Mel Gibson may have a brave heart, but he stuck his foot in his biiiiig mouth. Pulled over on the weekend for speeding after drinking and “hugging” female patrons until 2 am in a Malibu bar, the actor was stopped by police for going over 70 mph. People Magazine’s first Sexiest Man Alive (1985), and the leading man of Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, Hamlet, Braveheart, and Oscar-winning director of Braveheart (1995), then resisted arrest and let loose a string of cuss-words, among them some highly anti-Semitic remarks. An open bottle of Tequila was found in his car. See the actual 4-page pdf copy of the arrest report, from TMZ.com, written by a Korean police officer, whom Gibson asked, “Are you Jewish?” He also spouted that the Jews “had started every war.” Mel Gibson’s father, Hutton Gibson, is a Holocaust denier. Gibson also reportedly has been bothered by some Jewish criticism of his blockbuster 2004 hit, The Passion of the Christ, that it is anti-Semitic, which Gibson denies.
Rumored too is that Gibson is having personal problems, is generally unhappy, and battling alcoholism. He has checked himself into rehab. He has also been quick to come out and apologize, asking for forgiveness. Some Jewish leaders are granting him this, but others are saying it will take time.
Much of Hollywood and the liberal media have been quick to condemn him. His contract for an upcoming ABC miniseries on the Holocaust has been cancelled. Disney, however, is sticking by Mel with his upcoming picture, Apocalypto, due out in December.
My take on the whole thing is first that what Mel reportedly said was disgusting, and he deserves to pay a price for it. Part of it obviously stems from having grown up around the anti-Semitic ravings of his father. Plus, he has been stung by those in the Jewish community who have unjustly attacked him for Passion. Then, he obviously is a troubled man. Mix all this with alcohol, and look what you get.
It just shows you that not even famous, rich, successful people are happy all the time. In fact, some of them are downright miserable.
I also see the Hollywood left salivating at the possible downfall of Mr. Gibson. Gibson is one of the few Hollywood actors successful enough to come out as a conservative, and a religious one at that. He thumbed his nose at Hollywood with Passion and they won’t forgive him for it. They said it would never make money, and boy were they wrong. Since then, Hollywood has done it’s usually stunt when it misses the boat, of making crappy copycats of the success formula—so we’ve seen the airwaves flooded with Christ stories, none of which have done as well as Passion. Not only is Hollywood on the wrong side politically, they can’t ever get ahead of the curve when it comes to popular culture.
I side with the tolerant Jews on this issue. Mel seems sincerely sorry. He is paying a huge price for his mistakes with the canceling of the Holocaust series, and the loss of goodwill in Hollywood and in the Jewish community. Some people will never have faith in him again. I certainly can see why they won’t let him do a Holocaust series. You need to trust the maker of such a sensitive project.
Still, I think Mel is truly sorry. Does he really hate Jews? I hope not. Even if he does, this is something he can work on if he sees the error of his ways. I say let him go to rehab, speak at a synagogue or three from the heart, and donate a chunk of money to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Then, forgive him. In all humility, I realize I can’t forgive Mel for the Jews, it’s up to them. I just can suggest how I see the issue. I am a big Mel Gibson fan. Yet I, too, was offended by what he said. Speaking only for myself, I accept your apology Mel, and I forgive you. Go and sin no more.
(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)
This Post’s Technorati Tags: Mel Gibson, Hutton Gibson, anti-Semitic, Apocalypto, Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Holocaust, Simon Wiesenthal Center, truth
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13 comments:
Truth,
I have to respectfully disagree with you on this. Mel is a troubled, powerfull and rich man who now finds himself having to do some serious damage control.I've seen hundreds of drunk people in my job. I've never had one make those kinds of comments. I believe that that kind of speech, if you feel that way, is impossible to hold back. It comes out when you're drunk. There is no such thing as a release solely brought on by being under the influence. No, I believe he really feels this way.I never really liked his movies. I've always thought he was holding something back. Like he's kind of a nut. People will want to bring the influence of his father into the picture, but Mel's a grown man. You and I know we've both changed our minds on many things as we've aged. So, I'm not afraid to sacrifice seeing his movies any more than I sacrifice reading the New York Times.I like the way you are willing to give a guy the benifit of the doubt. I think, however, that Mel's being forgiven shouldn't come so fast. He's earned some condemnation, let him live with it for a while. I can live with him being a drunk, but I find it impossible to accept his anti-Semitism, and for now..... any appology he gives for what he said.
arcticman, good points. In fact, I've heard some other disturbing things about Mel since I posted this article, although are they rumors or truth? I've heard that he has a hard time condemning his father's denial of the Holocaust, that he bashes gays, and that he is falling apart personally at this time. So, you might be right.
