Mel Gibson & Anti-Semitism [Split from 'Fundamentalis Christians...]

[Michael Moorcock]

Mad Mel Gibson has me confused
He says he isn't a racist. He just hates Jews.
He doesn't like Arabs. He don't care for blacks.
But he isn't a racist. He's just stating the facts.
He doesn't like dagoes and he doesn't like wops.
And he don't much like pigs, but don't tell the cops.

[lemec]

Mad Mel Gibson has me confused
He says he isn't a racist. He just hates Jews.
He doesn't like Arabs. He don't care for blacks.
But he isn't a racist. He's just stating the facts.
He doesn't like dagoes and he doesn't like wops.
And he don't much like pigs, but don't tell the cops.

ha ho! I sure hope I am not racist, because I find that extremely funny. What a chuckle generator that one is!

I was just reading more about Mel Gibson and what he said.


oh well, I'm a dumb pollock, what do I know of such things? haha

[Oren]

How true, Mike!

Hutton and Mel, what a family...

Personally since learning about Gibson's beliefs I've been boycotting his movies. Not a great loss as, let's say, not listening to Wagner...

[Hieronymus]

Hutton is an ignorant in History and Mel should be stop himself to "lethal weapon" before of making a movie like BraveHeart full of historical errors.
Unfortunately ignorance and presumpition have no limits

[johneffay]

It is worth looking at Gibson's statement about this. I'm not going to cut and paste the whole thing, but you can find it here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5236124.stm
He seems to be saying that whilst he knows 'deep down' he's a sound bloke, there is some sort of monster residing in his Id which manifests itself occasionally. Sorry Mel, you can't have it both ways: either you are okay deep down or you are not. It looks like you're not.

However, what I really like is this bit:

I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery.

So what he's basically doing is asking the people who he has been bad mouthing to help him work out why he unconsciously hates them so much! Far be it from me to speak for the Jewish community, but I think a resounding "Sod off and pay for your own analyst!" would be in order.

[lemec]

Ya, that does not seem to make sense.


I think he is just trying to save his movie.


Also, is he going to go around face to face and apologize to everyone in the world, or does he only mean the people in Hollywood who have the power to boycott his films?

[L'Etranger]

I kind of suspect it is all fabricated. Sure, Gibson is anti-everything that isn't proto-Catholic or so. Yet I suspect, the incident with the cops, the worries about his professional future, the excuses, the speculations, all serves to bring his projects and himself back into public attention. Producers know that even bad press is good.

[johneffay]

I kind of suspect it is all fabricated. [snip] Producers know that even bad press is good.

Gosh you're cynical! If it is fabricated, it's obviously not going Gibson's way as there is now talk of shelving his TV programme about the Holocaust. Oddly enough, the more cynical amongst us were under the impression that the TV programme in question was only being made so he could distance himself from his dad and 'prove' that he didn't have anything against Jews after his fine 'historical' portrayal of them in The Passion...

[David Mosley]

I'm interested that some people seem to be approaching Mel's behaviour as somehow utterly unforgivable and that the only permissiable response is to hound him out of Hollywood. I don't think I'm a Mel Gibson apologist (I haven't seen any film he's made for over a decade) and I certainly don't condone his words - which incidentally don't seem to be being reported in the mainstream media (I had to go to tmz.com to see an alleged transcript) - but is 'rehabilitation' completely out of the question?

As for Mel's 'dark Id' defence, I think we all have things inside us that maybe unacceptable in 'polite' society which we strive to keep them hidden. I'm reminded of the saying, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone'.

Ultimately, it is up to the Jewish community - as the people who have been offended - to decide whether Gibson's remorse and repentance is sincere and genuine.

[Dark Lord's Passing]

As for Mel's 'dark Id' defence, I think we all have things inside us that maybe unacceptable in 'polite' society which we strive to keep them hidden. I'm reminded of the saying, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone'.

Ultimately, it is up to the Jewish community - as the people who have been offended - to decide whether Gibson's remorse and repentance is sincere and genuine.

