Vor, zips, and A New Hope
So I study subcultures, a lot, in my spare time. Criminal subcultures have always been a fascination of mine. Tree-a-bee, in the old Russian mafia, the Vory, there was a saying 'prison is my home'. Imagine that. Imagine that not only are you not afraid of going to jail, but it's literally a place of rest and relaxation for you, where all your friends are, and...through a total loss of any hope to ever be free, has become a prison that can't hurt you.
In the same vein, in the early American mafia, it was common for a new boss (capo) to bring in 'zips', these were native Italians, often Sicilians, who, due to being cut off from any support network and not having local interests could be counted on to be loyal to the boss. Except, in Italy, the distinction between bandit and mafioso and rebel is not so clear. So the 'zips' didn't come to this country planning to commit crimes. They came to this country, with the idea in their head that the mafia was as legitimate as a state (in the international sense) as the federal government was. Imagine that. Imagine someone who treats police, not as an all powerful force that can make your life hell or throw you in prison for the rest of it...but rather as an enemy combatant. Imagine how your perspective would change.
I was just thinking about this and...so you get thought vomit...
K.
In the same vein, in the early American mafia, it was common for a new boss (capo) to bring in 'zips', these were native Italians, often Sicilians, who, due to being cut off from any support network and not having local interests could be counted on to be loyal to the boss. Except, in Italy, the distinction between bandit and mafioso and rebel is not so clear. So the 'zips' didn't come to this country planning to commit crimes. They came to this country, with the idea in their head that the mafia was as legitimate as a state (in the international sense) as the federal government was. Imagine that. Imagine someone who treats police, not as an all powerful force that can make your life hell or throw you in prison for the rest of it...but rather as an enemy combatant. Imagine how your perspective would change.
I was just thinking about this and...so you get thought vomit...
K.