I think, though, that he is also feeling isolated in Hollywood. If his personal life is in trouble, and he's shunned in his business, and drinking, this can cause some weird thinking.
Your point is well-taken though. After all, in vino veritas.
Well, Mel gets no love from me and I'll tell you why. There's a saying that goes,
"A drunk man never lies."
If you've ever had a few too many, you already know that alcohol has a sneaky way of allowing your mouth to say things that your sober brain wouldn't allow. It's called inhibitions, and his lack of inhibitions allowed his true thoughts to slip out during his drunken stupor. He's sorry only because he's about to lose a whole lot of dollar paying fans, not because he doesn't truly believe what he said. Hey, I loved most of the movies I've seen him in, but he's in deep this time...
paz y amor, nice hearing from you again. I almost agree with you, not quite. I do believe the left is out to get him, and you're part of the left, right? Did you dislike him before this incident?
Anyway, I can see where you're coming from. Yes, again, in vino veritas. The thing that bothers me is that I don't hear the left condeming people like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton when they've made anti-Semitic remarks. Where's the equivalent outrage?
Good comments. Have a nice night.
Good article, Rock. Since I don't follow the Hollywood games, all of Gibson's personal issues were news to me. That said, I was much more disappointed with Gibson's arrest for driving while intoxicated than for his anti-Semitic comments he hurled when drunk and angry.
Although I do not know what his slurs were, it is obvious that his verbalized opinion of Jews has become a publicly charged issue now. Ironically, he is being judged more for his personal opinion of Jews than he is for breaking the law and possibly endangering the lives of other innocent people.
The bottom line: Mel IS entitled to his own belief system regarding politics, race, and religion whether we agree or not. I personally do not believe that his opinions are necessarily correct, but he is entitled to express his opinion, however he chooses.
The worst problem is that Mel broke the law when he chose to drink alcohol and then drive irresponsibly (and probably wrecklessly). For that, he will be punished through our legal system. For THAT, I hold him accountable.
His other blunders are seemingly the fuel for yet another Hollywood fire to possibly 'bring down' a conservative Hollywood figure. Typical smoke-screen liberal politicking.....
Lynn, you make some great points. In fact, I wasn't thinking about what you said, but you're right, he did endanger people, and this was the worst part of what he did. On the other hand, anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe and the world, and is the leading reason for all the hatred in the Arab world of Israel, so people are sensitive about this issue.
Thanks for you comments.
Rock, YEs, Israel has extreme cultural and religious challenges, but I wonder if anti-Semetism IS truly on the rise. You have piqued my curiosity! Do you have any non-biased and factual studies that could be quoted or referenced?
The recent upheaval in the Middle East have certainly brought additional awareness to the plight of Israel. How the population perceives the actions that have taken place will soon be determined. Many problems in the world can appear to be on-the-rise, but oftentimes those perceptions are the result of biased and agenda-based journalism, not factual truth. Would love to know if you have further information to share. You know......that truthful stuff we crave....
Sounds like you're angry with me, or making fun of me. I am not yet good enough to call myself a journalist, and I won't pretend to that. Maybe some day. I depend on what I see and feel by watching the media, and reading in depth on all sides of an issue. Plus, I lived in the Middle East for ten years, and traveled Europe. Europe has a huge Muslim population now, and polls do show a large anti-Semitism that is growing. Europe has a history of anti-Semitism, not just in Germany, but also in France and other countries. Don't you see that Israel is blamed for everything almost all the time? There is anti-Israeli feeling all over the world.
Anyway, I can only present what I see as the truth. I hope it's not just my truth, but the truth. I don't believe in moral relativism, as the left does. I believe there are good guys and bad guys. The Israelis are good. America is good. When I get more detailed facts then I'll post them, but at this stage of my career, I do the best I can.
Thanks for commenting.
Hi Rock. Heck, I'm not angry, agitated, or poking. I am merely curious and wanted to know if you had some facts that could have been contributed. You mention polls that have been taken, and that was exactly the type of information that I was looking for. Taking the pulsebeat through some half-decent polls can provide some of us with more than mere perception or speculation.
My personal belief is that the Israelis should have defended themselves. When attacked, does a country sit back and allow terrorism to reign?
Not meaning to "pick" at you, Rock, but when you say that you want to present what you see as the truth, be prepared to substantiate it....it makes your stance stronger and gives your argument and belief the substantiation required to "defend" your position.
