I'm intrigued by the attraction this way of life holds for those who are in it. For anyone who cherishes life, love, and family, it seems to me that membership in organized crime is a terribly risky and nerve-racking way to live -- a way in which all one holds dear is placed in a state of constant danger.

If you're the boss, a rival might attempt to kill you at any time. You can't even open the drapes and look at the moon without giving consideration to whether your enemy is watching and waiting to open fire on you.

Allow a rival to become more powerful, and your own underlings will double-cross you and set you up for your own death if the rival offers them enough incentive. You're never really sure of whom to trust; you can get pretty paranoid under those circumstances. (I know I would be if I always had to look over my shoulder.)

If you are not the boss but an underling yourself, you're in danger if you attract the slightest suspicion of disloyalty; and for that you can be killed in any number of horrible ways, such as garroting, drowning (with "cement shoes"), car bombing, etc.

And why, oh why, do underlings even think of betraying their mob bosses by making a deal with the enemy or by accepting a better offer from a rival? Can the extra money, the extra territory, or the extra power possibly be worth the danger of being exposed as a traitor? It seems that the traitors always get caught eventually ... and then pay with their lives as punishment. The truly scary part is that they might live in complacency for years, but payback is meted out one day out of the blue when they least expect it.

Furthermore, don't mafia members have any Fear of God in them or any misgivings about how they will have to answer to their maker for their actions? Even if they don't have religious beliefs, don't they have any sense of karma that what they've visiting upon others will be someday visited upon them?

Now all my assumptions are from the movies and fiction, so I may be wrong about how many betrayals and discoveries of betrayals occur in real life. But I still ask the queston: What attraction could there be in the mafia life?

Just to add to that. I am the boss of a family and you are the underling of another family, I promise you this that and everything else and you go against your family to help me. Once I get that territory or business or whatever it is that you have to offer, you are more than likely dead. You are a traitor, yes you helped me but why would I ever take the chance of you doing that to me.
The life of a traitor more than likely will end the same way, whether it's from the guy you are double crossing or the one you are helping.

Where is Don Pappo to defend the criminals?

I mean the luxurious life style that can be offered. Most mob guys grew up as poor people. They saw potential for money, and not having to work hard as some of the "suckers" do for a living. I mean as a kid, when you see a person with fancy clothes, expensive cars and money wouldn't you want that? Those guys got respect out of fear in the neighborhood, as no one would give them any trouble. Also, imagine the concept of being part of a family, which is one looks after one another, although this isn't true, as they could come as your friends and whack you. The life is appealing, as potential for money is unlimitied and everyone wants respect in their neighborhoods.

IMO,getting "made" in the Mafia today is just about the worst thing that can happen to you:
First you have to serve a long "apprenticeship," in which you're little more than a slave or indentured servant to the made guys in the crew. You have to show "respect" while they make you eat s*** every day and heap humiliations on you. You can't refuse any order, no matter how humiliating.
If you're "lucky," your apprenticeship will last less than 10 years. Usually you have to kill someone you don't know, for some reason that's not explained--risking life and liberty with no cash compensation. Then you're made.
You've got it knocked, right? Wrong! You're assigned to a capo--and now, instead of being everyone's slave, you're his slave exclusively. He'll give you a living, but you have to make some outrageously huge "nut" every week, and give most of it to him. If you don't, he'll charge you "vig" of 4-6% per week, same as his loanshark victims.
Within minutes of being made, your name will be known to every federal, state and local law enforcement official assigned to the Mob. They'll learn about you thanks to your new, beloved brothers in the Mob--all of whom inform on others to law enforcement in return for being left alone by the fuzz to pursue their rackets. In the months ahead, your Mob brothers also will tell their law enforcement pals that every crime they committed was really committed by you-- the better to keep the cops watching you, not them. And if you somehow manage to keep out of jail, your capo, underboss or Don will get nailed on a RICO indictment, and rat you out in return for a reduced sentence.
But you'll probably go to the front of the line at nightclubs and discos.
No thanks!

Yes, I'm sure that greed attracts many recruits to the Mafia. A far more realistic view of the "luxury" of Mafia life is painted in "Donnie Brasco," in the scene where the Mighty Morphin' Mobsters are reduced to busting open parking meters. :rolleyes:

Don Andrew you didn`t aswer me how you put the Jim Morrison`s pic(or whatever which does not belong to the option in this site)in your profile.
If you say I defend criminals, I don`t, do you know who the criminals were? Hitler, Mussolini, Videla(In my country, if you wanna know about him check Rafael Videla, Argentina and you will know who he is), etc


I agree with Don Lights, to answer the question, most of them come from poor life and no future at all with the law. They needed money to help their families(the personals)they needed political contacts, they had to protect themseves from other mobsters.
They found themselves in a situation of to kill or be killed, to crush or be crushed.
In the Godfather 2 you could see an example. Vito was a hard working and suddenly he was fired to be replaced by the Fanucci`s nephew. In the USA in the 30 and 40`s was very hard to get a job, and the economic situation was awful, being italian inmigrant is another reason. People use to think they are dangerous people, and maybe a person who was with the law found himself forced to walk outside of it because of these reasons.

would you really say your the boss of a mob family on the montiorbale internet i admire gangsters i need the life they get im in a gang

im italian 2 with alot of black friends

Do you admire gangsters? Do you really want that life?


Don Cardi

yeah me too but take away the gang part and were pretty
much the same

I don't want the life, I want their life-style. I want a house like big Paul, tha 'white house'.

Yeah, i would want the life style they live in. big house, nice cars, and able to afford other luxuries, but I would never want to live the life of a gangster. Sure it sounds exciting and these many mob movies show the good times, but in real life, it's a living hell. I think for anyone to willing to say they want to be a gangster in this day and age is stupid. You have no chance of surviving.

I do understand why some people get into the mafia.
If they are criminals in the first place and then get a
offer to work for the mob.
Or maybe they are just born into it. If most of your family, relatives and friends are members or connected
it`s of course easy to get into the mafia.
Have you read the book "Born To The Mob"?

But of course, no regular person, a decent guy with a good job and a ok life would ever want to get into it.
I don`t think they would let a regular guy come too close to the mafia either.

i love gansgters like gotti capone and others