Similar to user-generated content, but failed. The most widely spread type of media on the internet.

Degenerate, degenerated, degenerating.
To lose quality, gradual breakdown, outlive one's usefulness.

A Mongolian General in the field.

degenerated mind

Ok, I recommended many definitions for deletion. It seems everybody has thier personal version of mafia's history. I am Sicilian and the study of the Mafias (we prefer plural vs one single mafia) is one of my interests, as a Sicilian and as a student. Also... I'm no member of any "family" you may think of.

The word itself has rather obscure origins, and its history and meaning is totally unrelated with modern concept of mafia.

Modern Mafias have so many different aspects I couldn't say if one is wronger than others. Nowadays the term "Mafia" can be rightly (and sadly) related to almost every socio-political aspect of our lives. We could say the word itself has gained a more general and complex meaning since its migration from Sicily to USA.

As regards the word itself: its origin can be traced back in the centuries. Sure it had something to do with the many invasions Sicily was exposed to. During the ages, Sicily has been invaded by pretty much ALL of the peoples in the Mediterranean Area: Greeks, Romans, Normands (~French), Arabs, Spanish, Italians nowadays. This gave the island's culture an inmense richness, but as a side effect created among Sicilians some sort of silent "brotherhood" against anyone coming from the outside world.

This "brotherhood", meaning protection of the masses from the invasors, lately degenerated into an oppression of the masses. The term mafia, originally indicating (not meaning) a group of people "respected" for being charismatic mem...

The phenomenon which began in the 50's with the combination of rhythm and blues, country music, and gospel. It was pioneered by Chuck Berry, transformed by The Beatles, hardened by Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, and through the course of the 70's evolved into the pinnacle of musical glory.

Since then, it has lost the "Roll" and degenerated into "Rock" a generic term for all manners of crappy, modern, guitar driven music that has nothing to do with the messages, anthems, and ideals of old. Rather than professing a belief in the "Livin' easy, livin' free" lifestyle professed by AC/DC and their contemporaries, "Rock" now aims to piss and moan as much as possible whilst backed by horrible, rehashed guitar and pre-pubescent vocals about slutty girlfriends and cannabus.

In the 1940's Raymond A. Palmer was the editor of a science fiction magazine called Amazing Stories. The magazine did well and was big among science fiction fans. In March of 1945 a man named Richard S. Shaver who had been in and out of prison and mental homes submitted a science fiction story about a race of creatures who used to live on earth, but were forced to live underground because the suns radiation was too intense. They degenerated into deranged robots or "deros" for short. Palmer published the story as truth and it was a big hit with his fans. Palmer realized that he could get an occult following if he published crazy science fiction as truth, and that he could make a lot of money off of gullible people. Sales were way up, and so were the profits. For the next year Palmer had Shaver write up quick stories that he would rewrite into elaborate fantasies about this make believe race. They made money like this for a while, and it was always a big joke to Palmer who openly spoke about it often. Many years later Dr. York realized he could make money off of gullible people with the same old science fiction story by publishing it as fact.
He did just that and added the fictional story of the underground Deros to his scrolls and perpetuated the knowledge as indisputable fact. Unfortunately the majority of his followers don't research his claims any deeper than the scrolls he writes them in, so they carry on their lives feeling as though they have a hidden knowledge ...