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naraburns  nihil supernum  2yr ago (text post)   35891 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 3, 2022

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The post Stefferi replied to explicitly identifies the Chicago mafia and mobsters multiple times as the subject in question in the opening sentences. The study Steffri subsequently linked to to support this was titled "The Black Mafia". Its abstract explicitly claims blacks played a vital role as members of the Chicago Outfit. The Chicago Outfit is a proper noun and refers specifically to the Italian-American organized crime family known to most as "the mob" or "the mafia".

Stefferi was not confused. His own fucking source shows he knew the quibble was "black mafioso", not "black criminality". He was being snide. God, why did you have to mod here, too.

The post Stefferi replied to explicitly identifies the Chicago mafia and mobsters multiple times as the subject in question in the opening sentences

Really? Okay, let's take a look:

I recently watched "The Outfit," which was a pretty well done mystery/thriller set amongst 1950's Chicago gangsters. Also an Amazon production.

Late in the film a group that had previously only been referred to by name shows up, and they're black. The characters are still interesting, central to the plot, well-acted, etc. But knowing Amazon's diversity rules, it kind of breaks the fourth wall. I know of no notable group of black Chicago mobsters during this era. I do know about Amazon's rules. So, this probably wasn't an independent artistic decision, but rather the result of those rules.

"Chicago gangsters" and "black Chicago mobsters" is vague and generic. Maybe in the context of the show, they really did make a bunch of black guys members of The Outfit. But that is not in evidence here.

You are, flatly, wrong.

Stefferi was not confused. His own fucking source shows he knew the quibble was "black mafioso", not "black criminality". He was being snide.

Not in evidence. Your projections.

God, why did you have to mod here, too.

You make it all worthwhile.

For what it's worth I also interpreted it as referring to just some group of black organized criminals, not the literal Italian mafia. It's been my understanding that "mobsters", "mob", even "Mafia" etc can refer to a variety of ethnic organized criminal groups ("Jewish Mob", "Armenian Mafia" etc.)

You are, flatly, wrong.

No, I am correct. What you quoted supports me: "The Outfit", "1950's Chicago gangsters", "black Chicago mobsters".

It's not ambiguous. If you thought it was, that is a failure on your end, not OP's.

Not in evidence. Your projections.

If you want to play judge, put on your red hat and practice. Lord knows you could use it.

You make it all worthwhile.

Wish I could say the same, but the mods have always been the worst part of the community.

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