system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do people join the mafia?

I'm not asking about gangs like MS13/Zetas/etc, but historically like Italian/Jewish mafias? 

Seems like a loaded question-
gpt
People join the mafia for the same reason they join any other street gang. There's not *nearly* as much of a difference as people think; The Godfather isn't any closer to a real life Italian gang than it is to a real life Mexican gang.