Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York is cinematic masterpiece and was released with much buzz in the year 2002. Admittedly, many stimulating scenes in the movie blew me away. The plot centers on mid 1800s racial hatred and political corruption in the Five Points section of New York City. I never really questioned the history in the movie until I recently read Professor DiGirolamo’s review, “Such, Such Were the B’hoys…” DiGirolamo’s laundry list of historical inaccuracies helped me come to a terminal realization. Gangs of New York was never suppose to be used as a historical text, but rather, Scorsese wanted to teach us something about the present. The time period (mid 1800s), and plot masterminded by Scorsese is a clever metaphor to the state of New York City and America after September 11th. The film serves as a wake up call to the potential moral decay that will erupt if present day hatred towards Arabs continue. This is the message Scorsese wants the viewer to take from the film, rather than a more personal, and accurate understanding of American history during the mid 1800s.

After September 11, 2001, there was much resentment and racial hatred towards Arabs and even Middle Eastern looking individuals.

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Hate crimes and negative attitudes toward Arabs arose, especially in 2002, the year Gangs of New York was released. Chinatown reminds me of downtown New York City, also where the World Trade Center towers were. Using the film as a tool, he hopes to teach us not to discriminate. Another inaccuracy according to DiGirolamo is the exaggerated Chinese presence in the film. There is a screaming crowd and even a card girl in the ring. Amsterdam and Jenny are in a graveyard, and the skyline changes from mid 1800s to the present. Scorsese uses the film as a metaphor to what is going on in the present. By creating a hero (Irish) versus enemy (Natives) scheme, Scorsese wants us to realize that Americans are the present day enemy! How clever! Both gangs from the Five Points fight endlessly with no progress, and Scorsese wants us to make the connection and realize present day hatred will go nowhere. Scorsese makes the viewer sympathize with the Irish (present day Arabs). We see them everywhere, from public offices to local supermarkets, there is no longer a racial hierarchy. The viewer is reminded of downtown New York and the events that happened there. Scorsese wanted us to see how rapidly and foolishly attitudes towards races can change over time. I saw his views of present day America. As DiGirolamo points out, card girls originated in the twentieth century, way after the time period of the film. Smack-dab in the middle of the screen stands the Twin Towers.

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