born villain

warning: this piece contains language that some readers may find offensive

There is a kind of palpable romance in mafia philosophy. A reverence or spell casting that I think, in particular, speaks to the ear of the common American. For whether we have pride for our country or not, whether we think we align with its values or not, we cannot entirely escape our cultural biases and by nature, we look to legends and lore to inspire or reinforce our ideals which are more commonly shared than we are led to believe. Autonomy and family sit at the center point of most of our lives regardless of where we come from or who we pray to, and the concept of emerging from oppression and gaining prominence through self actualization are the basis of western revolution. Moreover, they serve as the same tenets of organized crime.

Al Capone once said "Any guy who pretends he is enforcing the law and steals on his authority is a swell snake. The worst type of these punks is the big politician." Though not entirely clear, it is said that the mafia's decline began in the 1970's by way of harsher federal prosecution followed by a later decline in the 1990's conversely through informant cooperation. Some optimists believe that gentrification of Italian-American neighborhoods allowed for legitimate opportunity and assimilation to main stream culture which led individuals to turn away from the lifestyle. While each of these theories, without question, offers some polished truth and evidence, I think they fail to consider the complexities of deeply imbedded cultural identity and that more often, one does not choose to defy his family or its values.

I'm the daughter of a gigging musician, so, much of my life has been spent in high end lounges and bars where the clientele is largely made of hustlers and dealers. My father's father was a musician, his father was a musician, and so goes the lineage. In my twenties, I worked at a number of these types of establishments to put myself through school. There is a consistent rotation of regulars who like to make themselves known in LA nightlife, for it gives them, what I believe to be, equal parts recognition and absolution of deviant behavior. In essence, it shapes their personalities. There was one regular who I became familiar with, who not only embodied these traits, but would boast about his crime associations while feigning his own criminal legitimacy. He was somewhere in his sixties, always wore sunglasses, had a fresh coat of fake tanner on, and took a liking to me because he thought I was a "cool rocker chick." More than once he threw his arm around me, took a drag of his cigar, and pronounced in my ear, "Man, if I was twenty years younger I'd take you home, but my cock doesn't work anymore!" Cackling as if this was endearing and complimentary. He talked a a big game, however, he was the son of a deceased midwest mob boss and had some public connections with prominent media figures. I know this because he told me. He told everybody. He enjoyed talking about it so much that he always carried a copy of his unpublished memoir with him wherever he went, mostly to impress young cocktail waitresses. We'll call this guy, Ronnie*. I'd spent enough time in these spaces and around these men to understand a few things, and what I knew right away was that Ronnie was no gangster. Because true gangsters move in silence.

He was a swindler, a conman, a raconteur, and probably a pretty good one, because he was able to game plenty of people; especially other men who love the tall tales of mafia-lore like the cute security guard, S*, who worked the door at the club where we both met Ronnie. S* was an ex-Marine from Boston who moved to LA with dreams of working in entertainment. For better or worse, I've always been attracted to this type of masculinity: athletes, military, and others of the like. It is the intensity of the commitment to a lifestyle that I'm drawn to; the losing of oneself to something greater than and outside himself, and the ideals of living life as a warrior or someone who brings others back from battle. S* served as front line infantry in Afghanistan and after being honorably discharged, moved to LA where we met and eventually started dating. Even though S* was experienced in combat, he was very kind, but unfortunately, also very naive. While looking to break into the industry, he took the chance to team up with Ronnie's inexperienced son, Ronnie Jr*, to build a production company with a focus on reality TV. The plan was that Ronnie Jr* would be the business man and S* would be the producer, but neither had a true plan for this venture and both of them leaned into the theatrics of what characters in this line of work are seen doing in movies and TV. They would attend meetings unprepared where Ronnie Jr* would throw tantrums and show naked pictures of his girlfriend while also bragging about sleeping with pornstars. He told me how he smudged his credit score and offered me forged checks to use to get a lease on vehicle that was out of my budget. Without any genuine interest in storytelling, I inquired why he chose reality TV, and his answer was that it was easy to make and easy to sell because "n**gers love TV." The year was 2015 when S* and I dated for a few months. During this time, Ronnie Sr* passed away in a hospital, penniless, and Donald Trump announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

