without the filter of respect.
Maybe it'd be better for them not to speak up.
But Hey, what do I know?

I agree with just about everything you had to say sir.  I have to say this is an age old issue.  Its rare that a mafioso comes out and speaks their minds. 

Occasionally, you'll have a mafioso speak their minds in the mean streets...But as you've already said they have little/nothing to lose.  Perhaps its a respect thing?  I guess its a loaded question.  Why is it mafiaoso's cannot come out and speak their minds?  More than anything i believe the lost art of respect is the key issue/reason here. 

If you come out and voice your opinion with all due respect to our leaders.  I dont believe there would be an issue.  More often than not mafioso's dont get in trouble for their opinions, but because of their lack of respect. 

It's a simple explanation really. Those civilians and petty thieves don't understand the consequences of their actions, so in their minds they're not risking anything by shooting their mouths off and don't realise that they're potentially throwing their lives away with the words they speak. A true soldato knows better. They know they have something to lose, they have respect gained and know that their life could hang in the balance for disrespect so aren't willing to give that up.

So a civilian does it with nothing to lose, not even realising they're giving up their life (OOC: yes, they know they'll die, but they've nothing to lose by doing it), while a mafiosi will avoid it showing the respect deserved so as not to fall foul of those they speak out against.

While it is understandable that some might choose to hold their tongue, afraid of losing life itself, what sort of life is that to begin with? A true man of honour would rather die for something he believed in than to continue living on their knees. This thing of ours has been built on the shoulders of brave and daring souls who wished for better, not on yes men who bow their heads and agree like lost puppies.

Eddie steps out and checks his balls, one, two, three. "Whew, same size too." he thinks.

I haven't noticed the phenomenon, but I will definitely keep checking mine for shrinkage. Luckily, I have a spare so a little shrinkage on Eddie won't be as bad as what some of you might experience.

Eddie adjusts the jewels and steps back into the shadows.

Sober Floyd steps out of the library, looking quite handsome, clean cut, nice shave, and a full flask of untouched moonshine in his coat pocket.  Having studied at the University, Ole Floyd is more than just a drunk, more than just the average mobster, more than a down home boy from the back roads of Mississippi.

Balls you say JKL? (Floyd laughs) Given the fact that women play a large part in this way of life, balls aren't always the problem. A little PMS is needed much more as well.  On the other hand, that Godmother Lucretia has been said to have a nice pair on her and I'm not talking tits. You mix that PMS and large balls, and soon after motor cities lose their drive.

On another note, my family has never been the type to hold their words and have died on occasions because of it, but nothing feels better than speaking your mind and clearing your thoughts.  I think it's more about how you say it, than what you've said.  For instance: (Floyd takes the role of a rude mobster that speaks his mind with no since of consequence)

"Damn, Deimne you running shit like a labor house around these parts.  One these days you and that Scipta chick going down. Ow hell yeah! And I'm going be standing right their laughing at your asses. Gun in my hand and bullet your asses!"

Statements like that one lead to locals, flights, and fishes shortly after. On the other hand, with respect and a good formula for organizing words, one could still get their point across and save face at the same time.  For instance: (Floyd takes the role of a high ranking mobster who knows what to say and how to say it)

"Godmother Scipita, (smiles) I see you and Godfather Deimne have a pretty nice strong hold on this things of ours.  You run things as you please, make decision as you wish, kill as you may.  That in itself has earned the respect of all your fellow mobsters and much deserved.  We all know one day great things come to an end, but we will always look back on the powers the both of you possessed, even after new leadership has taking place and new trends have been installed.  It'll take a "great mind" to do so, with lots of influence in their favor.  For now, you run things as you see fit and I agree whole heartly. Afterall, "great minds" think alike.  Good day miss and mr."

Notice I pointed out the key words in this statement, though a person wouldn't do that while relaying it to the community.

Given those two situations, the message still got across in the second instance, but it takes a little more thought and wit to get the true meaning out.  Having said all that, I think it's more so the lack of communication skills rather than the shrinkage of their balls.  Civilians and thugs can face no consequence so people choose to speak more freely. Nice topic JKL.

Flody takes his flask out of his coat pocket, turns it up, and bring it back down empty

Did you get all of that Sonny Boi!?!

wow people like to type :)

As others have said, there are various contributing factors. A thug has nothing to lose, a Don does. It is understandable that people are more careful with their words, but really, there's never a need to stay quiet completely. You just need to know how to say what you want to say without crossing the line. Frankly, I doubt I'd last that long if I didn't have my say on things that matter to me, it's part of my motivation.