"In his opening chapter, “Birth”, Varese compares the initiation rituals that are common to almost every mafia organization. He draws from interviews, autobiographies and police wiretap transcripts in which the gangsters do most of the talking. It is remarkable how close in style, substance and imagery the initiation ceremonies are across cultures – the religious symbolism, the use of tattoos, the omertà, the misogyny and sealing of membership through blood are present among the Yakuza of Japan, the Russian mafia, the Chinese triads and the Sicilian Mafia."
It seems to me mafias are basically tribal societies. That is not surprising as human psychology is basically designed for tribal existence. With complex civilized societies, humans are expected to integrate into something much larger than a simple tribe. However, civilizations often have spaces in which tribes can start up and survive, such as cults and criminal mafias.
One striking feature is the depth of trust in these organisations. Many of them function without written records for all or most matters of importance.
I guess that it's more about the big boss is always right.
Written records are needed for a fair observance of contracts. With no fairness, contracts are useless because one side can change them without consecuences.
"I'm altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further." Darth Vader.
It's a little disingenuous to characterize it as anachronistic to not fall in line with the One World Order. One reason "alternative power structures" (including families, religions, corporations) arise is because organization is simply necessary to compete with "apex predator" cultures, governments etc., and members of smaller groups often are/feel marginalized. Not that o e ought to feel morally obligated to slow down the pace of social darwinism, but if you are the one getting eaten things look a little different.
I'm not seeing the part of GP where he calls it anachronistic nor does he call on people to fall in line. All he does is suggest that traditional social structures still thrive despite a power structure that would seek to suppress alternatives.
The article doesn't really go into what mafias are actually doing to stay alive. What cyber crimes are the mafias in control of? Are any large "cyber gangs" not connected to local mafias?
I have always loved the fantasy of the mafia just from a job advancement and loyalty point of view. You start at the bottom, get rewarded for hard work and being intelligent and eventually get "made". Then you have power, unconditional respect, and life long guarantees of a job, security, and family. Getting "made" should be a real thing in the corporate world.
I think "made" is when you're on a few company boards and in the old boys' club, and you can spend the rest of your life patting each other on the back and voting for pay raises for each other.
The smartest of them saw the writing on the wall and used their I'll gotten gains to go mostly legit, investing heavily in high money throughput businesses such as Hollywood, casinos, banking, the legal field, insurance, etc.
Bonus: The mafia that even the mafia is afraid of that you've probably never heard of? The Jewish mafia.
This is antisemitic bullshit. While there has been a small jewish mafia in NY they where a „regular mafia“ like the italian mafia.
Most of them were and are legit and the affinity just coming from jewish immigrants having a history in those fields living in europe. Not for money laundering what you implied. They are very well connected and help each other.
So as soon as anyone uses the 'J' word, they're automatically antisemitic?! (And therefore, must be downvoted...?)
Misha Glenny - author of the posted article - is also the writer behind BBC's McMafia (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05pksm8), which portrays the world (literally!) of organized crime through the eyes of a Russian Jewish 'mafia' family. Compelling viewing, and provides a lot of context for the comments of the parent post.
People who immediately accuse others of antisemitism at any mention of Israel or the Jewish religion are not interested in any kind of intellectually honest discussion.
They are apparently so powerful they are the "Mafia of the Mafia", no sources just that they are "The Jewish Mafia".
Are there Jewish mafiosi? Sure, like a lot of other nationalities and ethnic groups, but I doubt any mafiosi will see them as above them as the "puppet masters of international crime".
>How you were describing Jews in all those industries is a clear case of antisemitic canard.
A strawman attack. I was speaking of mafia in general in the first sentence.
>They are apparently so powerful they are the "Mafia of the Mafia"
Putting words in my mouth I never said, another strawman. There is a difference between saying they are the "mafia of the mafia" and saying they are a part of the mafia that even other mafia are afraid of.
>"puppet masters of international crime"
Far too simplistic a summarization of this much more nuanced and complex subject.
What sources do you have on that supposed Jewish Mafia? It's not unthinkable that there would be one, after all we have many other ethnic-based mafias, but I've never heard of it.
But it really was just another ethnic-based organized crime group, not substantially different from the others in any way, and most definitely not "The mafia that even the mafia is afraid of that you've probably never heard of?"
Maybe I missed it in this article, but does the book talk about the accuracy (or lack thereof) of popular Mafia depictions, like in The Godfather? If they are accurate, where did their authors get their iformation? I'm aware that the author of the original The Godfather novel was Italian, but I don't know more about him beyond that.
The article doesn't mention the sourcing of pop depictions as such. However,Goodfellas for example made use of FBI tapes and the word of a former mafioso.
"In his opening chapter, “Birth”, Varese compares the initiation rituals that are common to almost every mafia organization. He draws from interviews, autobiographies and police wiretap transcripts in which the gangsters do most of the talking. It is remarkable how close in style, substance and imagery the initiation ceremonies are across cultures – the religious symbolism, the use of tattoos, the omertà, the misogyny and sealing of membership through blood are present among the Yakuza of Japan, the Russian mafia, the Chinese triads and the Sicilian Mafia."
It seems to me mafias are basically tribal societies. That is not surprising as human psychology is basically designed for tribal existence. With complex civilized societies, humans are expected to integrate into something much larger than a simple tribe. However, civilizations often have spaces in which tribes can start up and survive, such as cults and criminal mafias.