The Gibson Affair: A Defining Hollywood Moment

So is Mel Gibson's drunken anti-Semitic spew really headline news -- or is it just another celebrity DUI? Another high-profile addition to The Smoking Gun's mug shot gallery (Nick and Glen, meet your new buddy Mel)? Monologue fodder for Leno, Letterman, Conan, and Kimmel? Nothing but a tempest in a tequila bottle?

Maybe that would be the case if these were ordinary times. But, with extremists gaining power and garnering sympathy all across the world, there is nothing ordinary about these times.

And that is why this could prove to be a seminal moment in our cultural history. Particularly in the cultural history of Hollywood.

Taking a page from our president, I see the Gibson story as "a moment of opportunity," a chance for reasonable people to stand up and be counted. For the sane among us to identify, separate, and condemn the extremists, the fanatics, the fundamentalists, the bigots, the hate-mongers and say 'no more.'

In the same way that ordinary Muslims need to separate themselves from the blood-drenched ideology of Hezbollah, Hollywood needs to separate itself from the odious racism of Gibson. And I don't make that connection lightly. Remember, during his DUI tirade, Gibson claimed, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." That kind of thinking makes him psychological soul mates with Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, who has said, "If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak, and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology, and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew."

Gibson's no-longer-deniable brand of bigotry has led to the extermination of millions -- and continues to fuel much of the strife and suffering in the world today. Which is why Hollywood cannot sit this one out and wait for the reviews to come in.

For years, social conservatives have questioned the morals and ethics of the entertainment community -- tossing around the shibboleth of "Hollywood values" as an oxymoronic grenade in the culture wars. Well, now is the time for Hollywood to show what those values really are by making Gibson pay the price for his bigotry and intolerance.

For starters, the town's power players need to step up and publicly condemn Gibson's vile comments (in effect, saying in public what they are already saying in private conversations I and many others have had). I mean, it shouldn't be so hard to publicly denounce someone -- even an Oscar-winner -- for being a raging anti-Semite.

Although many of the town's senior executives are Jewish and Hollywood has a long history of supporting Israel and Jewish causes, there was no widespread public condemnation of Gibson's comments over the weekend. Although some high-level executives privately expressed dismay at the statements attributed to Gibson after his arrest, none of those contacted would speak on the record.

Talk about lacking the courage of their convictions. Which makes Ari Emanuel's no-holds-barred post all the more praise-worthy. But is Ari the only high-profile figure willing to publicly draw a line in the Malibu sand? How disgusting and disappointing is that?

I know this is, at its heart, a very cautious town -- a place that always likes to keep one eye on the bottom line -- but this is no time to play it safe or to put dollars ahead of doing the unquestionably right thing.

Which is why Gibson's agent, Ed Limato, should immediately drop him as a client. And not because his boss at ICM, Jeff Berg, is Jewish, nor because so many of his clients, including Billy Crystal, are Jewish. This isn't a matter of Jews sticking together or non-Jews showing solidarity. It's about choosing sides in the real battle being fought all across the globe -- the fight between extremism and rationality, between hatred and common decency.

And Bob Iger at Disney needs to pull the plug on two Gibson projects that are in the works. The company is slated to distribute Gibson's latest directorial project, Apocalypto, opening on December 8. They should refuse to do so. And ABC, which is owned by Disney, should, without delay, scrap its head-scratching plan to develop a miniseries about the Holocaust with Gibson's company (yep, you read that right).

Yet when asked about the status of the still-in-development miniseries, an ABC spokeswoman said, "It is not at the point where you would make those determinations. There is no script."

Question for ABC: Do you really need to see a script to know that the idea of having a Holocaust-set miniseries produced by a guy who thinks "the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" is a god-awful one?

Reading the horror stories of the survivors of the Qana bombing, any rational person's instinct is to criticize the tactics Israel is using to take on Hezbollah. Then a thought arises: will this criticism come across as part and parcel of the anti-Semitic worldview of the Gibson crowd?

Which is yet another reason Gibson needs to be ostracized: his lunatic ravings make it all-the-harder for legitimate criticisms of Israel's methods to be expressed and to be heard with uncluttered ears.

