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 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
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)
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
