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• What’s Up With Your Crush On Mel Gibson, And Even Though He’s A Bigot?
Written on August 4, 2007
I’ll make this very clear: I do not have a crush on Mel Gibson and I do not believe he meant those anti-Semitic statements. Prepare for a long answer; I have tons to say …
Firstly, ever since I was little, I’ve enjoyed his films. I found his smile to be infectious and made me happy when I was going through rough times – like that song you listen to when you’re down or that sit-com that cheers you up. His smile and funny personality did that for me amongst other things, like art and music. I wasn’t very close with my father and held a lot of resentment towards him throughout my childhood. In a strange way, Mel was a guy I looked up to in a father-figure sort of way; he and my father have a similar humor. Sure, Mel is handsome, but you don’t have to fantasize about every attractive person for goodness sakes. He’s a great actor, director, and producer. Many of his colleagues say wonderful things about him – if they had nothing good to say, they probably wouldn’t have said anything at all or we would have heard it by now. That’s how I see it. I assume he’s a decent father since we don’t see his children working up a storm in Hollywood like others. *cough* Lindsay Lohan *cough*
Secondly, I am still a fan even after his most recent DUI arrest and here’s why: Just like you and I, he is human and makes mistakes. As a well-known person (celebrity), he is placed on a pedestal, yet like every human, we fall. In the past, he has admitted to being an alcoholic, sought help, and was sober for over a decade. In ‘06, he had a relapse. I think driving under the influence is terrible. Many lives have been taken by it. Even my friends sober up before we head home by car. Alcoholism is a disease and is a day-to-day struggle. I’ve witnessed first hand how difficult recovering from an addiction can be. I believe he was in major despair for relapsing and perhaps giving in because he felt defeated, like any other person who relapses.
Now his anti-Semitic remarks: I’m completely against racism. Still I wonder, if you can rarely take a sober person seriously, what makes you believe you can take a drunk person seriously? “Drunken mouth, sober thoughts”? I’ve lied my ass off while drunk, so no, sorry that’s not a fact. Alcohol is not an excuse and it’s certainly not some magical truth serum. Alcohol makes you less self-conscious, lose inhibitions, and have a ‘fuck it’ mentality; not more trustworthy. You aren’t concerned about the consequences because you’re only focused on the moment and liberation. There’s a point of being drunk and acting accordingly, but there is a point of being so intoxicated that you become someone you never want to be and may even blackout, “It would take me about ten drinks before that other side came out. It’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” … “I’m embarrassed as hell, but I really do not remember my arrests. They’re blackouts. And that’s scary” (Jason Wahler).
I don’t believe Mel meant what he said, however, it must have derived from somewhere deep within him. While he filmed The Passion, he got major ridicule and was constantly accused of being anti-Semitic way before the film was even complete. Frankly, these critics don’t have a problem against Mel and his film, they have a problem against the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), but that’s another story. He was bashed, his father was taken advantage of by the press, and his family was harassed and threatened. Wouldn’t you hold anger towards any person that does this to you and your family, no matter who it is? He didn’t go publicly against his father’s Holocaust statements because … that’s his father! Whether my mother said something true or outrageous, I wouldn’t disrespect her and sell her out to the media because someone didn’t like what she said. Disagreement is a part of life – tough. He didn’t compromise his family for anyone and his career took the backseat to family, and that’s how it should be. Gotta respect the man for that. His tirade was probably referring to that anger he held for those critics (regardless of ethnic), not some actual hate speech against the Jewish people. Furthermore, that very morning, the war in Lebanon got more severe and was covered on the news, which bothered many people, including Mel. Apparently those that question the war or Israeli policy, even fellow Jews, are dubbed anti-Semitic, “… that intimidation has been to say that any Jew who raises criticisms about a current Israeli policy is a ’self-hating Jew’. But on the contrary, my criticisms and Tikkun magazine’s criticisms of Israeli policy flowed directly from our commitment to Judaism and our love for the Jewish tradition and our insistence that it be taken seriously, not as just a bunch of empty words, but as a set of principles that we really take seriously and believe in” (Rabbi Michael Lerner). If a Jewish person is easily accused, why, if one day, would Mel be treated any differently if he were to have made an actual political statement about the war … sober?
What also puzzles me is if it’s against his faith, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to be anti-Semitic. Jesus was Jewish, the Jews are the Chosen people, and racism is strictly condemned in Christianity. Remember, the first half of the Holy Bible is the Torah. Also, he has several Jewish co-workers and his publicist is Jewish, Alan Neirob. When columnist Frank Rich called Neirob a “Holocaust denier defender”, Mel lashed out about Rich over the phone to Neirob because Neirob’s parents are Holocaust survivors! Why hire, let alone defend, your Jewish publicist, cast Jewish actors in your film(s), work with other Jewish people in the film industry if you’re so anti-Semitic? “Being hypocritical?” Perhaps. Still, when it’s all added up, it’s quite unlikely.
I have wondered why does our media value what a celebrity says or does over the more important issues of this world. Anyone who actually cared about Paris Hilton going to jail, please raise your hand … I’ll wait … I’ve also come to believe that it’s completely tolerable to be anti-Christian in our society because when a Christian makes a mistake, the daily newspaper consumers gobble it up. If Mel weren’t a Christian and had not filmed The Passion, would this have made great material for the typical self-righteous anti-Christian ridicule? In addition, I still question if the officer had been Mexican and Mel made a slur remark, would the backlash have been so huge? What if he were Middle Eastern? Our ignorant American culture sure loves the stereotype of a terrorist. All of this, very unlikely because our society values certain races and religious groups over another when all should be treated with equal amount of respect.
I’ve said, “I hate you” and even had someone yell at me, “Fuck your mom for giving birth to you”. Many of us have said thoughtless and hurtful things that we didn’t sincerely mean, whether sober or intoxicated. I give Mel the benefit of the doubt. I suppose my best and worst quality is that I’m too forgiving — so bite me. Despite that, it’s not like he’s done something so crazy … like … oh, I don’t know, declare a war and lie to an entire nation?
Therefore, before you burn Mel Gibson at the stake, think — one without misdeed, cast the first fucking stone.
