Becoming a mobster - how did they start?
Hi,
just watched a short documentary on Whitey Bulger. In respect to his physical appearance, I was wondering how ppl like him became so powerful. Sure, later on one has his dirty squad, however, until then it might take some time. Does anyone know a movie/documentary/book that actually starts from the beginning of such a notorious career?
Cheers
Not that I know exactly, but I'm sure it like most things that start out "unregulated" and small, but consolidate, people absorb power, until it gets to the point where the market is just one thing or a few things.
Think of Google. In the 90s, there were a lot of search engines, (Yahoo, Ask Jeeves). However, over time, Google won out and that's the one we know today. Most businesses are like that. I'm when cities in the US started to form, there were many factions of gangsters and mobsters. Over time, they consolidated, or died out, to the point where one became the most powerful and controlling.
What tends to be common among these folks is they started committing crimes in their early teens. This leads to them joining a gang to eventually join one of the bigger mobs. Once in mass they rule the neighborhoods by instilling fear of anyone who wishes to be a bookie, deal drugs, or run a gambling operation. Before you know it they control it all.
Or to borrow this from Goodfellas: Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie and he got a piece of everything they made. And it was tribute, just like in the old country, except they were doing it here in America. And all they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. And that's what it's all about. That's what the FBI could never understand. That what Paulie and the organization does is offer protection for people who can't go to the cops. That's it. That's all. They're like the police department for wiseguys.
A couple of the people in my HS (I'm from a shitty little rural town) ended up in organized crime for a couple of years, and it's a very straight-forward process: You start out by selling drugs, collecting money, and then move upwards if you're reliable. Most end up in prison long before they move anywhere, as the police tends to have good control over the (hard) narcotics "community".
A lot of the gangsters (wannabe or real) are fucking morons, and heavy users themselves. They get caught because they're on speed 24/7, beating up junkies or HS kids (who will rat them out in 0.5 s when questioned by police). They also tend to deal everything imaginable, and get hit with every offense under the sun when they're caught.
Truth is, many of these go back to normal lives after their stints in prison. I guess the leaders (rising up) are simply those that manage to not get caught too many times - or for too long, and those that don't give up. Obv. depends on country, and how harsh the laws are...
@Burkamp Thinking about making a career change?
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