Describing the Relationship Between the Underworld of Organized Crime and the Overworld of Political and Business Leaders in the United States

Introduction

Organized behavior is one of the fundamental elements of human behavior.¹  In the United States, it is these structured activities that has been formulated into our society and brought many actions that can be technically described as hypocrisy; organized criminality is one of these actions.²  For as long as the nation’s inception there has been regulations that describe what behavior is unlawful, as well as the many abuse of power situations and contradictions in the methods that the laws are applied.  Political and business leaders have been known to use their finances and authority to bypass the laws and as an instrument to create laws so that their actions are not viewed as illegal.³ The underworld of organized crime has minimal ability to do so; however, the behavior by the so-called criminals is not that much different when it is compared to the behavior of the political and business leaders in the country.⁴

It is this relationship that will be described within this essay.  By using various examples from the past in the United States, as well as more contemporary instances, the ability to understand how the organized crime underworld and overworld is not that much different from one another will be able to comprehended with little reluctance.  Moreover, specific references will be used in order to meet the requirements set out in this essay.  Again, by using factual information, and elements of philosophical notions, the ability for one to understand how the aforementioned relationship is quite narrow will be exhibited in a fashion that leaves for minor skeptical thoughts to be manifested.  

   Describing the Relationship Between the Underworld and Overworld of Organized Crime

Combating organized criminality activity in the contemporary world has been followed by the methods and practices of the law enforcement officials in the United States.¹ However, upon viewing the lengthy history of the United States’ capitalistic ventures, as well as the domestic occurrences that are seldom heard of, the country has formally and informally engaged in hypocrisy when the entire realm of organized crime is comprehended.²  With this being said, the American leadership, in respect to successfully defining and dealing with organized criminal syndicates, is far from authentic and more so a façade that allows for international and domestic prosperity to be ascertained.³ 

Political and business leaders within the country have been engaging in much criminal activity from the early years of the country, and even in our current culture.  In addition, the efforts to control organized crime by law enforcers in the country can theoretically be defined as organized criminal activity and thus makes the relationship between the criminal overworld and underworld very close to one another.⁴  For example, the concept of engaging in criminal activity can be noticed in the early purging of Americans’ conquests to bribe and label Native Americans in order to steal their land; which included sexual assaults, physical assaults, and murders.⁵  The idea of controlling crime in the aforementioned conquests can be comprehended by acknowledging that the bribing, labeling, raping, and murdering was an organized event in order to acquire land that was not going to be easily given up by the so-called criminals and savages – Native Americans.  Moreover, it also fostered personal and economic growth for business and political leaders within the United States, by obtaining new land there were surely spoils to be gobbled up.⁶ This example provides a great insight into the close relationship for when one discusses the overworld and underworld ideology of organized crime.  The Native Americans, who were structured in the sense that they were bonded together to oppose the infiltration by their Caucasian counterparts, and the overworld, the elites or White people, were the government affiliates and business leaders who were willing to go to great lengths to acquire and retain their prospects.⁷ 

Another example of the close relationship of the underworld and overworld of organized crime can be illustrated with the terror tactics that the African Americans endured not only during the United States’ slavery years, but also for many years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.⁸  During slavery, White Americans, business and political leaders in many cases, obviously organized in order to fulfill their needed tasks that brought economic and personal prosperity at the expense of the slaves.  The mental assaults by the use of language, anti-liberty laws, physical assaults, and even killings were certainly organized criminal activity in order to force the slaves to comply with the code of conduct – forced labor and a devalued worth in society.⁹  Because of this, if any slave did not adhere to the forced conditions, or organized with others as an attempt to produce better treatment, they were not only physically punished, but also deemed as unlawful persons who needed justice to rectify their behavior, which sometimes unfortunately included terrible forms of corporal punishment and even capital punishment. 

Describing the relationship between the underworld and overworld can be used with the slavery example in more recent times as well.  Once the African Americans were freed, and were legally permitted to engage in society without bias, the South, as well as the modernized northern part of the United States, turned to ordinances, laws, and horrific linguistics and perceptional devices in order to denounce the freedoms and to further legally deprive, or enslave, the Africans Americans in the United States.¹⁰  Furthermore, if former slaves, or African Americans in general, protested the uncanny behavior of the previously inferred instruments of regulations, language, and perceptional conveyances it made their actions criminal; which, again, demonstrates how the relationship between the organized criminal underworld and overworld are one in the same in the United States.¹¹ The only difference lies in who the superior class is and who the inferior group is not; in other words, the group who is not seen as ordinary, or reluctant to obey, usually becomes the criminals.  Whereas, the group who is manufacturing utilities to support their actions are simply abiding by the law.

