Mafia and Camorra, fueled from diseased mental cultures.

Category:

Mafia

This post of mine will be a strong denunciation on the whys and hows of the Camorra, and of the Mafias' existence in the most of the southern parts of Italy, and its continuation into the United States and other parts of the world as well.



Some Neapolitans and Sicilians get along very well, even here in the US. The reason of it? Culturally, a part of their societies share the same mentality and historical heritage. An heritage (produced by long centuries of invasions) of "l'arte di arrangiarsi" (in English: art to manage), and mentality of "arraffamento" (get the hands in whatever don't belongs to them).

In fact, inside of each of these two Southern Italian regions: the Campania and Sicily regions (and other Southern regions too) exist two separated identities. One identity is: an uncultured and underachieved part of the population which feeds in the culture of the, "sopraffazione" (to violently overwhelm a weak individual) and ignorance (an almost complete lack of schooling). The other identity is: the rest of the sane society which believes in honesty and hard working.

Unfortunately, a good part of those sane societies are most of the times undermined by the uncultured and underachieved ones.

Now, a big role on these uncultured and underachieved parts in those two Italian southern societies are played by some women.



These women are referred sometimes as, "marascialle" in those societies. In those southern Italian regions, the marascialle are women with strong tempers which debatable principles are based as I said: on the uncultured and underachieved mentalities from those southern cultures, and that their only way to sometimes refine their meaningless lives is, to show how though and how respected they are.

On some occasions, these women/marescialle: mothers, wives, and daughters can even be compared to the, "matrone" (in English: matrons-Matron comes from the Latin matrona-In the ancient Roman society, the matron was the mother, dignified and respectable, responsible for the proper maintenance of the house and raising children).

These women especially when they are mothers, feel very proud when their sons are feared by the rest of the neighborhoods where they live, or when they brag about their husbands, brothers, uncles, or whatever relatives that are involved, or are part of a mafia organization.

For them (the mothers/marescialle) been related anyways they can, to the mafia's concept it's more like of a badge of honor, a way to be recognized and respected as successful women inside those society.

But the truth is that these mothers are the main reason for an uncultured and underachieved mentality still being the breeding ground for the Mafia and the Camorra, in those southern parts of Italy.

Worst of all, these same mothers will become sometimes, women of the mafia, or boss women of the mafia.

Because of these mothers, their sons will perpetuate the hideous concepts of honorableness and respectability (mostly based on their mobster-like attitudes) by being the future fueling sources of all the mafias crime organizations in the Southern Italy.

Without these, "dishonorable mothers" most probably the lymph (meaning their sons, and sometime even their daughters) which feeds the mafia organizations, will dry out.

That's why, I would like to stick the appellative of "marescialla" to those women: mothers, wives, and daughters of the mafiosi. Those same women which you'll see on the streets while they are protesting violently the innocence of their men when the police forces catch them.

Regrettably, I had an aunt which was a, "marescialla". She was (on his view) a though woman living in a though neighborhood of a Sicilian city. In the same time, she was very proud to have had a son (I'm talking in the past tense because she is not longer dwelling this world) who was a though guy living at the margin of that same society.

And now, I'm going to write something which I hope I won't regret it in the coming future. This aunt of mine was for a brief moment, a courier of the Mafia. She carried in a couple of trips some cocaine packages into a city of the United States, indeed. And (unfortunately) she was never caught.

When I found out about it, it was too late. I don't know, but probably in spite of my mother grief at that time, I would have denounced her even if anonymously.

She represented to me anything that I deeply hated and despised about a certain Sicilian's mentality. A mentality that rules, fuels, and perpetuates the Mafia existence till these days.

Sicily "mafia land". (part due)

Category:
Mafia

A short "Mafia" story.

As I wrote previously, I going to write a short story about the mafia topic, a story which happened to me when I was living in Sicily. In Sicily as I mentioned in the topic "Mafia" to own and run any shop, or business still today you need to pay u pizzu' ("beak" payment for protection) to avoid one day of finding your shop destroyed by a fire, or worst! The man who was protecting my father shop and also all the neighborhood, one day died, after some time my father "who was terminal ill" died too, leaving to two of my brothers and myself his store. The economic situation wasn't that great all over Sicily (until today not much as changed), the income from my father shop was hardly enough to pay the bills, and bring some needed cash at home.

This brief story, is one of my many personal encounters with these "honorable men" which explains my contempt for them.

*****

One day two guys show up at the store, and I recognized them at once, they were affiliated to a different family clan which after the death of the old boss, the old clan from the neighborhood was absorbed by this new emerging clan. One of these guys approached me while the other one was standing at the store entrance. The one that had approached me said that he wanted to talk alone with me. Then, he put his arm around my shoulders while in the same time he was pushing me inside the store and with a friendly voice he started telling me that I needed some protection for my place. Of course, I new what he meant by then. I had to pay them to get protection. In an ironical way, I was suppose to get protected from the same people who were threatening me. I didn't need much time for an answer. My answer was that I couldn't effort to pay for his protection, hes answer this time came in a serious tone, he said to me that the problem wasn't his, and I had to find the money anyway to pay him. Then, I replayed in response that I needed some time in order to scrape together the sum of money he was asking. "Good boy" he said to me, while he was tapping with his hand at my right shoulder a couple times, "that's the kind answer I like to hear". Afterward, he left together with his "partner in crimes", not before he reminded me he would have returned in the next couple of days, for the collecting. After the departure of these guys, I summoned my brothers and together we took a decision. The only possible decision we came up with, was to close the business for good.

