I was just thinking about this and thougt: well if want to make a philosophy about it I just share it with the fellow members of this board who also know a lot about Mafia.

First thing to mention will be: Mafia is capable of adepting methods of crime to the era they live in. For example: in the beginning of Mafia in Sicily the Mafia saw an oppurtunity to make money in the agriculture(one of the important things that made the Mafia)by protecting the land for the landowners and get the 'pizzo' (protection money) for it. Agriculture was in that era an important business. Nowadays the Mafia is making investments in legal businesses, big multi nationals etc. Conclusion: Mafia is very good in seeing the oppurtunities, adept the methods, and make money.

Second thing: even when they are capable of making new methods, they can't survive without the old ones! That's sounds like a paradox: the are very good in making new methods, but they can't live without the old ones. But it's really true. When Mafia is pushed back by governments or whatever they simply fall back on old tactics. 'Pizzo' (when money isn't rolling that hard), murders of people who are against them, and even hide when it's necessary because the Mafia is a bit smaller because of trials/justice. Ofcourse you can say these aren't 'old' tactics but in the beginning Mafia used them to grow and nowadays I think that the Mafia rather loses these tactics then frequently use them.

Now a difficult part: the code of silence, or Omerta. A lot of discussion around this part I guess :rolleyes: . In the beginning Omerta was a sufficient key to survive. Until it was broken by some members. The government gets the insights they want and are now capable to undertake something against Mafia. So most people here will think that Omerta doesn't count as one of the arguments that Mafia is surviving. Well, my first argument pro Omerta will be: without Omerta Mafia probably wouldn't excist at all! In the beginning a code of silence will have more value then when the Organization is already big. My second argument: without the Omerta everybody is allowed to speak, because there's no punishment from within Mafia. Nobody will doubt when the have to talk to police. But WITH the code, people will have at least think about the consequences. There's still a possibility that Mafia will do anything to kill you, so the few percent of Mobsters who realize this will not talk. And even that few percents is a victory for Mafia and will help evolving the Mafia.

Fourth point: the structure of Mafia. I think this a very very important part. Just compare it with legal businesses. When a company doesn't have a good structure, where everybody knows his job, it can't functionate. Mafia is also very good organized. Although there are several structures possible within Mafia, like bureaucratic or patronal, it's very important that everybody knows who is his direct boss.

Fifth point: weakness of governments. Governments are very weak (Although the RICO-act in the US is very good I think they still don't have enough to get the Mafia as a total, and we even don't talk about acts in Sicily because they don't have any). When the governments or police/justice departments are allowed to do more and easier convict mobsters Mafia will not be surviving that easy.

Sixth point: 'intelligent' Mafia. With this I mean: Mafia knows what to do and what not to do. The making of the commission or Cupola is a very good step of Mafia. For example: there's a war between two families but this war is attracting to much attention from government then they simply forbid the two families to further kill eachother. When a mobster is acting like a movie-star they kill him (also to much attracting of attention). These are a few examples but there are a lot more. One coming up now in my mind, and a very important one: the know who to support and who not. In politics they many times switched from supporting party's. Strong point of Mafia in my opinion.

Well this was my theory for now...I just hold back some additional information for the people who are taking down my position ...people: comments please!

MM, I believe you left out the most important element in the endurance of the Mafia and all organized crime: the dishonesty of so-called "honest" people who are their victims and customers (often both). As long as people want to break the law--gambling where gambling isn't permitted, patronizing prostitutes, using drugs, buying stolen goods that are cheaper than in a store, etc.--there will always be organized crime. Today's American and Sicilian Mafias are on the run because the respective governments decided to crack down hard on them. But they're still running rackets because people want what they offer.

Yeah you are absolutely right. I really forgot that one. Like prohibition, people want booze, the Mafia provides it. And that keeps the OC alive. Good point...hope some other people come up with more.

I think the discrimination of the Italians in America were good for the mafia. Smart Italians couldn't get a job in the legal world, but they could get a job in the illegal world: the mafia.
And that Italians stay within there own group. They dont trust the others. So the Italians in Little Italy wouldn't go to the police but to the local mobboss.

I'm talking about the eraly 1900's

You're right, Juventus. Italians in American suffered more discrimination than any other white immigrants. And, most Italians immigrated to America from southern Italy and Sicily. The tradition there is to be loyal to family and suspicious of outsiders and outside influences, such as schools, government, etc. The Mafia in the neighborhood was, for some, the "employer of last resort."
Most Mafiosi were, and are, no better than common criminals. But a few--Charlie Luciano, Frank Costello, Carlo Gambino--had real brains and force. They could have been successful in business, the professions or the arts if they'd had the chance, but they didn't. Today, Italian-Americans are fully assimilated into society and are going to college in record numbers. Today's Mafia is stuck with the John and Junior Gotti's, the Sammy Gravano's, etc.

Just the other night I had dinner with a very close friend and when we got back to my house the conversation turned towards the mafia, etc. In our conversation he had asked me about Luciano, Seigel and Lansky compared to the more modern mobsters of the last decade or so. I told him that in my opinion Luciano and Lansky were the Bill Gates of the underworld. I told him that there is no doubt in my mind that if Luciano and Lansky had been given the chance to be legitimate they probably would have been the majority stockholders and CEO's of major corporations.

TB, great minds really do think alike.


Don Cardi

That's why we always have different thoughts....