Similarity across mafia testimonies may reflect shared truth, not copying.

Evidence

Christopher Duggan (1989) repeatedly insinuates that the more “mythical” parts of Tommaso Buscetta’s testimony may be “copied” from those of other mafiosi before him such as Melchiorre Allegra’s in 1937 or Joe Valachi’s in 1963. The resemblance arouses his suspicion. but elementary logic suggests that if the revelations were all truthful, they would indeed resemble one another; their resemblance is suspicious only in the light of Duggan’s own prejudices. Even if it could be shown that the earlier revelations were not truthful, it still does not follow that the subsequent ones are therefore also untrue. It is perfectly possible for mafiosi to adapt certain fantasies, whatever the source, provided the adaptation makes sense in their world. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 952

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s Gambetta framework — the resemblance of mafia initiation accounts across decades supports the idea of a shared, internally-coherent private-protection culture whose narratives are transmitted and adapted deliberately.