A similar concept can be applied when Rudy Giuliani, the former United States prosecutor, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted clandestine maneuvers in order to gain information about the contemporary crime families in the United States so that arrests and prosecutions could be undoubtedly delivered.¹²  Using undercover informants – people who engage in illegal activities in order to acquire information so that an arrest and conviction is hard to refute – is a contradiction of justice and a demonstration of how the relationship of the underworld and overworld of organized criminality is, again, quite close.  Moreover, R.T. Naylor (2002) posits similar examples of the hypocrisy of organized crime in the United States.¹³ He demonstrates the narrow relationship of underworld and overworld of organized crime via means of economic prosperity for criminals, government parties, and private enterprises.¹⁴  Particularly, Naylor (2002) describes how American banks use off-shore accounts to generate larger incomes or hide an earmark that would possibly cause heartache regarding an individual’s personal wealth, how other private entities pay bribes in order to fulfill a wealthier budget, to continue on with illegal activities so that their legal profits can be unhindered, and how government associates routinely take illegal monies from known criminals and seize properties in order to retain committed government grants and occupational worth.¹⁵  Again, all of this vividly implies how the relationship between the organized criminal underworld and overworld are not much different from one another in the United States.  The only scapegoat, as aforementioned, comes with the use of regulations and when one party seeks to enhance their economic and personal well-being and another group is an obstacle in the desired prosperity.

The above-mentioned contemporary example can be cross-applied with the deliberate efforts of old world contrivances that include piracy and other forms of extortion.  European nations, as well as the United States and other Western Hemisphere countries, were constantly grudging it out with one another to establish international power and to make their countries richer in both the domestic and international capitalistic markets.¹⁶  Ridiculous port passage fees, taxes, criminal accusations, targeting specific trade routes and ships, and fining those who were selected as wrongdoers is an ideal exemplification of how the underworld and overworld of organized crime is closely related in the United States, as well as internationally.¹⁷  The concept that is being implied, again, is that the actions of political and business leaders is no different from the tendencies of the stereotypical identification of an illegal person – a criminal.  Regulations, permitted behaviors, and particular language are separated only by adjectives, nouns, and verbs -- language to be precise.  Besides the scripted language, or acceptable behavior that is deliberately conjured in order to engage in illegal activity, the relationship between the organized criminal underworld and overworld is undoubtedly isomorphic in the United States and elsewhere.  Essentially, there is not much of a difference; criminals and political and business leaders are people who both perform illegal activities, the difference, as previously mentioned, is which group is able to outdo the other group, and the ability of one group to have the power to make their illegal actions legal. 

Moving forward to more recent times again, another example of the close relationship between the organized crime underworld and overworld in the United States can be inferred with the country’s Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) unusual collaboration with drug cartels in Mexico, as well as the business leaders’ battles for first place in the legal drug trade.  To be more precise, the United States’ DEA purposelessly sought out Mexican drug kingpins in order to acquire information about other cartels’ movements so that easy arrests and prosecutions could be made.¹⁸  In respect to the legal drug trade, multiple pharmaceutical companies have solicited drug dealers as well, or better known as sales representatives, so that their products are sold over competing entities’ prescription pills.¹⁹  Both examples provide a sufficient comprehensiveness for the purposes of this essay; meaning that the relationship of organized criminal underworlds and overworlds in the United States is, again, very similar.  Each illustration includes similar activity, and relationships with stereotypical criminal behaviors, as well as legal activity by government parties and business leaders.  All in all, the deviant behaviors or thoughts by typical criminals, government agencies, and business leaders are not that distant from each other. 

Turning back to the past again, the relationship, or hypocrisy, between the underworld and overworld of criminal activity can be relegated in another specific example.  During the nineteenth century, many politicians and police officers would contract or bribe known criminals in order to secure job placement and desperately needed votes.  In the late 1860s, William Marshal Tweed developed an extensive network of bribes, kickbacks, and payoffs so that he could surpass the American electoral process.  Particularly, Tweed performed favors for people, some of these people included criminals that were willing to do Tweed’s dirty work, which included threatening voters and business owners so that any other options in the democratic process was not viable.  Once more, this is a demonstration of how the organized crime underworld and overworld are indeed related, and that the actions of political and business leaders are not much different as one may think when compared to the typical understanding of organized criminal activity in the United States. 

Fast forwarding into our contemporary era again, similar actions in the above-mentioned example can be shown with the New York City Police Department’s corruption in the late 1960s that was exposed by a fellow law enforcement officer.  Frank Serpico’s integrity exposed a massive amount of improper conduct and organized illegal activity in one of the nation’s largest police departments.²² Specifically, many officers were taking bribes from illegal groups so that unlawful activity could carry on without intervention from law enforcement, some of which included high-ranking police officers (political leaders).  Moreover, Frank Serpico was threatened, and eventually shot when he blew the whistle on his colleagues; all of which made him retire as a police officer and flee the United States.²³ These unfortunate courses of actions shows how the criminally organized overworld and underworld are one in the same.  Using duress and bodily harm contradicts the oaths and laws that police officers are supposed to uphold, which makes the previously mentioned corruption and shooting a crime, especially when there is a collaboration being ensued – organized crime.

