Post by Charlie Brown on Mar 4, 2013 17:13:15 GMT -5
The setting for this SL is contemporary NYC based loosely on the history of the real five families circa 1965. In this RP the mafia stays true to its Sicilian traditions, to understand these traditions one must look back into the history of the Sicilian mafioso.
The advent of the mob in Sicily came at a time when all higher forms of authority were corrupt fascists. As such, communities on the tiny island nation of Siciliy began forming their own methods of metting out justice based on their own code of morality, which often came into conflict with the ruling land lords of the mainland Italian nobility.
Sicilian communities would turn to their own powerful men to settle disputes, to act as arbiter during such disagreements pertaining to everything from land ownership to matters of honour. Men whom worked directly for these powerful local leaders were dubbed "Men of Honour" by their communities and were used to enforce the sentences pronounced by their leader, often referred to colloquially and affectionately as the village and/or city's "godfather". During the 18th century, in a sort of robin hood-esque acts of justice these groups would steal from absentee landlords and give back to the communities which supported them, this would be the first of many slippery slopes that devolved a loose organization of justiciars into a criminal one.
During the mid 1800's Italy plunged into economic crises, famine on Sicily and the mainland drove many to find greener pastures. Most would end up forming their own Sicilian and Italian communities in various cities in America, but, most notably, New York/Jersey, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Being that our SL takes place almost entirely in New York, we'll only concentrate on that. By the time of the great migration of Italians the mafia was already a deeply ingrained aspect of daily life for many. It was only natural that such conclaves of secretive men would form in their new homeland. Like previously they performed many of the same functions that they did in Sicily and Italy, settling disputes, looking after their own, etc..
Italians that had recently immigrated had little to no trust of governmental authority, they had long since gotten used to policing their own, under their own standards visa vie their local godfather. The Godfather was also someone a person could go to if they were in desperate need of financial aide, or any sort of favor they could not otherwise obtain through official channels. This was common int he early days for italian Americans who struggled to find work to feed their families as most American born citizens saw Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants as second class citizens undeserving of the opportunities America had to offer. This was fine for the already insular Italian community, who, in the face of such disdain, closed their neighborhoods to non Italians forming vast communities of Italian only immigrants. The mafia in no small part helped enforce these standards by intimidating other minorities, giving clear impressions that this was Italian turf. However, all such immigrants were stuck in varying ghettos that tended to border one another, and thus, clashes between adolescent gangs based around shared ethnicity became common. By the 1900's the communities of Italians became collectively known as "little italy", a standard, which in our SL, remains true to this day.
Our mafia is heavily steeped in these traditions and they maintain the status quo, partially out of pride of their cultural heritage as well as a means to protect their code of Omerta. To the regular Italians one need not explain you do not talk to police, you do not rat, your Godfather is your judge and jury, potentially your executioner. It is convenient for the mafia to use these traditions as a way of maintaining cultural purity and respect for their cultural folkways of silence and keeping problems within the community. More, the mafia continues to act as a force for arbitration and stability, a place where someone in need can find help... For a price, of course. Cosa Nostra continues to engage in any and all criminal activity, except for the sale of narcotics in their own communities (selling it elsewhere is perfectly fine by them).
I will add more to this later most likely.
The advent of the mob in Sicily came at a time when all higher forms of authority were corrupt fascists. As such, communities on the tiny island nation of Siciliy began forming their own methods of metting out justice based on their own code of morality, which often came into conflict with the ruling land lords of the mainland Italian nobility.
Sicilian communities would turn to their own powerful men to settle disputes, to act as arbiter during such disagreements pertaining to everything from land ownership to matters of honour. Men whom worked directly for these powerful local leaders were dubbed "Men of Honour" by their communities and were used to enforce the sentences pronounced by their leader, often referred to colloquially and affectionately as the village and/or city's "godfather". During the 18th century, in a sort of robin hood-esque acts of justice these groups would steal from absentee landlords and give back to the communities which supported them, this would be the first of many slippery slopes that devolved a loose organization of justiciars into a criminal one.
During the mid 1800's Italy plunged into economic crises, famine on Sicily and the mainland drove many to find greener pastures. Most would end up forming their own Sicilian and Italian communities in various cities in America, but, most notably, New York/Jersey, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Being that our SL takes place almost entirely in New York, we'll only concentrate on that. By the time of the great migration of Italians the mafia was already a deeply ingrained aspect of daily life for many. It was only natural that such conclaves of secretive men would form in their new homeland. Like previously they performed many of the same functions that they did in Sicily and Italy, settling disputes, looking after their own, etc..
Italians that had recently immigrated had little to no trust of governmental authority, they had long since gotten used to policing their own, under their own standards visa vie their local godfather. The Godfather was also someone a person could go to if they were in desperate need of financial aide, or any sort of favor they could not otherwise obtain through official channels. This was common int he early days for italian Americans who struggled to find work to feed their families as most American born citizens saw Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants as second class citizens undeserving of the opportunities America had to offer. This was fine for the already insular Italian community, who, in the face of such disdain, closed their neighborhoods to non Italians forming vast communities of Italian only immigrants. The mafia in no small part helped enforce these standards by intimidating other minorities, giving clear impressions that this was Italian turf. However, all such immigrants were stuck in varying ghettos that tended to border one another, and thus, clashes between adolescent gangs based around shared ethnicity became common. By the 1900's the communities of Italians became collectively known as "little italy", a standard, which in our SL, remains true to this day.
Our mafia is heavily steeped in these traditions and they maintain the status quo, partially out of pride of their cultural heritage as well as a means to protect their code of Omerta. To the regular Italians one need not explain you do not talk to police, you do not rat, your Godfather is your judge and jury, potentially your executioner. It is convenient for the mafia to use these traditions as a way of maintaining cultural purity and respect for their cultural folkways of silence and keeping problems within the community. More, the mafia continues to act as a force for arbitration and stability, a place where someone in need can find help... For a price, of course. Cosa Nostra continues to engage in any and all criminal activity, except for the sale of narcotics in their own communities (selling it elsewhere is perfectly fine by them).
I will add more to this later most likely.