The mafia
musicismylife78
Posts: 6,116
There are many threads on this board about The Sopranos. But I want to take a different view.
How prevalent is the mafia in New York and New Jersey especially and across the u.S.?
Do you think there really are people like Tony Soprano, who are masquarading as waste management workers who are really mafia leaders and members?
Do you think the Sopranos is an accurate portrayal of that lifestyle, or is it just a really good tv show?
I am Italian, and my family is from New York and New Jersey and they sometimes talk about having neighbors back in the 60's and 70's who sort of fit the profilem of a Tony Soprano.
So basically my question is, how powerful is the mafia currently?
How prevalent is the mafia in New York and New Jersey especially and across the u.S.?
Do you think there really are people like Tony Soprano, who are masquarading as waste management workers who are really mafia leaders and members?
Do you think the Sopranos is an accurate portrayal of that lifestyle, or is it just a really good tv show?
I am Italian, and my family is from New York and New Jersey and they sometimes talk about having neighbors back in the 60's and 70's who sort of fit the profilem of a Tony Soprano.
So basically my question is, how powerful is the mafia currently?
Post edited by Unknown User on
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http://www.mafia-news.com/
And for a bullseye:
http://www.mafia-news.com/sicilian-mobsters-on-the-rise-in-new-york/#more-182
I've read alot of books and during their prime, they were, by far, the most powerful organization on earth.
I think it's generally a bunch of BS. Sure, boyhood family/friends/schoolboy chums go on to commit conspiracy/crimes together...but to focus that on some sort of Italian-mafia aptitude for the fact is kind of dumb. To me.
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Yep, some people still glamourise the Kray Twins, here in the UK, as if they were East End London heroes, local glory boys.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Merlino
There was a big scandal in Philly when it came out he was hanging out Flyers team captain Eric Lindros. Lindros apparently dated his sister for a little while and they became pals. Merlino was also friends with Rick Tocchet who was indicted for the whole gambling ring in hockey last year.
Merlino would play in a local softball league made up of members of his crew across the street from the landmark Pat's and Geno's cheesesteaks.
And he had a few fronts - a night club called club Egypt that he ran and a coffee shop in the heart of South Philly called the Avenue Cafe that daytime grade school and high school kids hung out in because they thought it was cool but late at night is when meetings would take place in the family.
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And that's the reason it truly flourished for so long, there was a true vow of silence between the members and the rest of the world, especially law enforcement. Even the low-level guys, the associates, just knew that they were kicking money up to something, but they didn't know enough about it to give away their bosses-- the higher-ups kept it his way for obvious reasons: the associates were the ones getting busted on the street, and had no true loyalty, and certain no enough influence ($) over cops, politicians, and judges.
Basically, it thrived in a time where there was still strict adherence to the rules of the organization, which was basically from the 20's through the 60's... Once members started turning informant to save themselves, the paranoia set in for a lot of those guys.
Yes, there are definitely members who "masquerade" around as WM workers while their bread and butter is their other business. You gotta have that W2. How else are you gonna explain the lavish lifestyle, cars, house? The smartest, and the most old school guys, played it smart-- their houses were nothing special, some even rented, but where did that 10,000 dollar watch come from? John Gotti was a plumber.
The Sopranos, to an extent is pretty true to life these days. Really, these people exist, but it's not like their existence has much bearing on your life in these areas where they are (NY and NJ). Once in a while you might get caught up in sort of scam, and even so, you probably wouldn't even know the source of it. You don't see Union work stoppages as frequently, but the cause of those might be mob-related. Fixing horse races, gambling, it's probably all still being done, but definitely not on the scale of years ago. Do some research on the DiCavalcante Crime Family in New Jersey, and you'll find the similarities between the real Jersey Mob and the HBO Jersey Mob to be pretty interesting.
That being said, it's way less prevalent now than it was even 20 years ago. One of the NY families had NYPD cops doing hits for them, and they've just getting busted recently: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/07/60minutes/main686384.shtml
With the amount of distrust, the rats, and all the legislation and enforcement against OC (RICO), it is a shadow of what it once was.
Put it this way: There are all sorts of conspiracy theories about the mob being involved in JFK's assasination (as ludicrous as that is). But still, it lends some idea of the kind of power they had back then vs. right now-- the fact that enough people actually believe that such a thing was possible or warranted shows where they stood in the grand scheme of things. Years ago, IT had a way of finding you... These days you can still find IT, if you want too, however it's always a bad move to get mixed up in those kind of things.
Not necessarily. You are right that anyone can become a gang, a crew, and pull off almost anything when the right minds are involved-- you sure don't have to be Italian.
However, La Cosa Nostra was a truly organized system, and the fact that it remained as underground as it did, for as long as it did, and for how HUGE it was, is truly amazing.
Part of it probably was because of WHY it was born: in Sicily, it was more of a stand-off against the government,-- it found it's way to America, where it was more about protection, as there were many groups who were highly prejudiced against Italian-Americans. Of course, it then became people getting a little extra for themselves, the primary reason all gangs start these days. Today's Mob is no different.
It WAS a brotherhood, truly dedicated to Omerta (vow of silence). It has since changed (see my other post). The same rules still exist, but few play by them.
So yes, by today's standards... No special credit to anyone involved, of any group. The gravy's been watered down quite a bit, it seems.
more powerful than say the CIA or the KGB ?
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