Mea Culpa (UPDATED FOR WEDNESDAY EDITION)
NOTE: This post ran yesterday. Due to the international interest in the Mel Gibson arrest story (his mug shot is above) this has has been UPDATED with new links for today. It will be placed towards the top of this site early Wednesday morning BUT newer posts may be BELOW IT so please SCROLL DOWN.
When should apologizes be accepted–and when shouldn’t they–in cases of racial offense?
(Update by TMV):
UPDATE MUST READ: Ed Morrissey looks at this as well in a MUST READ post where he also raises some of the questions dealt with so thoughtfully in Dave’s excellent post (in an equally thoughtfully manner) that’s linked above.
IS A BAR MITZVAH OFFER NEXT? A Los Angeles rabbi has invited Gibson to be keynote speaker at his synagogue on Yom Kippur — the Jewish Day of Atonement.
SOME KEY NEWS STORIES:
Now photos have emerged of Gibson apparently partying before his arrest. And LOOK AT THESE.
Newsweek: True Views Or Just The Booze?
Sheriff Watchdog Has Concerns Over Gibson Report
Mad Mel’s passion needs to be curbed
Christopher Hitchens: Let This Be The Last We Hear Of Mel Gibson
Experts Say Gibson’s Apology Too Late
Marty Kaplan: “I’m Mel Gibson, and I’m an Anti-Semite”
17 Responses to “Mea Culpa (UPDATED FOR WEDNESDAY EDITION)”
Right. I think that what they are trying do to Mel Gibson over this is unjustified, but typically arrogant. Ruin a man’s career and livelihood over a few drunken remarks is going way over the top.
Mel Gibson is a neo-con politically but he is also a Christian being mercilessly attacked by…non-Christians. I am a Christian and forgiving is a tenet of the faith. So I stand with him and so should other Christians. He apologized and asked to be forgiven. That is enough. I forgive him.
Sal- You would. I’m sure you don’t see what he said as that offensive anyway. I think it was not a slip of the tongue, but his real feelings which he has covered up and denied for years. His father was a big anti-semite and Mel has in the past refused to speak out against any of his father’s racist statements. I find that those who just inadvertently offend someone through a slip of the tongue more easily forgivable, than someone like Mel, who obviously revealed a lot more than he wanted to about his honest feelings.
An example of a slip would be Joe Biden’s recent faux pas about Indians working in Dunkin’ Donuts-you know Biden’s no racist.
Sure it was offensive.
As offensive goes I don’t think it was that offensive. The “Last Temptation of Christ”, was far more and way above Offensive, but Christians destroyed nobody over it. In my opinion Hollywood should have been burned to the ground over it, but thats just me.
The remarks were decidedly anti-Jew, but not racist. Jew is a religion not a race.
Of course you are entitiled to your opinion also and I respect that.
Sal, the issue of Mel Gibson aside, I can’t think of a less forgiving, more judgemental bunch than the self-appointed leaders of the religious right. They are so full of themsleves they feel authorized to say who’s a ‘real’ Christian and who isn’t.
They make church sound like a fortress where one has to pass an entrance exam before entering; so it should not be a suprise that people are turned off and conclude that Christains are judgemental, self-righteous som-a-bitch’s.
(You don’t sound like that type of person,okay.)
Mel certainly was part of that judgement game.
Certainly when he was promoting his movie, Passion of the Christ.. Throughout the promotion the implication was only real Christians appreciated the movie. A person would likey have their faith challanged if they had not gone to see the movie. Or worse, went to see it and didn’t like it.
Judge not least ye be judged…the Religious Right kicked that one to the curb YEARS AGO.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise people who experienced these harsh judgements want to give Mel a taste of he his own medicine.
This could be a real humbling lesson for him. We all could use a good humbling now and them.
A good humbling? Yes. To ruin a man’s career? Not so much. Are we really that shallow of a country where we need to obsess for days over what a movie star said when he was drunk? Geez.
Shrug.
