Boardwalk Empire: Cowards who don't believe movies can influence.

Why do you think advertisers put their products in movies? (product placement) Because an actor who uses the product in a tv show or movie can influence the public to use the product, or think a certain way.

Think happy meals, cigarettes in movies, liquor, and cereals loaded with sugar. Hatred and racism also has an affect, and this is very real. There is no imaginary influence on people. Its on purpose , well thought out, and targeted to its audience.

To the coward who wrote anonymously in reply to my post on antisemitism and about a jew that refused to allow jesus into his life. Was that a reason to kill him?

Historically, this is an issue that refuses to go away, and many jews have died in real life because of it.

The words I chose, spoke of anti-semitism in boardwalk empire and a problem in the real world, but you only saw this as a drama, written fictionally, in contrast, I live through hatred on a daily basis, tied only to my religion. I wear a yarmulke (head covering) and identify myself as a jew. Just as a person is a different color and hated because its not the same as thiers.

You must not be a jew, and must not be black, because you have no apparent experiences of racism or antisemitism. My Hypersensitivity as a jew, is based on realities in my life, and the need to express that showing hatred, only because of different religious views, cannot be tolerated in film or TV.

You are a coward to not give your name, and identify your race and religion, so we can see the reason for your biased point of view of the arts that cross the line and perpetuate an ugly hatred.

You asked to be heard and that your views be seen, and they will be heard, because your stupidity and tilted mind set and defending of racist antisemites must be shown to the world, that your ignorance is typical of what still exists while survivors of the holocaust die, and people forget.

Even jews forget about who they are, and what it means to be jewish. This is not the case for me, because I am jewish and I will never forget that being jewish means people will always hate me. Like your hatred for me. You cannot simply discredit the truth, to support your views, and maintain neutrality. That is my defintion of ignorance and blind hatred.

Let it go, and I will still have reason to not trust you. History speaks the truth, and jews have not changed their love of the torah, their love of god and their love of all jews. I have no hatred for people, and only defend ourselves when they threaten our lives.

Thank god I live in America, free to practice my jewish religion, and not afraid to let people know I am a jew.

Rob Tencer


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Boardwalk empire antisemitic undertones similar to...":

I have to post a comment about the article here. The author has written something that is alarmist and biased to such an extent that it begs for a rebuttal.

It is true that the Jewish character in question is murdered by a Gentile. Why? Quite obviously, if you actually watch the episode, this is because the Jewish character has done the following:

1. Murdered an extremely important criminal turned informant/witness in cold blood.

2. Taken money for this murder from the corrupt politician who is the Gentile's enemy.

3. In the process of murdering the witness has caused irreparable damage to the Gentile's (his boss's) thus-far successful career.

In addition the Gentile is under extreme stress at home in his marriage.

One character HAPPENS to be Jewish, the other HAPPENS to be Gentile. Jews are shown in both a negative and positive light throughout the first season. As are Gentiles, as are African Americans, as are Italian Americans, as are Irish Americans.

The portrayal of a Jewish character in fictional media as anything more than a saint, a martyr, and/or a victim is itself the expression of some courage, the writers should be applauded for DARING to realistically portray a Jew as human and fallible, dare we even say evil?

It is VERY far from anti-Semitism to show one character murdering another when the one being murdered has lied, killed for hire, and caused the murderer to take the fall for it, is it?

Really writer, your hypersensitivity is a textbook example of crying wolf on something which does not merit it in the least just because you DO NOT LIKE what the show has to say, i.e. Jews can be bad too (bad in a realistic way, not as some larger than life Rothstein legend who we all know is not an everyday sort of character).

A quote for you by a Jew about this topic -

"Fighting anti-Semitism seems to be for some Jews more important than any other expression of Jewishness ... The danger appears when one becomes dependent upon them for one's identity, so that one begins to need anti-Semitism."
Stanislaw Krajewski

And by the way I will bet you a large sum that you do not have the belief in free speech and democratic debate to EVER post my comment. Surprise me...

miley cyrus as a role model and a bong

miley cyrus was a child star on disney, and had a hit TV show called hanna montana. watched by millions of children from around the world. Whatever miley cyrus did, her fans wanted to do. Whatever miley cyrus wore, her fans wanted to wear. Whatever miley cyrus ate, her fans ate. Now that miley cyrus is seen in video's all over the internet smoking a bong, getting high, and tripping out while laughing, smiling and appearing to have a good time, all the little girls and teens that considered miley cyrus a role model, all want to smoke a bong and get high like miley cyrus.

The problem is that parents trusted disney and their wholesome and innocent image, but now the trust is destroyed. The wholesome values that disney portrays, put to much trust in their brand-able celebrities like miley cyrus, and when the bong video could not be covered up and made to go away, the effect is DAMAGE.