My parents raised me to be an independent thinker and my young teen years happened during the Bush administration which landed my life in the millennial timeline through Y2K, 9/11, Activate Wall Street, the housing crisis, and Covid; so naturally, I've always questioned authority and groupthink. During college, as many of us are, I was radicalized to examine the pitfalls of institutions and their traditions while employing the punk rock mentality of resistance. Whether intended or not, all of my experiences shaped me into someone who is very patriotic, and to me, there is absolutely nothing more American than to love the land you live on but to challenge those who run it. Even though S* had a heart of gold, I was ultimately unstimulated in our interactions, namely because I don't think he had ever questioned a principled way of life which is why he linked himself to Ronnie Jr* and bought into his persona.

Politics, like art, religion, and media, are unique in that they are representations of the state of the world while also informing it. Much like our relationships to our parents and our communities, it shapes our character which affects our integrity and decision making. We have probably not experienced such a powerful collision of politics and media since World War II which should make us examine what kind of influence is being placed on a country made of working class people who have nothing to do with it's ruling parties.

I've spoken to S* on occasion throughout the years and came to learn that he and Ronnie Jr* parted ways on bitter terms after their company dissolved when Ronnie Jr* conned an investor out of his money. I haven't seen S* much and I never saw Ronnie Jr* again. That was, until about a month ago, while I was scrolling on social media and saw his campaign to run for Republican office in Florida.

The fear and uncertainty of the future is something that myself and my generational peers are no stranger to. We've witnessed the dirtiest expositions and lies come to life. We've watched our heroes crumble and learned that the concepts that had been sold to our parents and passed down to us are fleeting and unstable, which is why so many of us are frustrated to witness the reactionary campaigns of the last decade that have virtually nothing to do with policy and everything to do with banks, corporations, and lobbyists; none of which have ever provided for or added to the progress of our nation or it's people. That the constant narrative is playing to our emotions over our intellect or safety by using faith and hate tactics, or just plain lies to shape public perception that every single American is an extremist, when I think most of us know damn well, that we don't actually align with any these very loud fringe groups. Democrats are playing to our hope and Republicans are playing to our fear, but neither have offered a sustainable course of action.

Ronnie Jr*, as far as I can remember, never exhibited any interest in policy, nor any concern whatsoever for the common man. Money, power, and manipulation were his passions, so of course, when I saw his campaign that was painted with the all-too-common lukewarm political tropes of "faith" and "freedom" I had to take a closer look. His aesthetic is smeared in red and white and unsurprisingly, there is not a single example of community engagement, effort, or any concept of policy reform. He does, however, talk in length about his dislike for the democrats, and his support for Donald Trump. And, of course; why wouldn't he? Who better to influence him and guide him than a fellow criminal? Someone who is litigious and competitive. Who evaded taxes, cheated on his immigrant wife with a pornstar, and plans to pardon himself of 34 felony convictions if re-elected. It would mean for someone like Ronnie Jr* that not only could he fully realize his father's failed criminal legacy, but he could solidify his family tradition by legitimizing himself while moving under the guise of patriotism. He'd finally become a made guy.

The glamour and exoticism of criminal underbellies exists only in the movies. From my experience, up close and personal, it is ugly, desperate, and a practice only lived out by lesser men. Every year, thousands of men, like S* are sent to fight and die in imperialist wars to preserve our nation. Many of these men become merely a statistic or fade into obscurity. Some become Unknown Soldiers; their bodies decaying in tombs in Virginia, all so that men like the Ronnie's can walk free and gain notoriety, even within their own social infamy, in the exact precedent that has been set by Donald J Trump.

Subcultures are born as a reaction to mainstream cultures, but eventually, as with anything that gains power, it can and will flow into and influence the mainstream. Our country is centered around the concept of family. Some men are born as heroes, some are born into nothing, and some are born to be villains. I'm not sure that the mafia has lost power. Rather, I think it is clear that as an organization intent on survival, it wised up and aligned with greater forces who adopted its practices all so that they can move in silence. And move into the White House.