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Wednesday, 16 August 2006 04:24 |
| John North
Editor & Publisher |
The Mel Gibson fiasco continued to rage unabated ÇƒÓ and it all seems fairly ridiculous to me.
I am, of course, referring to Gibsonës admitted misbehavior early in the morning of July 28, when he had berated Jews in an obscene tirade after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
His initial apology was for making "despicable" remarks, but never mentioned their anti-Jewish theme. A few days later, faced with growing public outrage, he offered a second apology, this time specifically imploring the forgiveness of Jews and asking for meetings with Jewish leaders who might help him find "the appropriate path for healing."
Gibson,
a well-known actor, is perhaps most famous for directing the
controversial film, "Passion of the Christ," which raised concerns, in
some circles, that it depicted Jews in a particularly negative light,
based on medieval myths regarding the Crucifixion, thereby fanning the
flames of anti-Semitism.
| Mel Gibson
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In my opinion,
based on his reported comments to police after his arrest, itës clear
that Gibson has at least some anti-Semitic feelings, despite assertions
to the contrary from him and his defenders. When most people get drunk
and are arrested by police, their first utterances, while usually
expressive, do not not lambast the Jewish people for all of the worldës
problems.
Moreover, during
and after his arrest, Gibson reportedly threatened the police and made
rude comments to them, many of which reflected an attitude of
anti-Semitism and mysogyny.
While in our
free society, we cherish the right of people to think, say and write
what they wish, even if itës repellant, in Gibsonës case, itës
particularly sad to see someone who had been held in high esteem by
many Christian conservatives ÇƒÓ in the United States and many other
parts of the world ÇƒÓ taking such a un-Christian attitude toward Jews
and women. Itës unfortunate because good role models are rare,
particularly in Hollywood.
Another sad
aspect of this case has been the hesitancy of many U.S. Jewish leaders
to accept Gibsonës apology. However, based on the circumstances and his
initial limited acknowledgement of the tenor of his comments, the
Jewish communityës caution is, perhaps, quite understandable.
No doubt, Jewish
leaders are wondering whether Gibsonës latest apology is sincere ÇƒÓ or
whether it was done as damage control to protect his career.
To his credit,
Gibson has been forthright in saying that his comments were wrong and
repellent. However, he attributed a lot of his comments to the effect
of the alcohol, but he was not that drunk. Specifically, he tested at
0.12 ÇƒÓ barely over the legal limit of 0.08 in California.
If I were
Jewish, I, too, would likely be reluctant to give Gibson a second
chance. On the other hand, Iëd like to think that this would be a
golden opportunity to turn a negative into a positive, albeit with
clearly stated conditions with serious ramifications.
Thus, Iëd like
to see the Jewish community embrace Gibson by allowing deep interaction
with him and I believe that both sides would gain from this spirit of
forgiveness and reconciliation And, if Gibson proved to be a phony, at
least it would be crystal clear.
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