I was involved in what happened those guys in a way I never was with Frank. That's what made prime-era Scorsese so great/challenging: he showed you the dregs of society and made you understand them on a level.

I think it's pretty clear Scorsese isn't endorsing this behavior/industry. He just doesn't really have anything to say about it aside from that.

This supposed backlash is the best thing that ever could have happened to this flick. Now the entire AICN/film geek online world has decided Scorsese is under attack and pretending it's better than it actually is.