<p>ZEV CHAFETS in the LA Times.</p>
<p>Who says God lacks comic timing?</p>
<p>
<a href=“Slurring more than his words”>Slurring more than his words;
<p>From Slate:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.slate.com/id/2146880/[/url]”>http://www.slate.com/id/2146880/</a></p>
<p>Wow–neo-con equals Jewish, so being against neo-con positions means you’re really anti-Semitic. What a fascinating way to neutralize any opposition. Slick rhetorical move!</p>
<p>While they are sure to be disappointed with this manifestation of Gibson’s mental illness, the power bosses in Hollywood will see that incident for what it was–a psychotic break from reality. The deterioration of his mental condition will limit his future in the movies–not the drunken anti-semitic barrage–in my opinion.</p>
<p>If it was this incident alone, eh, it could possibly be forgotten, but that in combination with a pretty controversial movie and a daddy who thinks there was no holocaust, and Gibson saying, well, dad never lied to me about anything and his defacto defending of dad’s pretty radical view of jewish history, and GIbson’s his “non-mainstream” religious beliefs</p>
<p>Is it really a deteriortation of his mental condition, or his religious beliefs?</p>
<p>Is being "deeply’ religious equal with a psychotic break? He does have a history of drug and alcohol problems and said even though his wife is a saint, she will probably go to hell…nice guy</p>
<p>Tongue-in-cheek columnists, radio DJs, and late-night comedians will have a field day with this episode of Mad Max on the highway — he also referred to a female sheriff’s deputy as “sugar tits” — but it’s not really that funny to contemplate a man of Gibson’s wealth and influence revealing such hateful inner thoughts, drunk or not. All those vehement denials by him that the movie “Passion of the Christ” was not anti-Jewish, that he was not personally anti-Semitic, certainly ring false now. I remember Mel being furious that reporters even brought up the fact that his father, Hutton, was a Holocaust denier and a member of a sect of Catholicism that rejects the reforms of the Vatican II council, which among other things tried to soften or eliminate traditional teachings and attitudes that blamed Jews for the death of Jesus.
Blame the Jews has been the fuel of anti-Semiticism for centuries, with the passion play an annual catalyst for attacks and pogroms and yet Gibson insisted on creating the movie without following Vatican II guidelines to minimize anti-Jewish messages. It’s a powerful movie, too, far more powerful with all the special effects possible than any stage play could be. </p>
<p>Gibson can go to the best rehab hospitals in the country to try to cure his alcoholism; I don’t know how he can cure his other sickness.</p>
<p>I don’t know if the strident Isreal lobbyist guy was condemning Gibson or the ADL more or not condeming the Seattle Muislim gunman more. Or that somehow none of us noticed that there sure are a lot of Jews among the entertainment industry but are quick to point the same thing about the neocons.</p>
<p>IF we ever wanted an example of how actions speak louder than words…and in this case, the actions were words. </p>
<p>ABC was sure quick to cancel a project with him. Watch his other mainstream projects dry up. And watch his star power rise. After all, no one ever has said hollywood had any propensity toward proper behaviour regarding anything. Indeed, for all to many stars, the more outragous, the better. Look at Governator Arnold for example. His past behaviours towards women sure did not hurt him politically or in the box office.</p>
<p>Gibson’s behavior has been beyond quirky for a while. As he’s aged, he’s just gotten stranger - not just with regard to religion, but in a wide variety of venues. Whether it’s booze, drugs, or just plain bad craziness I have no idea (although growing up in a family with a holocaust-denier for a Dad would tend to support the “plain crazy” hypothesis.) I suspect that this will be the excuse a lot of people were waiting for to move on to the next project.</p>
<p>I believe good 'ole Mel has finally and for good ripped his ticket in Hollywood. He’d better hope he managed his assets well, because he’s done—stick him with a fork!</p>
<p>People thought he was well cooked before “Passions of the Christ”, which turned out to haul in the most money of any R rated movie in history.</p>
<p>Mel is crazy and a nut, but this country is full of crazy nuts. He will find an audience for his craziness; no doubt about that.</p>
<p>True…look at Fellini! …oh, wait–that’s France.</p>
<p>We call him crazy…why…its his religous beliefs, does that make him crazy…unfortunately, many people believe what he does, at least what he said, and if we call them crazy, it in a way might dismiss the hate speech as meanlingless because it comes from a “crazy” person, when it needs to be taken seriouslly…I looked at some websites from people that see Mel as a kind of Hero and spokesperson, using his movie and his words to support their bigotry</p>
<p>I don['t know which is scarier, actually</p>
<p>But Hollywood has a looooong memory, and you don’t P*ss off the power elite and live to tell the tale (there’s something to that old saw, “You’ll never work in this town again!”). Some of the most powerful movers and shakers in the entertainment industry are Jewish. </p>
<p>Heck, Iwas offended by what he said, and I’m not even Jewish. If I were a Jewish Hollywood power broker, everytime Mel Gibson’s name came up, I’d remember how he showed his true colors the night he was pulled over for DUI, and decline any opportunity to work with him. </p>
<p>Does anyone remember Anita Bryant? She was a former Miss America who, at one point, landed a lucrative television commercial contract, hawking the goodness of Florida Orange Juice. She was also an avowed “Born Again Christian”, who openly spoke out against “the evils of homosexuality”. This was way back in the late seventies, if memory serves me right. It caused such a commotion that the powers-that-be yanked her contract and her commercials off the air. Of course, part of the problem is that she refused to back down from her position against homosexuality, and thus her goose was cooked. (I love a good cliche.) She’s never been seen or heard from again…:rolleyes:</p>
<p>It just means Mel has to use his own money to make anymore movies. He’s a fairly charming guy, he’ll cry about the booze, the stress and all other things taking the toll on him and he’ll enter “treatment” and come out “new and improved Mel”. </p>
<p>If the public spends money to see him act or to watch his productions, everything will go back to normal (as hollywood can be). </p>
<p>Pretty stupid situation to be in, but large amounts of money have never made someone smart, just wealthy.</p>