Some of you know what that title means, others are perhaps blessed to be born outside the Alliance mafia circle. Being in the Alliance(note: it is something you are in not something you work for) is a little bit like living in a small town. Mention a name and immediately someone asks, "What's their last name?" and of course there is recognition. But instead of knowing that he is the town doctor or lawyer, the recognition comes because they know his cousin, or his father, or worked with them when they were younger, etc. The ties are unlimited. Rarely can one sit in an meeting and not have someone in that meeting connected to you or your family somehow. And if they aren't connected with your family they know someone you know who knows your family. There are no 6 steps to Kevin Bacon here...its simply one or two steps to bring people together.
There are some staple families within the Mafia that a majority of people can tie themselves back to. They are the superpower families, so big that the relations have all become muddled. "How are they related to___?" "Don't know but they have the same last name. "
But then there are other little families that are trying to make it on their own. They might succeed if they went to a cma school, attending a cma grad school, and then worked for a big cma church, but its really all about the family name.
If you are truly involved in the mafia, when you say your full name, it sparks recognition by many in the room, and those people will proceed to tell you how they know your mother, or grandfather, or cousin, etc. Or you will find out that you went to the same school, or attended the same church. Once you are in it, good luck trying to get out. Some people do escape, but their reputation is usually not so good, and you run the risk of ruining the reputation of the remaining family inside the circle.
But the mafia holds some benefits. Its a small knit circle that protects and watches out for its own. Its an immediate circle of friendship and family that if you are in a strange place, you can find some comfort. When you say good-bye to someone, its pretty much a guarantee you will always run into them or someone they know again real soon. Guess its one of the many perks of the mafia...downside: everyone always knows everything about you even before you meet them.
1 comment:
Ha ha, I loved this blog. How true it is, and what a strange thing to be a part of. I still go to church every Sunday and get asked about my dad CONSTANTLY. Though I do have to say this, changing your last name (to a non-CMA affiliated last name) while controverial can also prove quite beneficial to getting out of the Mafia.
Though, when I need it, I will introduce myself as "Erin (Reibsome) Warkentin". It does have it's perks.
Least favorite thing about it? When people come up to you and say "I used to know you when you were a baby". How are you supposed to react to that? Oh yeah, I remember you.
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