As a parent, the damage is the fear that my children will now want to do what miley cyrus did. Children cannot differentiate between hanna montana the character and miley cyrus the drug user. If she appears happy, smiling and having a good time, than all the children will want to follow suit.

regardless of the herb of choice for miley cyrus being legal, illegal, medical or for medicinal purposes, this glamorizes drug use to a very young audience, and this is frightening.

If you are a parent or if you are a teen or tween, you must understand that what miley cyrus did was careless, reckless and wrong. miley cyrus and disney tricked you into thinking miley cyrus was safe to watch, safe to want to be like her, when the reality is that hollywood destroyed her. While you cannot be watched at all times, and your parents cannot be with you at all times, it is up to you to make the right decisions in life.miley cyrus made the wrong decisions in life, but it hurt our children more than her.

miley cyrus, could have easily been raped, abused or killed after getting high of her own doing. miley cyrus could have over dosed or reacted in a way that could have killed her. If miley was on a roof top, she might have jumped, or lost her balance. People that miley cyrus considered to be close friends, video taped her, made her look foolish and exposed her to try to blackmail her after the fact, to make the incident go away.

You should not only look at the damage to your life, the risk you take, but the company of friends in which you keep. If you saw the video of miley cyrus, than you should learn the dangers of doing drugs. The danger that you cannot trust the people around you, and you cannot know how the drug will affect you.

Stay away from drugs and stay away from miley cyrus. miley cyrus cannot be trusted to look out for you, and above all do not say I want to be like miley cyrus, because she is not a good role model. The trust is shattered.

Rob Tencer

Boardwalk empire antisemitic undertones similar to mel gibson

Boardwalk Empire on HBO

Boardwalk Empire uses antisemitic undertones similar to mel gibson's passion of christ, and this is how HBO might also be gaining an interest and viewership for another mafia series. The show is written by the writers of the sopranos, but for some reason, the writers wrote controversial anti semitic story lines in the same way that passion of christ gained notiriety, which in turn helped it gross millions for mel gibson. 

Is this a plan by HBO to follow in the same footsteps as mel gibson, or just a public relations trick?

Loose historical similarities

Boardwalk Empire seems to be continuing with a mel gibson level of antisemitic hatred, while keeping loosely to historical story lines, as they follow mobs of the early 1900's, except this time mark wahlberg and Martin Scorsese are taking the place of mel gibson.

While Martin Scorsese only directed 1, his name is associated as executive producing

Boardwalk Empire is supposed to be a loose version of a rewriting history, but why be so accurate for jewish hatred?

The core of the problem is as real today as it was in early american history. Spreading the lies of anti semitism is now saved for the affluent HBO subscribers.

 Baptism

What are the lies I am talking about? That jews don't believe in heaven. Jews DO believe in heaven. That Jews don't believe in jesus or follow any of his teachings. This is true, but are these reasons for hatred and for killing jews, even though these themes still exist in modern america.

From wikipedia about baptism:

Martyrdom was identified early in Church history as "baptism by blood", enabling martyrs who had not been baptized by water to be saved. Later, the Catholic Church identified a baptism of desire, by which those preparing for baptism who die before actually receiving the sacrament are considered saved. As evidenced also in the common Christian practice of infant baptism, baptism was universally seen by Christians as in some sense necessary for salvation, until Huldrych Zwingli in the 16th century denied its necessity.


Baptism signifies:
[Romans 4:11-12] [Colossians 2:11-12] [111]

death of the old self,[Romans 6:3-11],
cleansing from the guilt and corruption of human sin,[Romans 5:12] [5:18]
salvation (being saved) from the wrath of God to come,[Romans 5:9-10]
adoption as "sons of God",[Galatians 4:4-5]
identification (solidarity) with Jesus Christ himself.[Acts 9:1-6] [Colossians 3:3-4]

Michael Shannon

(self absorbing - Jew hater)

In Boardwalk Empire a crazy prohibition agent (played by Michael Shanon), that beats himself, has extra marital affairs, steals mail from the post office, drinks alcohol during prohibition, decides to kill a jew because he does not have the same beliefs as christians. He kills the jewish man in front of witnesses during a baptism, for not converting.

The problem with this scene, is blatant anti semitism, but the real problem is that jews still hold the same beliefs, which may put them in danger with overzealous christians who may copycat the killing of non believers. (Its a difference of religious freedoms that is what this country was built on) if you asked a jew, the same questions as in Boardwalk Empire you would no doubt get the same response from a jewish person.

Does that make jews evil, because they won't convert? NO, JEWS ARE NOT EVIL!

