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Words on being Wordless Started by: Gatsby on Aug 25, '16 20:44

He was corrected previously for using a word not allowed in the streets. Gatsby decided to try and speak once more. 

It would almost be a lie if i said i was not concerned old sport.

Gatsbys eyes stared at the distant green light. His heart pondered what it would have been like to have been present in those times where the mobsters and bootleggers would engage in street discussions. Where it was more of a requirement than a fashionable exercise. The times where Godfathers were respected by goombas and wiseguys were not counted as equals to the made men. Was there ever really a time when a person possessing bodyguards was treated with respect? Was there really ever a time where a person that possessed bodyguards held them because of the honor he held in his crew? The way, the history was so lost to Gatsby.

As i look towards our future i cant help but recall the past old sport. You see there was a time where, and i know that many people will disengage and say, "But that was a long time ago, NOW IS NOW!" But is there not something to be cherished and held from the past? Traditions to be revered and almost held to a standard one that we would never let go of? 

Gatsby took his eyes off the green light. He looked up towards the night sky. The party had all but ended and there was this type of calm that filled the atmosphere. A calm of regret. A stillness that can only be described as one who had made every mistake in their life just to try and get things right. The bottles empty and filled lied in the pool. Confetti and people, drunk in their madness, strewn about the floor.

I dont know the answer. As i look back and think of the people that spoke in the streets, i find myself wondering why no one chose to respond to them. I cant help but ask myself if cities were taken away from the life of the mafia because of the lack of activity, would the streets be taken from us as well? Is it possible that the business districts be broken into and robbed from us? 

Gatsby looking into his glass twisted his tongue around in his mouth. Combing his hair back he looked back up and appeared to be flustered.

Since when did we become just button pushers? When have we stopped engaging with one another? Why is it that posting our thoughts in the streets and speaking in the business districts is but a distant memory held by vast majority but cherished by a selected few? 

Excuse me if i come off like i have all the answers old sport, because i can assure you i simply do not. However, if i was to say that i am going to spend countless hours of my life here, in the same world as you, i would like to see some of those ancient traditions held as they once were. I would like to see an push towards more than just getting by. 

Gatsby looked down and thought for a moment. Was there anything to be done? He adjusted his tie and ended his thought.

Disagree with me! Tell me everything is great! Agree with me and tell me we have become lukewarm! The seeds we plant now will be harvested in the days to come old sport, but dont let us just be. We must be more. Our life, our life has to be like this, it has to keep going up. Dont you agree?

Gatsby startled by his own frustration stopped speaking. He breathed a deep breath. His chest puffing up and slowly releasing the oxygen that he inhaled. He took a few steps back and allowed for anyone to speak. Perhaps a few people would speak. Perhaps just a few. He didnt care if they were new to the streets or familiar. He wasnt concerned with the prestige of he who chose to share there thoughts he just wanted that, someone to share there thoughts. 

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Uther just happened to be leaving the alleyway where he did his little "collection" upon hearing Gatsby, he just happened to stick around for what he needed to say and blend in with the crowd while he heard the discussion of where rank didn't seem to come into play anymore like they used to; the fact that anyone with bodyguard protection detail didn't seem to receive much respect like they used to. Lightbringer pondered on the discussion before he wanted to speak out and respond to Gatsby's question, more or less overheard. He looked at the ground for a moment before he looked back up at Gatsby with good intentions.

"I do believe you are right in some cases. But in this world, a lot of things change and that even includes the way we organize ourselves in some ways; believe me it can all be the same by your point of view. It just depends where the line is drawn and how you approach the situation, back then what you're trying to ask about now it was true, there was more respect given out. But I believe you are accounted to ask how things were; it's not criminal. Just make the wiser choices, what I'm saying is back then it was alright, now it just seems like a draft."

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"People either don't care or don't dare to speak up these days. I think there's actually some care left given that most speeches on the streets or your local speak-easy still attracts an audience of about fifty or more average. That's the care to listen atleast, but most of those people don't feel the need to actually engage in debate.

There's probably a whole lot of reasons why people don't find the need to speak up anymore. One problem is that staying mute seems to be a safe choice these days. The less opinionated one is, the smaller the chance someone will oppose you, the longer you'll probably live.


Being opinionated however keeps people sharp and make that we can actually have something to work on as individuals, a family or as a community. In generally I dislike it when people just say they agree with something, but at least that sends a signal. If fifty people would react to your speech, stating they are disappointed by the lack of communication on our streets, that could give motivation to change things.
It could bring leaders to put more attention to participation in the streets, for themselves and their members. Even if what you say is less popular, but well said and respectful, it shows character. That show of character can create respect, or reason to work with someone to the benefit of a personal career or that of a bigger group.

How can we change the current situation? Perhaps we can start by just asking people directly what their opinion is?
It's easy to listen and stay quiet, but when someone directly asks for your opinion, you'll probably have one."

Rob looks around and spots Unicorn crossing the square where everyone is gathered and drags him in.

"Hey Unicorn, sorry for throwing you for the wolves like this. I have seen you speak in public a few times recently, so the topic at hand might be of your interest as well. May I inquire what your thoughts are of the subject Mr. Gatsby here talked about today?"

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I find myself somewhat confused by the message you are attempting to get across here Gatsby, although I salute you on the effort made in addressing the streets. Do you want to see more respect being demonstrated towards those of a certain rank or carrying a particular level of protection or are you looking for more activity on the streets? Perhaps you want both? I will only address the latter. 

How far back are you referring when you talk about these "ancient traditions?" We all have a beautiful way of remembering the "good times" that yonder years brought to our bloodlines whilst managing to forget the often bad times, economic slow downs, stagnancy, excessive paranoia, backstabbing and tyranny that always accompanied them. 

