There has been much written through the years about so-called “made men” or those mob associates who eventually gain formal induction to the inner sanctum of the Italian underworld.
For upwards of one hundred years in this country, the organized criminal underworld has looked in awe at these so-called “button guys,” “good fellows,” or “made men” who are the formal rank-and-file of Mafia Families throughout the United States. In Italy and Sicily, that awe goes back even further, several hundred years at least.
We have all heard and read about the (formerly) secret process of entering that dark and mysterious world. The recitation in Sicilian of the ancient “Oath of Omertà,” the blood-letting by pin or stiletto blade of the new recruit’s “trigger finger” symbolizing death and the weight of their decision to join the brotherhood. The promise by the new recruit to kill anyone who dares threaten the Family. The fingers cast out by those present to see who will be the “compare” or counsel to the new member, and the big celebration of food and wine afterward welcoming in the new member to recognize his elevation into what is widely considered to be the “creme de la creme” of organized crime in the world.
But what is it all really about? Why all the hoopla? Is it really all it’s cracked up to be?
What is the truth about the life and the positions of made men apart from the often false narrative that has been put out there for decades by the media and law enforcement and by Cosa Nostra itself to intoxicate and lure legions of young hoodlums who strived to be welcomed into its ranks?