I would, though, have to disagree with your statement that "America is good". I believe the statement is much too generalized and is incorrect as is. The statement "America is good" is oversimplified. America has good qualities with its culture, business, and history, but America is not the strong Republic that it once was and America is troubled by government and corporate corruption. I see its strengths waning and the population at-large suffering all too much. But that's just my take.
Lynn, I'm glad we agree that Israel has the right to defend itself.
As far as America being good, here we part company. We are, after all, coming from two polar opposite views on some issues, and this is one. We, in this sense, represent America. I'm not going to change your mind, and you won't change mine.
To me, there is so much evidence of our goodness. Speaking of details, I wish I had time to find a Canadian letter of appreciation that was written to America for all the good things we've done for the world. It was touching, and full of the facts you love. One day, maybe I'll make a list of my own. It is amazingly impressive, though.
This is one of the things that makes me angry about the left. They don't appreciate what they have here. Then, they praise dictators like Castro. Anyway, you have the right to believe what you want, and I accept that.
One of my problems is that I'm actually half liberal, but not the way liberal is defined today. I'm liberal like it used to be. I don't mind social programs, and gay rights, and saving the environment, but the left used to be strong on defense and business. Well, you've probably heard me say these things before.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my posts and I wish you all good. Talk to you later.
Can I challengy you to a blog entry? Tell us why you believe that America is good -- Maybe 10 reasons, with an example here and there.
Then, look at the opposite side and admit what is wrong or bad about America. We should look at both sides. It's only fair. Besides, your blog description says:
"I love America, but feel we're on the wrong path in some ways. I believe the internet, and blogging, are great ways to connect and share ideas, and may help save this great country."
Lynn, another great comment. I agree with you and accept you challenge, and both sides of your argument. Give me a little time and I'll get back to this.
Thanks.
Lynn, here goes, just off the top of my head. Actually, this is a great post idea.
Can I challenge you to a blog entry? Tell us why you believe that America is good -- Maybe 10 reasons, with an example here and there.
Then, look at the opposite side and admit what is wrong or bad about America. We should look at both sides. It's only fair.
What is Good About America?
1. America saved Europe twice in the last century, from Germany and the Axis powers.
2. Instead of taking advantage of a devastated Europe after the war, America built them up into what they are today with the Marshall Plan.
3. America gives more financial aid to more countries than any other nation on earth. America is always the first to respond to tragedies.
4. America gathered a coalition together to save the country of Kuwait from unlawful takeover, and saved the world, by this, from an empowered Sadam Hussein.
5. America is a leader in the world in fighting AIDS.
6. Americans give more per capita to charity than any other nation.
7. America had done what it can to rescue the people of Iraq from a brutal dictator.
8. America has resisted the imperialistic impulse. It is the first superpower in history that has not set out to conquer lands and peoples.
9. America gave a home to the Jews, and has been a steadfast friend to them for years.
10. America is the leading defender of freedom in the world, and the number one bastion against terrorism.
What is Bad about America?
1. America has become much too leftist in recent years. This will undercut our economy, defense, and national character.
2. America has allowed such a wave of immigration to occur recently that our national identity is at stake, our culture, and our language, even our sovereignty.
3. America is not good lately at PR. Bush is not a good communicator. Thank God for Tony Snow. We lack a concerted effort at communicating with the world. This still doesn't excuse Europe's slide into socialism, nor it's transformation into Muslim dominated countries, yet good PR would help.
4. America is timid at communicating with African Americans. There is a way to honor and respect them, and still tell the truth. We ought to be proud that we fought a civil war to abolish slavery and have come so far with civil rights. What we ought not to do is feel so guilty that we become panderers, and enablers of the soft bigotry of low expectations. America has not completed its dialogue of race and healing.
5. America celebrates diversity so much, that we have become Balkanized. We have separate societies of Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, Asians, with little common culture anymore. White kids are especially confused. They want to be hip, which means hip-hop.
6. Half of America, guess which half, is wrong about everything--from the economy, to defense, to education, to terrorism, to Israel, to the war in Iraq.
7. America has not yet learned to handle globalization. This means we have lost many well-paying jobs, from programmers in India to factory-workers in China.
8. America is too nice, without expecting to get something back in return. We support the U.N., which opposes us on nearly everything, and bad-mouths us to the world.
9. America is too politically correct. We ought to just say the truth, and be the leaders in clarity.
10. America is too careful in fighting its wars. What happened to the Patton’s, Macarthur’s, and Harry S. Truman’s. We won those wars. We want people to like us, so we're keeping one hand tied behind our backs.
You seem a reasonable person, Lynn, but I bet you have your own ideas. Let's hear them.
Have a good day.
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