Another modern version of the relationship between the organized criminal underworld and overworld can be shown with the unusual discourses of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) influences on seizing properties.  More specifically, it is known that the DOJ was at one point strongly encouraging police departments to seize wealthy business owners' properties who were prospering economically off of illegal and shabby establishments.²⁴  In the period of time at which the legal issues were not resolved, the police departments who seized the illegal places of business were forced to operate the enterprises.²⁵  This example is perfect for explaining how the political leaders are not that different when it comes to the criminal behaviors that are they responsible for stopping.  The overworld and underworld of organized crime is, again, very similar when a type of law enforcement in the aforementioned example is presented.  Seizing an alleged illegal business, and then operating it is the hypocrisy that is being implied throughout this essay.  Regardless of the due process that we have in the United States, when law enforcement participates in running illegal establishments it makes them organized criminals.  Philosophically speaking, the business owner is no different from the DOJ or police departments when such an unusual practice is conducted.  Laws and power are the only difference. 

Finally, an example of the close relationship between the organized criminal underworld and overworld can be posited with Ronald Reagan’s deregulation legislation that allowed government insured spending and embezzlement to be performed by the executives who were employed by high-profit places of business and banks.²⁶  Not only were the bankers spending other people's money at ridiculous rates, but they also shared the wealth with politicians who were willing to help continue the unethical and organized activity.  In comparison, when underworld organized criminal groups, such as New York crime families, extorted legitimate businesses and embezzled or laundered the money from their illegal and legitimate businesses it was viewed as criminal activity that needed to be put to justice.²⁷ Which, in turn, is another example of the hypocrisy and close relationship of the organized criminal underworld and overworld’s relationship.  One party, the banking executives and politicians, are able to freely engage in organized criminal activity because of their authority and status in the United States; whereas the mafias in New York are labeled as criminals by the politicians, and many others, and put to justice more so than the criminals who call themselves businessmen and politicians.    

Conclusion

Overall, the relationship between the underworld and overworld of political leaders and business leaders is not that much different from the typical understanding of what criminal behavior is.¹ The ability to create laws, language, and other regulations is surely the major difference.  The ability to enforce legal power over another person, or group of people, is the other significant difference between the underworld and overworld of organized criminality.²  Other than these two components, the similarities are quite abundant and thus not only make for a close relationship between the overworld and underworld of criminal activity apparent to the external viewer, but also an interesting concept that encompasses elements that go unnoticed in the complexity and busyness that is prevalent in the United States.  The permitted use of criminal activity by political and business leaders has been contradictory from the early years of the United States’ formation, and still continues today.³  Hypocrisy in the definitions of organized criminality have arrived time-and-time again, as well as when the laws and assertions to combat the activity have been implemented.⁴  It appears that the underworld is receiving the brunt of the legal force when leaders in the overworld are in need of more income and clout in their livelihoods.⁵

Many of the instances in the main content of the essay describe how the relationship is also symbiotic.  Meaning that without the greed and desire to acquire financial and personal prosperity, and with the ability of particular people, or groups of people, to reach a defined level of success then the relationship would not exist.  Specifically, law enforcement organizations address structured criminal activity because of the existence of illegal organized criminal groups.  Without the underworld, or organized criminals being present, there would be no need to have law enforcement tactics to suppress or eliminate the particular type of criminal activity; which is another demonstration of how close the relationship of the overworld and underworld is.  In sum, the overworld of the political and business leaders and the underworld of organized criminal syndicates is no different, the only exception is that one party has the ability to manifest legal parameters that make their actions lawful.              

Notes to Introduction

1. Richard H. Robbins, Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach (Belmont: Wadsworth, 2009), 94-102.

2. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.

3. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.

4. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.

Notes to Describing the Relationship between the Underworld and Overworld of Organized Crime

1. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 6-33.

2.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 6-12.

3.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 6-15. 

4.  R. T. Naylor, Wages of Crime (United States: Cornell University Press, 2002), 14-22. 

5.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 33-35.

6.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 33-36. 

7.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 33-35.

8.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 69-90.

9.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 81-94.

10.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 82-103.

11.  Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow (New York: The New Press, 2012), 22-40.

12.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada:  University of Toronto Press, 2001), 282-291.    

13.  R. T. Naylor, Wages of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, and the Underworld Economy (United States: Cornell University Press, 2002), 249-278. 

14.  R.T. Naylor, Wages of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, and the Underworld Economy (United States: Cornell University Press, 2002), 249-278. 

15.  R. T. Naylor, Wages of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, and the Underworld Economy (United States: Cornell University Press, 2002), 249-282. 

16.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 28-47.    

17.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University Of Toronto Press, 2001), 29-53. 

18.  Michael Kelly, “CONFIRMED: The DEA Struck A Deal With Mexico's Most Notorious Drug Cartel,” Business Insider, January 13, 2014, http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-government-and-the-sinaloa-cartel-2014-1#ixzz2qfeeRopG. 

19.  Avinish R. Paywardhan, Physicians -Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives Interactions and Conflicts of Interest.  (United States: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing. 

20.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 59-67. 

21.  Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 62-65. 

22. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 291-293.

23. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 291-293. 

24. R. T. Naylor, Wages of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, and the Underworld Economy (United States: Cornell University Press, 2002).  275-276. 

25. R. T. Naylor, Wages of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, and the Underworld Economy (United States: Cornell University Press, 2002).  275-276.

26. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 284-298.      

Notes to Conclusion

1. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.

2. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.

3. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.

4. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.

5. Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 3-18.