Mel Gibson got drunk, drove recklessly, was caught by police, and screamed anti-Semitic epithets at the police. Later, upon sober reflection, he issued a statement of apology confessing his ongoing battle with alcoholism and expressing his shame for his disgraceful behavior.
When idiots get themselves in a drunken stupid, the results are disgusting, as Mel Gibson proved.
When other idiots get themselves in a sober stupid, the results are just as disgusting.
In reaction to the Mel Gibson anti-Semitic bender, Abe Foxman didn't confine himself to merely denouncing what Gibson said (article here):
Calling for a criminal investigation into the Oscar-winning actor and director's remarks, Abraham Foxman, the national director of the US Jewish Anti-Defamation League, said: "We believe there should be consequences to bigots and bigotry."
There are consequences. His future in Hollywood (already slim) is quickly drying up even further because of this incident. But that isn't enough for some.
The ADL and possibly other Jewish groups called for Gibson to be investigated for hate crimes.
Since when were racist remarks criminal? If they were, half the country would be locked up and half of the rest would be under investigation to see if their remarks fell into a safe "gray area" or fell over the line into racist. The last I heard, remarks are only criminal when they specifically call for violence against the object of hatred, as in, "Let's all grab our pitchforks and go kill all those hated people."
Mel Gibson said, "F*****g Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."
There's no incitement to violence. He was talking to the arresting police officers.
Abe Foxman has gone too far in his call for a hate crime investigation. Hollywood will deal with Gibson from the inside, and offended fans will deal with him at the box office. There's no need for more.
2 comments:
I was listening to Morning in America and someone mentioned the Mel Gibson arrest and Bill Bennett said something like, "Ah, and this is so painful."
Bennett counts Gibson as a friend and stressed the apology that he made.
Anyway that's how I feel. After the making of "The Passion" I count Mel Gibson as a friend and it really hurts to see him stumble.
Chris,
I'm with you. My post was (in my mind, anyway) more about Foxman than Gibson.
I'm not going to boycott Mel Gibson's movies, and I'll continue to watch them at home on DVD--I just watched Braveheart again Saturday.
My family history has alcoholism in it, but it stopped before it got to my parents, so I really can't speak first-hand about the effects it has on people. But I've been around with my eyes open long enough (plus that Psych degree and a dad who was a substance-abuse-rehab counselor) to know that the word, "ravages" is the right one to use with "alcoholism."
It does hurt to see that this man, who has tried so hard to stand for right and decency and the other things that good people value, has fallen so hard so publicly. My heart breaks for him.
And I get angry at people like Foxman, who seem to take delight in kicking Mel Gibson after his self-inflicted fall.
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