The Godfather

Immigration is just not a big deal right now. And crime is no new thing either. Immigrants and crime go far back to when U.S. was first established as a country and immigrants started moving in. What we refer to as crime was to them an only means to survive. Most immigrants started out in ghettos and factories working hard and trying to make ends meat, but sometimes that wasn't enough. They would resort to stealing food and what we call crime. In ghettos and such elaborate networks were created to help immigrants for favors in return. These were usually gangs or political machines that controlled the neighborhood and created a sense of unity. Even then, though, these gangs were not very different than from today. They sought for money, control, power, and were often corrupt. That is why the Corleone family in the Godfather hits so home with the United States now and then. It is part of our American history that was so evident and corrupt about our heritage.
In the Godfather the Corleone family is all about bartering loyalty and favors for favors and loyalty in return. Gangs today are the same; they expect respect and any sign of disloyalty and your gone. (This article describes a lot about gangs today and how they work on loyalty. http://www.gwcinc.com/Gang%20Info.html) In the Godfather it shows how hard it is to remove yourself from a gang especially when you are born into it. Micheal tries to escape this life of violence and crime, but it is like he can't escape. His father is shot and so he returns back home only to immerse himself back into the family deciding to be the one to kill the two in the restaurant. Then he becomes head and finishes and cleans business through blood. In doing this he also gains more power like owning the Casino and getting rid of threats. It is like the business runs through his blood.
Gangs today run along the same lines. They gain power and get rid of threats through blood. And all of them agree, "It was only business." I feel though there has been a shift in the kind of power gangs have today. Gangs throughout history had power with more political factors whereas now they seems to run along the lines of power in the drug business. They also have power over neighborhoods, but more of fear than loyalty.
The Godfather is an American movie of how some people actually lived in the United States. It shows the corruption the United States had. Today gangs are still part of the fabrics and fibers of the United States. Violence is still evident from gangs and still cause fear to rise within us. They are still big factors today.