In order to understand these two organizations and where their differences lie, one mustfirst understand how they began. Though these two organizations show signs of being cut fromthe same cloth, as they both deal with the same types of illegal activity, the Mafia and theYakuza have taken completely different perspectives of the violent spectrum of organized crime,differing almost completely in their ideologies, structures and principles. Also dealing in highly illegalbusinesses, the Yakuza has become infamous for its supposed unconcealed gang violence andblatantly extravagant behavior. In Japan, however, the image of the Yakuzais not so idealized due to their iconic lack of secrecy and subtlety. After all, little information exists to beginwith, thanks to omertà, the Mafia’s code of silence. The media had noqualms romanticizing this overly glorified image, adding prestige to an organization that pridesitself in extortion, drug trafficking and loan sharking. Men of Honour and Violence: A Comparative Analysis of the Sicillian Mafia and the Japanese Yakuza Elyse Lemoine When the Godfather made the Sicilian Mafia famous in 1972, the image of theorganization became one of endless monologues, thick, Italian-accented English and subtleshootouts against other Famiglie while out shopping for groceries.
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