*****

Depiction of a "Honorable" Sicilian man.

You won't see the low level mafioso, or mafia boss walk the streets, the way the do in the States. They won't dress , or talk fancy like their counterpart here, but you'll recognize them by their crude language (which will denote most of the time, they are lacking of any kind of school educations), walk and face expressions. They are full of themselves, they think to be honorable men as, they falsely assume. When they walk on the streets, it's like they own the ground where they walk on, they believe the be honorable because their capacity to act as men. This halo of respectability, is used in their own conveniences as an excuse to perpetrate crimes. The meaning of honor, in their own dictionary has been distorted to fit their interests. The high level mafioso, "it's a big caliber mafia boss" all by himself can be placed in a different category, is smarter than the rest, because he has some level of school education.
He has manner, and a better language communication, but still he wears the image of an honorable man. In reality what they all do, with this fake image of respectability, is to strike fear in the minds, and hearths of the common person.

To the many young Sicilians that, affiliate themselves to a Cosca "mafia family clan" organization, for a false belief of getting a halo of respectability in the attempt, while in reality they all, start a descending road toward a light of darkness, hoping afterward to an ascend toward a light of power and respectability, a respectability revolting around other people sufferings.
There are also, many more young Sicilians, ready to fight this fake images of honorableness. In truth, we all should fight the Mafia's craves, "or any other crime organizations" for power in the face of other people's hard work.

I don't forget my origins, either renegade them, for this reason I promised to myself to keep writing more in the future about the Sicilian people, and the Sicilian culture.

Meanwhile from a Sicilian in heart and mind, I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Sicily "mafia land". (part one)

Category:
Mafia

Today, I will start writing about a part of my past life. As I said in a prior post "Mafia", I came from Sicily some twenty years ago. It's hard for me to talk about it, not that I do not love my land, but because the nomea "reputation" it has acquired thanks to the so called, "onorata societa" (honored society) which has prevented me from doing it. Today, in an attempt to restore a good image of the Sicilian culture and remove those stereotypes of Sicilian families, I decided finally to write about it.


To write about this malignant tumor profusely from my prospective, while in the same time trying to approach every aspect of its effects on the Sicilian society is very hard, because of its complexity.
As I said, I'm from Sicily, but what I didn't mentioned in the previous post was, exactly from which city. Well, today I'm going to tell you that I'm from Palermo the Sicilian capital of province.



I don't really know, where I'll go from here. Explaining it, while trying to get a grasp of this phenomenon in few words , it's a real hardship because of its nature, a handful of posts wouldn't suffice it. I start here, by telling a bit of Palermo and Sicily's history. Palermo has been a real capital, many times under different rulers in its history. Indeed, Palermo and the all Sicily, because of its strategical location, in its tormented history has been invaded and colonized countless time. Starting from the Romans, and in succession: the Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, Swedish , Angioinis, Spanish, Austrians, Bourbons and so on, until the Sicilian annexation in the "1860" to the kingdom of Italy.

The ancient geographical location probably generated its name [Panormos] from the Greek meaning all Harbour. Palermo also known as, "the conca d'oro" meaning gold valley because of all its lemon cultivations which gave to the city, a gold reflective glimpse when, looking at its view from faraway. Today unfortunately You won't see it anymore, because of its frenetic urbanization, but till today I remember the time when it was.

Even though, in Sicily the organized crime has a big impact in this region, and any improvement attempts in the Sicilian cities, has been frustrated by the Mafia "stronghold".
Nowadays, Sicily which is, one of the major island in the Mediterranean Sea [Sicily, was also named Trinachia by its ancient inhabitants because of its shape, in fact Trinachia means three tips], thanks to the richness of its artistic patrimonial presence in its territory, and to its mild climate, the all Sicily has a big continuous flow of tourists.

As I said before the honored society, or better known as "Mafia", when portrayed in so many American mafia movies, appears like it has, some kind of contort, fascinating appeal, when in reality has none of that. To cohabit daily with it, and all its brutality you won't find anything appealing. All these Hollywood type movies, really anger me because give a false image of the Sicilians, and the Sicilian families, in particular when TV movies like the "Sopranos drama" are shown in the TV's screens.



Sicily isn't only the land of Mafia.


A big part of Sicilian are hard working people, they support their own families, by getting up every morning to go to work, and they are not associeted with any crime families whatsoever. The mafia by itself is a small irrelevant part of the entire Sicilian population, but unfortunately it is capable to influence every part of it, in its social tissues. Many courageous men, especially Sicilians, had tried to defeat it, and unfortunately in their attempt they perished. Today thanks to their own sacrifices, Sicilians have find a renovate hope.

In fact in the last years, the battle against Cosa Nostra "this is the real name the mafiusu' gives to the mafia" has been defeated repetitively,
and as result reducing their ranks considerably.
That doesn't means, the mafia has been finally defeated, but it's the beginning of its end.
There was a time, when even the national institutions denied the existence of it, and dismissed it, saying that was all a popular imaginative myth.

In the next part, I'll write some real mafia story which, will explain my contempt to it.

Next: Sicily "mafia land". (part two)