I never really watched Mel Gibson movies anyway, so I could care less about what happens to him as an actor. Christianity is, as Sal points out, a religion that emphasizes forgiveness. Unfortunately for Mel, the aggrieved parties here aren’t Christians. They’re Jews. And while forgiveness is certainly not discouraged in Judaism, it does not occupy the front and center role it does in Christianity.
His apology is noted. But until I see some concrete action to back up those words, he is not forgiven in my book. His history on this matter is too strong to be ignored.
Okay so maybe a single incident can be forgiven, but not a pattern of behavior. Sometimes people feel awful enough about what they’ve said and done that they actually make amends with their behavior. There was a KKK member who reformed and turned informant, then went around and preached racial tolerance in high schools—that works for me, but don’t look for Mel to do anything he doesn’t have to do to save his stinking career!
Sal,
I agree that his career shouldn’t be destroyed over it.
Besides, do we really know this is how he really feels? Has he made more anti-Semetic remarks like this in the last couple of years?
He apologized, let that be it.
For the Hollywood Jew…
I am certainly not of the religious right. In fact I am a Socialist. Politically something much like a Christian Democrat of Austria. This makes me quite left here. I know that Mel Gibson is a neocon. But suspect that he has been harmed at some point in his life by someone he trusted and loved.
I know what Mr. Gibson is. He is a tortured man whom sees injustice and tries to right it through tortured eyes. He is a blind Patriot chained to his post by addiction. He is a great artist that must overcome a mountain of distraction before he can create. He is a Christian fighting the demon in a terrific battle for his own soul in a war that he may not win. It is a war in which Jews are often collateral damage. So tell me Jew, how does it feel? How does it feel to have this man’s immortal soul in your hands?
The world is watching.
Charles Jordan
Yes I here you. I still say let it lay and consider his alcoholism. For all his money I would not take his addiction.
I know the religious right are strange and scary. I believe Mel Gibson is smart enough to rise above it all if he can defeat his demon. Most of the religious right would never make it if they were in his shoes.
You can cherry pick a few conservadips if you work at it. Some are worth saving, cull the rest.
Kim Ritter
There are no singles, they are all patterns. Some are just farther apart than others. That is why we need to interact with each other and look out after each other. Not just judge. That is what neo-cons do. They judge.
to Sal and CitizenQ:
I think what he said carries more import because of his father’s reputation.
I doubt his career is ruined. this is just a temporary set-back. Actually, guys like Mel who get drunk and spout off about this or that are a dime a dozen, aren’t they?
We all have our demons and the majority in the public know that. It’s just cable news. they got to fill that 24 hours with something.
Personally I always thought Mel was kind of a jerk (people who are Christian can also be jerks) but I try not to hold it against him too much
Why is this still news? Not to be offensive about it, but there are greater things to worry about than mel friggin gibson, y’know? That’s just my opinion.
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Well I am against any kind of remarks against any community, religion. And Mr. Gibson should have not done that. But one thing I just want to ask that if his remarks would have been against any other religion like Islam, Hinduism, even against Christians etc. Would there been such a big issue? I feel No, there would be not. The truth is that Jews control most of the powerful media in the world so it is in the headlines all over and keep revaluing. People saying some very extreme things about him, why? Mr. Gibson apologized not once but twice for his words. I think now we should let him alone, if someone feeling it so he should be given a break and forgiven. In drunken conditions many people say many bad things and when they become normal mostly do apologies for their actions/words. I don’t believe that there is any more need of Media War against Mr. Gibson. What you say?
I just want to see what they do to him. To his career and to his family.
Correction; I want the world to see.
That is a Bizarre response. Who it the THEY? Is this another conspiracy theory?
Mel was arrested for drunk driving, not for making anti-Semitic remarks. He had every right to express his feelings as he saw fit. Now others have the same right to express theirs. That could mean not going to Mel’s movies or not funding his projects.Mel Gibson’s freedom of speech does not trump the free speech of all others.