While I've often wondered about Hitchens' obvious hatred of Israel (which might explain his rush to attack someone else for this reason--"No, no, there's a REAL anti-Semite!")...he happens to be right. You don't just get drunk and turn into a Jew-hater. Something you're holding in emerges.
I think you are correct. If I got all stupid drunk and started spewing trash talk it wouldn't be about the Jews...It would probably be about the Boston Red Sox, liberals or IslamoNazis...
In vino veritas, as the old saying goes. (At least I think I spelled it right.)
Carolyn
Agree about Gibson's antisemitism.
Confused about Hitchen's? I didn't realize he is antisemitic?
I agree it would be wrong to dismiss Gibson's comments as not reflecting upon him at all because he was drunk.
But I also think it would be just as wrong to take his words as reflecting the deepest depths of his soul, although they may.
Gibson was raised by a professional anti-Semite whose paleoism makes Pat Buchanan's look nuanced. No doubt that upbringing is a part of him, but even if the ideas weren't, the reflexive, hateful language that comes with it would likely be just the sort of habit that could reemerge when drunk.
The Jesus portrayed in the Passion is far more Jewish than any of the other mainstream movies about Him I've heard of. I think it shows his best side and this shows what's hopefully his worst.
Some people think Richard Nixon was an anti-Semite because of the bigoted language he used when referring to left wing Jews, but he was one of Israel's best friends when it counted. Mel Gibson's suspicions of President Bush and the War on Terror, on the other hand, make me tend to think that Gibson's feelings are much darker than those of Richard Nixon ever had.
Hitchens seems to be mellowing in his hatred for Israel, I think because he's waking up to the threat of Islamic/Arab fascism since the days he wrote for the Nation and buddied up with Edward Said, the man who who rejected Arafat for being too moderate.
But Hitchens will always despise theism, especially Christianity. Its power and influence repulses his contrarian instincts, his belief in his own "rationalism" and (according to him) his desire to not have someone watching over him. I don't think Hitchens ever hated Jews so much as he hates religion. Since PLO had been a secular leftist movement, it was that much easier for him to sympathize with.
bttt
Hence the ancient proverb, "in vino, veritas."
He's HIDING the fact that when he's drunk he's just spewing garbage.
He has a reputation to maintain.
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.