Posted on 07/31/2006 12:29:38 PM PDT by veronica
Edited on 07/31/2006 1:43:28 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
I was just in the middle of writing a long and tedious essay, about how to tell a real anti-Semite from a person who too-loudly rejects the charge of anti-Semitism, when a near-perfect real-life example came to hand. That bad actor and worse director Mel Gibson, pulled over for the alleged offense of speeding and the further alleged offense of speeding under the influence, decided that he needed to demand of the arresting officer whether he was or was not Jewish and that he furthermore needed to impart the information that all the world's wars are begun by those of Semitic extraction.
Call me thin-skinned if you must, but I think that this qualifies. I also think that the difference between the blood-alcohol levels—and indeed the speed limits—that occasioned the booking are insufficient to explain the expletives (as Gibson has since claimed in a typically self-pitying and verbose statement put out by his publicist). One does not abruptly decide, between the first and second vodka, or the ticks of the indicator of velocity, that the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion are valid after all.
There's a lot to dislike about Gibson. He is given to furious tirades against homosexuals of the sort that make one wonder if he has some kind of subliminal or "unaddressed" problem. His vulgar and nasty movies, which also feature this prejudice, are additionally replete with the cheapest caricatures of the English.
scurrilous -- given to the use of vulgar, coarse, or abusive language; foul-mouthed.
You know where you can stick that word, wideawake. You are stone wrong.
I made no argument........ I asked a serious question ONLY.
By the way, thank you for the history info.
I did and didn't see anything about Mel's remarks being taped on TSG.
The guy on tv stated that there was a tape (the guy who edits the Smoking gun).
just a guess
He's HIDING the fact that when he's drunk he's just spewing garbage.
He has a reputation to maintain.
We'll see.... I think it's odd no one else has mentioned a tape, or at least no one has come up with a link where it states Mel's remarks were taped.
Cold, hard facts of life are that Hitchens, when drunk, spews garbage ~ just like everybody else, only he ususally gets paid for it.
On the other hand, if your drunken buddies want to take you for a ride hanging onto a chain hooked to a pickup truck, be afraid, very afraid!
Sounds like somebody is "imputing a motive", which may or may not be there, but we sure know what part of the film they liked the most eh?!
What I want to know is when did FReepers become champions of political correctness. I believe in free speech and, yes, that includes offensive speech. I also think our celebrity besotted culture needs to stop looking at "stars" as role models. They are human beings with feet of clay, just like the rest of us.
The actual champions of political correctness are busy marching in the streets of Berkeley and Madison and denouncing Israel and Jews, and they sure ain't FReepers.
I believe in free speech
Then you believe in the right of FReepers to verbally tear Mel Gibson a new one over what he said.
lol
This may be a stupid question:
The media are running all these photos of Mel with lots of different ladies. Are these from wherever he was that night? Fans? Family? Co-workers? Girlfriends? Just askin' ;o)
Yes. To a point. Too many people's lives have been and continue to be damaged, even ruined by the political correctness police. (Remember what happened to Rush when he went to ESPN?)
I'd like to know how far it goes, this hounding of people because of what they say rather than because of what they do.
And while we're speaking of what people do, a great many American Jewish people are LEFTISTS who are making common cause with Israel's and America's enemies. Who do most of Hollywood's elites support politically and with huge donations, hmmmm? Leftist Democrats who sell out Israel at every opportunity.
Gibson may be a raging bigot, but I'd rather we live in a climate where people with his viewpoint can be open and honest about it, instead of being driven under ground by political correctness. At least then we'd be able to keep an eye on what such people do, and we could more easily refute what they say.
The story's been in the news how many days? I'd hardly call the reaction "hounding" him.
Gibson may be a raging bigot, but I'd rather we live in a climate where people with his viewpoint can be open and honest about it, instead of being driven under ground by political correctness.
I'd rather we live in a climate where people with his viewpoint can be open and honest about it, so the rest of us can be open and honest about how we think about it.
Why not? Last I heard, no one was ever hurt by someone expressing negative opinions about a prominent person's bigotry.
Over the years Gibson has received quite a lot of my money. I don't think there's anything wrong with me firing off a handful of criticisms about his being a raging a-hole bigot.
What is politically correct about denouncing bigotry?
I never see these kinds of posts when we come down on drunken Kennedys or stars who advocate the gay agenda. But for some reason, when racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism are the issue, the critics are being "PC."
Labelling anything one doesn't like to see "PC" is a common move but it is merely a distraction. Am I being PC for denoucning anti-semitism? Fine, I'll take the label, considering the motives of those who are labelling me.
Oh, come on, now--that belongs in the Stretching It Hall of Fame, particularly since Gibson is only vaguelly involved in that miniseries.
As for Chris, you've got him pegged, I'm afraid.
I was addressing Wolfstar and pinging you to my response.
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