Might be a bit obscure but I can't resist quoting Life of Brian regarding casting stones
"Are there any women here today...."

[lemec]

I'm interested that some people seem to be approaching Mel's behaviour as somehow utterly unforgivable and that the only permissiable response is to hound him out of Hollywood. I don't think I'm a Mel Gibson apologist (I haven't seen any film he's made for over a decade) and I certainly don't condone his words - which incidentally don't seem to be being reported in the mainstream media (I had to go to tmz.com to see an alleged transcript) - but is 'rehabilitation' completely out of the question?

As for Mel's 'dark Id' defence, I think we all have things inside us that maybe unacceptable in 'polite' society which we strive to keep them hidden. I'm reminded of the saying, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone'.

Ultimately, it is up to the Jewish community - as the people who have been offended - to decide whether Gibson's remorse and repentance is sincere and genuine.

I think it's fine to say something like, "I do not approve of what Mel said and that he should apologize." or insult him in return and don't socialize with him, but does this not touch a little on The Freedom of Speech?

What if from now on, whoever says something offensive or unpleasing, that person is not allowed to work in he community again, not given permits etc.
I could see, actors,directors,film crews not wanting to work with him, that is acceptable, but not allowing him to put out his existing movie is a bit extreme, not to mention unfair to the producers,actors and others who actually create the movie. I, for instance will say I refuse to work with Gibson, but I am not going to stop Mel from hiring the person down the street or stop him from making movies.

Other celebrities have been forgiven for various moral and legal mishaps.


Hypocritical, it is for Hollywood to keep bringing up the Joseph McCarthy business and make films about how wrong it is to blacklist people, then they turn around and want to blacklist Mel Gibson.


right or wrong?

[Madrigal Rose]

I'm not sure about his 'rehabilitation' myself, but he could start here. I visited this museum in 2001 or so, and the first thing they have you do is choose between two doors for entrance to the main exhibits- one marked "Tolerant", the other "Intolerant" (or something to that effect). One finds that the door marked "Tolerant" is forever locked.

My complaints- most of the museum was not functioning, and the Civil Rights exhibit was way too small and also not working, for the most part, which bothered me more than just a little.
Overall, it was way too Hollywood (not surprising) for me, but a great concept.

[Oren]

There's a Jewish saying from the Talmud: When wine goes in, secrets go out.

That's what happened to Gibson.

[lemec]

I kind of suspect it is all fabricated. Sure, Gibson is anti-everything that isn't proto-Catholic or so. Yet I suspect, the incident with the cops, the worries about his professional future, the excuses, the speculations, all serves to bring his projects and himself back into public attention. Producers know that even bad press is good.

You might be on the right trail with the fabrication part.

Another distraction, the news turned away from the wars and focused only on Mel Gibson.

What I fear is, what information is being covered up as the public watched Mel's face plastered everywhere?


another war in the works, perhaps? some illegal covert operations?

[johneffay]

I'm interested that some people seem to be approaching Mel's behaviour as somehow utterly unforgivable and that the only permissiable response is to hound him out of Hollywood.

I don't care whether Gibson is hounded out of Hollywood or not. However, even ignoring his dodgy track record in this department, people who start mouthing off about international Jewish conspiracies that rule the world should be treated with utter contempt. Generations of Jews have suffered appallingly because people were allowed to get away with expressing such views without having opprobrium heaped upon them.

Ultimately, it is up to the Jewish community - as the people who have been offended - to decide whether Gibson's remorse and repentance is sincere and genuine.

I fundamentally disagree with this. Firstly, I think that any right thinking person should be offended by this type of . Secondly, it should never be solely up to the victims to decide the fate of their oppressors for all sorts of obvious reason.

On a lighter note, I apologize for the typos in the heading of this thread, but I can't work out how to rectify them. Still, I quite like the idea of 'Ant-Semites'; I guess they'll be what takes over when the Middle East as we know it disappears in a nuclear flash...