Comments by "Robert Morgan" (@RobertMorgan) on "History Buffs: Goodfellas" video.
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5:05 "and he loved, above all, feeling valued".
And that right there is the cornerstone, the main structural element, of how gangs, mobs, cults, and even many of our institutions work and attract and keep members. It's extremely powerful and coercive to give someone who has been convinced for whatever reason that they're worthless a worth through purpose, even if that purpose is an ulterior motive to serve some self-serving goal of your own.
Quite often in such situations what's not seen is that valuation comes at a price, that in most cases what you get out of the situation that makes you feel great is being paid to the 'leader' many times over. Especially in the mob. The more you make, the better you do, the more you kick upstairs to the Boss.
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