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| Mafiosi’s Attitude Toward Women |
Do Mafia men beat their wives, their daughters, their girlfriends? Of course they do, but probably less than one might expect of men in such a violent profession. This is not too hard to understand. Though they are men of violence, their violence is part of their "business" activities. To carry that behavior over to nonbusiness situations strikes them as unnecessary, stupid and, toward women, most unmanly.
It is rare for a Mafia man, especially one on the lower echelons to beat a woman because such behavior could mark him as intemperate. And it is somewhat rare to hear a mob guy use foul language in front of a woman, his wife or otherwise. That might not be true during moments of "recreational rape," but in most situations swearing at women would not be proper in personal relationships.
By contrast a strongarm guy seeking to pressure a loan shark victim might speak very coarsely to that man's wife, daughter or lady friend. This qualifies as legit behavior because it is business. Likewise it's perfectly acceptable to "put a woman to sleep" if she becomes a threat to mob business, as was the case of mob boss Rusty Rastelli's woman.
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Virtually all wise guys hold their women to a very high standard. One mobster told undercover FBI operative "Donnie Brasco" that "if a female swears, she's a puttana—a whore" and that if his girl ever "said 'fuck,' I'd throw her out the window." This was from an accomplished hit man.