"I don't get why so many FReepers stubbornly refuse to believe that this guy is a complete lunatic." I think "lunatic" is a pejorative term. I do, seriously, think he is mentally ill --- bipolar to be exact -- but that doesn't make him an evil, hateful person. It makes him ill. As for your characterization of what he said about his wife, that was a huge stretch. He spoke glowingly of his wife and only said that is what his strict interpretation of his faith teaches. I dare say half the freepers in this forum think all Catholics and Mormons are going to hell, based on their strict interpretations.

Oh fer cryin out loud. I'm not bashing Mel. I hope he gets help, and I hope he takes responsibility for his actions.

I always get annoyed with people who decry drunk drivers as long as they're people they don't admire. Your excuse-making for Mr. Gibson isn't helping anyone.

You seem oblivious to the fact that Mel has been the object of a 3 year witch hunt - for making a Christian movie.

And it appears that despite his charity work for the Sheriffs dept, he has been "pulled over" several times for
"speeding" - something that everyone does everyday.

And now they finally got him after having 3 drinks and when Mel realized his worst fears of the last 3 years, of course he flipped out.

Hollyweird Uber Alles.

> And it appears that despite his charity work for the Sheriffs dept, he has been "pulled over" several times for
"speeding" - something that everyone does everyday.

Fact #1: Everybody drifts 5-10 MPH over the speed limit. Mel regularly goes 20-30MPH over, which is freakin dangerous. No big conspiracy-- police are going to go after those.

Fact #2: Mel was measurably drunk and abusive to the police who pulled him over. If the average Joe did that, he'd be thrown under the jail.

Is Hollyweird using this as an excuse to over-punish a conservative? Sure. Other celebs have continued careers after having rehab-worthy issues and run-ins with the law.

But was the law enforcement action appropriate to Mel's actions? Absolutely, and probably too lenient until now.

They want his blood. If Gibson had died in a car Accident as a result of his inebriation and impaired abilities we would have none of this. The hatred of the Jewish Left for those who are Christians is so obvious here. Gibson has not sent money to Terrorists who are Jews real enemies.

Christians and Conservatives are the best friends that Jews have. And for some insane and self destructive reason Leftist Jews take delight in bashing Christians. How crazy and stupid are they?

I'm not even talking about the Leftist Jews. I'm talking about conservative, presumably Christian, people in this forum. It seems clear to me that much of the piling-on in this forum has more to do with his criticism of Bush and the WOT than it has to do with Gibson's words about Jews. They see a way to bring Gibson down and are doing so --- not because of any moral outrage but because of a desire to get back at Gibson for his straying from the GOP.

I'm glad to see this thread moved to the gossip section where it belongs. The biggest mistake faithful Jews ever made is siding with Leftist Hollywierd in Mel Bashing.

Face it! After being pulled over "repeatedly" for doing something that everone does, The wolves finally caught Mel after he had three or four drinks and they have their pound of flesh. Do not doubt for one minute this is notconsidered "Payback" for Mel's making and succeeding with the Passion - a beautiful Christian film.

And how wonderful that this is alienating Christians everywhere that will line up in GREATER NUMBERS to see Mel's next film. ("But the deputy already said Mel's career is ruined". I don't think so.)

Just what we need while we have all these brave soldiers in harms way in the middle east.

I think if Gibson's career is based on the Box Office, he'll be fine. He will continue to draw big audiences. However, I don't know that he can survive without the backing of producers, actors, etc. within the industry. It remains to be seen whether or not they will do business with him. ABC has already backed out of a deal. Gibson can probably afford to go it alone -- that was a gamble he took with The Passion that paid off handsomely. But I don't know how long he can afford to go it alone or if he would want to.

If you want to argue that enemies of Gibson are taking glee in his downfall, I agree. If you want to argue he is being held to a tougher standard because he is a conservative Christian, I agree. But the fact is he did these things. Now, I happen to believe he did them in a state of mania and, as such, people should understand that was not "him" -- not a reflection of who he truly is. It doesn't excuse what he did, but it explains it.

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