I would consider members of my family history reasonably familiar with the streets but the simple reason for my own absence? It's boring. The shit doesn't interest me, it literally bores me almost to death. This topic is boring. It's been heard numerous times and quite frankly been presented considerably more eloquently in the past. That goes for just about 95% of the other topics that are brought to the streets too. 

Take for example RobOakheart's Godfather Sessions, that is quite a nice idea. It's not been done a whole lot recently and it has the scope to be something entertaining, interesting and different. However it failed and it's boring. Nobody wants to listen to the pious bullshit being forced down our throats about "Omerta", "Loyalty" and "City Management". Everyone recites those words, bandies these values around as the "cornerstones of this world" by which all mobsters should aspire to be. It's mob spin, nobody follows it and nobody cares about it.  However the moment anyone dare challenge the status quo on these topics, the rest of the world all joins up forces trying to shout over each other the utmost importance that it brings.

Where's DoctorBoom's Godfather Session on why he removed half the people that got him to his position, it's been like way over a month and still nothing? War stories are the best, because they're unique and... interesting. They illicit response and feelings, not just mindless drones reciting lines to appease those at the top. How about asking Curiosity whether she is planning to slow play DoctorBoom like she did to that last group who removed her? Why not ask ChristianGato how he feels about the fact there is an empty district in Chicago when he has the requirements to take Godfather? If people actually ask these questions, the ones that require thought in the response and evoke a certainly level of controversy/line walking; then you might get engagement and "excitement" in the streets. 

Until then it's all head down and don't shoot me first wave so I can jump ship. This is nothing new though; different day same shit - same cynic. 

 

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Unicorn was meeting with Don Stefania and Consigliere Buck for Sunday brunch downtown. After a long night raiding a trucking depot, a nice hot breakfast sounded delicious.  Ooh. 90¢. for a hot omelet drizzled in cheese and vegetables, buttered biscuits, sausage, and fried home fries, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice shipped from Florida, fresh coffee, was a luxury nowadays. It was a prime time for pickpockets' observant eye to catch a rummy coming out of a speakeasy after drinking all night to raid their pockets. 

As she crossed the street she noticed a growing crowd of people gathered around a soapbox. 

"Unicorn!" A man called out from the crowd.

Unicorn raised an eyebrow and argued with her stomach if she should walk over or not. It was already 11:00 AM, her gut growled for nourishment. As she walked over, a few gentleman were discussing about discussing. She realized they weren't ordinary men as she was taught to first look at their shoes. Polished patent imported Italian leather. Nope, not ordinary men. 

She listened for a bit.

Since when did we become just button pushers? When have we stopped engaging with one another? Why is it that posting our thoughts in the streets and speaking in the business districts is but a distant memory held by vast majority but cherished by a selected few? 

 

Unicorn looked back and forth listening to the gentleman banter back and forth. Her conspiracy theory of why there were all these random buttons littering the city that people pushed like a zombies was finally laid to rest. Clearly the surplus from the button factory due to the industrial revolution has create an enormous dump of buttons. 

"Hey Unicorn, sorry for throwing you for the wolves like this. I have seen you speak in public a few times recently, so the topic at hand might be of your interest as well. May I inquire what your thoughts are of the subject Mr. Gatsby here talked about today?"

"...I would consider members of my family history reasonably familiar with the streets but the simple reason for my own absence? It's boring."

Man, that omelet sounds so good right about now. As Unicorn curiously pressed a button too, now getting fascinated by it's simplicity, she was understood. She looked over to a group of pickpockets pressing buttons too. Everyone had a button to push.  Fill a void along with the forbidden fruit of alcohol to escape the harsh reality of this thing of ours. 

A side of her wanted to pull out her glitter pen, encrusted with jewels and forged from the fires of magical voodoo cults of the Hollywood Hills. But she realized to do so would take away from the buttons.

The buttons were all they had! Don't take away the buttons!

DON'T TAKE AWAY THE BUTTONS! Unicorn started to get hysterical. 

Unicorn started to cry. She was getting emotional these days and the buttons also cried with her. Consigliere Buck, impatiently stared at his watch wondering where his associate was and found her sobbing in a pile of buttons. 

Sighing her walked over, grabbing Unicorn from the buttons and arguing crowd.

"Get yourself together!...we got a nice breakfast waiting for you okay? He whispered in her ear.  Don Stefania is waiting, you know she wants her omelet too.. you can take a button with you..only one..." Buck soothed her soft glittered hair and lead her off, a trail of bodyguards following. 
 

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Anomander steps through the crowd and climbs a few steps to join the debate. Taking one last pull on his woodbine, he flicks it, exhales and begins to speak.

"The streets have become quiet over the years partly because the community has allowed it to happen, and also partly because the same topics tend to resurface time and again. When someone has addressed a topic once, they often do not feel the need to do so again. As we speak there is a man a little ways down the street, Apathy I believe, who is voicing similar concerns. These thoughts aren't new, and have been addressed before. Many possibly feel it's a never ending debate and so refrain from getting involved.

Back to my first point. The community is silent because they are allowed to be silent. It doesn't hinder their progress as it may have before. I think to a certain degree their is a bit of an arms race going on, whereby ever leader is eager to make their family as strong as possible in as short a time as possible and as such is willing to overlook things like street presence when deciding to Make an associate.

This could possibly be easily remedied. If each family head got together and agreed that an associates public presence would once again be part of the criteria with which they are judged, then it stands to reason that our streets would liven up a bit."

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