(perhaps the writers are guilty of watching to many south park cartoons)

In an interview in NY magazine, Michael Shannon, the actor who plays the anti-semite Van Alden, gives a twisted opinion in his own description of what happened to Erik Weiner's Jewish character Agent Sebso: (aka Damage control for to much anti-semitism in TV, by belittling the man and not the religion)

So let’s talk about the two really surprising things that Van Alden has done in the last two episodes. On last night’s episode, he drowned Agent Sebso (Erik Weiner). Tell me about that.
I don’t think he wanted to kill him, I just think he wanted to baptize him. The kid, he wouldn’t say yes and, you know, Van Alden’s a very angry person and I think when he drowns Sebso, he’s drowning everybody. He’s drowning Nucky, he’s drowning this whole situation. Because I think he resents the fact that he’s been put in the middle of so much sin and depravity. I think Van Alden really wants to be a good person, but there’s a lot of resentment and frustration built up inside of him because he can’t — it’s impossible. In this environment, he can’t maintain his character and his ideals. And so he’s disgusted with himself as much as anybody else … I think the word is he snapped.

Sebso’s not a particularly upstanding gentleman, but he dies because he refuses to convert, which takes some spine.
Sebso’s a little creep (Erik Weiner). He shot the witness. He’s not a good person. Sebso’s an asshole. I mean, I’m not saying he deserved to die, but he’s not an example of a great guy.

Who the hell does Michael Shannon think he is? Does he think he is the judge of heaven and who gets in, and who he must kill? There is a point in which Michael must stop playing a role, and come out and say this is wrong, but it seems like Michael Shannon wants to stay in his role, only when answering this question about Jews not wanting to convert. His opinions are best left to himself.

This is unacceptable in modern TV, and even for a pay subscription to HBO, this does not make it right.

Should this episode be edited to be less hateful toward the jewish religion? The question is, should this episode have ever been made? The answer is no, it should have had some self control on this type of issue.

While in earlier episodes, Jews held prominent roles as heads of mobs in NY, and were friends of the mob in Chicago, even recommending al capone stop wearing a hat for children, and he listens.

Boardwalk Empire is supposed to be a loose version of rewriting history, but why be so accurate for jewish hatred?

While you can tell that this prohibition agent has only a short time left to live, and he needs to create more hatred as the shows biggest villain, and we ultimately know that prohibition comes to an end, was the killing of a jew in a religious context necessary.

I say hell no. Shame on you HBO for spreading religious hatred against Jews.

Maybe mark wahlberg and Martin Scorsese left the scene in, to create controversy and to gain PR for the show?  Regardless of their reasons for keeping the scene, it is still wrong.

Rob Tencer

cast of boardwalk empire (season 1)
* Steve Buscemi as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson. The corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County and its most powerful political figure. Thompson is based on Enoch L. Johnson.
* Michael Pitt as James "Jimmy" Darmody. Nucky's protege, he is haunted by his experiences fighting in World War I.
* Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder. A young Irish widow and mother, she turns to Nucky for help before eventually becoming his mistress.
* Michael Shannon as Nelson Van Alden. A zealous Federal Prohibition agent, he identifies Nucky as a key bootlegging figure.
* Shea Whigham as Elias "Eli" Thompson. Nucky's younger brother and former sheriff of Atlantic County.
* Aleksa Palladino as Angela Darmody. Jimmy's common-law wife and the mother of his young son.
* Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothstein. A powerful and intelligent New York gangster who enters into business with Nucky.
* Stephen Graham as Al Capone. A violent low-level Chicago gangster with ambitions of entering the bootlegging trade.
* Vincent Piazza as Charles "Lucky" Luciano. A Sicilian-American gangster and close associate of Rothstein.
* Paz de la Huerta as Lucy Danziger. Nucky's temperamental mistress and a former Ziegfeld Follies dancer.
* Michael Kenneth Williams as Chalky White. Nucky's equivalent in Atlantic City's black community.
* Anthony Laciura as Eddie Kessler. Nucky's bumbling and often overwhelmed German assistant and butler.
* Paul Sparks as Michael "Mickey Doyle" Kozik. An Atlantic City bootlegger. Doyle is based on Mickey Duffy.
* Dabney Coleman as Commodore Louis Kaestner (based on Louis Kuehnle). Nucky's mentor and predecessor in Atlantic City. He is revealed to be Jimmy's biological father.
# Erik Weiner as Agent Sebso. Van Alden's partner.
# Jack Huston as Richard Harrow. A disfigured World War I sniper who allies himself with Jimmy Darmody. He wears a tin mask that covers his face.
# Joseph Riccobene as Frankie Yale. An assassin who kills Colosimo.
# William Hill as Alderman George O'Neill
# Robert Clohessy as Alderman Neary
# Anna Katerina as Isabelle Jeunet. A French woman who owns an haute couture shop on the boardwalk
# Max Casella as Leo D'Alessio. A Philadelphia gangster Doyle owes money to. Based on the real life character Leo Lanzetta, a Philadelphia gangster.
# Edoardo Ballerini as Ignatius D'Alessio. Leo's brother and another Philadelphia gangster. Based on the real life character Ignatius Lanzetta, a Philadelphia gangster, sent to jail in New Jersey under a law the Supreme Court later overturned.[7]
# Anatol Yusef as Meyer Lansky