3 ms·

What you mean "we"? Much of this is just excitement added to a boring life, or curiosity, and should not be confused with "admiration". After watching or readi

What you mean "we"? Much of this is just excitement added to a boring life, or curiosity, and should not be confused with "admiration". After watching or reading about such mobsters, I find I am disgusted, and hope I never come in contact with such a lot.

agumonkey 11y ago
They're still far too popular culturally considering their lifestyle. Most of the mafiosi movies are praised. Which lead me to think that people secretly loved the idea behind the mafia. They decide to make their own rules and ensure their own "well being"[1], push the environment as much as it can take; and somehow it might appeal to people. After all, deep down, it's all about 'me' first. ps: add a sense of family and tradition, and you have a strong recipe. [1] morally relative of course
- icebraining 11y ago
  Most of the mafiosi movies are praised. Which lead me to think that people secretly loved the idea behind the mafia. Many films about natural disasters have also been praised. Enjoying the film does not mean one loves the characters in it.
  - chipsy 11y ago
    What all fiction tends to do - crime stories, disasters, horror, action, romance - is make ordinary life look relatively muted. Maybe you don't want to become a mafioso in real life, but you do want to feel validated in your more minor lawbreaking, your small rebellions against authority, etc. Plenty of teenagers want to imagine themselves being action heroes, with a "simple" life full of glorifying adventures where people die but not them - an escape from the immediate problems of their everyday existence. As they get older, most of them feel less inclined to see the world burn, and so reinterpret the same stories in a more troubled way. But in the moment, it's always about being "so badass" or whatnot. A person you could be, if you were just a little less inhibited by things like emotion and caring for others. And that's the second part of it - that you can uphold "glorified bad guys" as part of an elaborate rationalization process to ignore your own failings, praising their every motion while distancing yourself from the idea you are also bad.
    - icebraining 11y ago
      While the escapism you're describing is certainly widespread, it's completely reductionist to say it's always about that. Particularly in the most popular editions (The Godfather, The Sopranos, etc), the mafiosos do not enjoy a good life. They are often tragic figures, not successful people. Sure, Tony Soprano may have a lot of money and doesn't take shit from bosses or other idiots, but he's also living with depression and suffers from regular panic attacks. And does anyone envy the life of Scarface? I think it's actually the opposite; what really makes gangster films successful is not our envy of the "qualities," but the fact that we can relate to their flaws, which eventually destroy them. In good films, in which the characters are not two dimensional "bad" guys but relatable people, we take empathize and take pity on them, even if we understand they have no one to blame but themselves - much like we. (By the way, if you think all fiction makes ordinary life look muted, I suggest you look into the realism movements. I can recommend Scenes from a Marriage, which has nothing that would look out of place in an ordinary life, yet it's a masterpiece)

agumonkey 11y ago

They're still far too popular culturally considering their lifestyle. Most of the mafiosi movies are praised. Which lead me to think that people secretly loved the idea behind the mafia. They decide to make their own rules and ensure their own "well being"[1], push the environment as much as it can take; and somehow it might appeal to people. After all, deep down, it's all about 'me' first. ps: add a sense of family and tradition, and you have a strong recipe. [1] morally relative of course

icebraining 11y ago
Most of the mafiosi movies are praised. Which lead me to think that people secretly loved the idea behind the mafia. Many films about natural disasters have also been praised. Enjoying the film does not mean one loves the characters in it.
- chipsy 11y ago
  What all fiction tends to do - crime stories, disasters, horror, action, romance - is make ordinary life look relatively muted. Maybe you don't want to become a mafioso in real life, but you do want to feel validated in your more minor lawbreaking, your small rebellions against authority, etc. Plenty of teenagers want to imagine themselves being action heroes, with a "simple" life full of glorifying adventures where people die but not them - an escape from the immediate problems of their everyday existence. As they get older, most of them feel less inclined to see the world burn, and so reinterpret the same stories in a more troubled way. But in the moment, it's always about being "so badass" or whatnot. A person you could be, if you were just a little less inhibited by things like emotion and caring for others. And that's the second part of it - that you can uphold "glorified bad guys" as part of an elaborate rationalization process to ignore your own failings, praising their every motion while distancing yourself from the idea you are also bad.
  - icebraining 11y ago
    While the escapism you're describing is certainly widespread, it's completely reductionist to say it's always about that. Particularly in the most popular editions (The Godfather, The Sopranos, etc), the mafiosos do not enjoy a good life. They are often tragic figures, not successful people. Sure, Tony Soprano may have a lot of money and doesn't take shit from bosses or other idiots, but he's also living with depression and suffers from regular panic attacks. And does anyone envy the life of Scarface? I think it's actually the opposite; what really makes gangster films successful is not our envy of the "qualities," but the fact that we can relate to their flaws, which eventually destroy them. In good films, in which the characters are not two dimensional "bad" guys but relatable people, we take empathize and take pity on them, even if we understand they have no one to blame but themselves - much like we. (By the way, if you think all fiction makes ordinary life look muted, I suggest you look into the realism movements. I can recommend Scenes from a Marriage, which has nothing that would look out of place in an ordinary life, yet it's a masterpiece)