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- Go to Despise The Actor Or Despise The Man?
I'm with you, DarrkeThoughts. I have read that John Wayne wasn't the most
liberal thinker, was actually a racist, but I still enjoy his movies. And Richard Harris? A notorious drunk, but I love his stuff.
posted by
saul_relative
on August 7, 2006 at 6:43 AM
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Everyone makes mistakes. I think it's over-reacting to boycott a person if they do. I think you should judge the movies by how much you like them, and the man? If you think he's likely to get drunk and make a scene, then don't invite him to YOUR parties. Otherwise, people take this stuff way too serious.
posted by
DarrkeThoughts
on August 7, 2006 at 5:52 AM
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I Have NO Doubt His Words Were Blown OUt of Porportion...
Mel Gibson has had the media misrepresent his words on more than one occasion. The allegations of anti-semitism spawn from a remark his father made, that the amount of death the jews claim during the holocaust has been blown out of porportion. The man had a good point. He pointed out that it takes a lot of heat to burn a human body and the furnaces at the Nazi camps couldn't have cremated as many bodies as the Jews claim. Personally, I can see some reasons for having hatred towards the Jews. As a community, they've played the victim card for a little bit too long. The Jews themselves never bothered to help their own until it was too late. At some point people have to move beyond the pain of events like the Holocaust. The Jews never have. They have not stopped seeing themselves as victims.
posted by
WhiteJedi
on August 2, 2006 at 7:02 AM
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Good point, fwmystic. If you disliked the man and/or his movies before,
this episode might solidify your negative opinion of him. It's kind of like this guy I know who trashed all his Elton John albums when he found out Elton was gay. Kind of crazy.
posted by
saul_relative
on August 1, 2006 at 6:59 AM
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Mel is no different from any sports figure ...
we can admire their work yet realize they are capable of acting as stupid as we do. When I read his remarks on the news, I burst out laughing, because I pictured Mad Max/the crazy cop ranting and raving in a drunken rage.
posted by
fwmystic
on July 31, 2006 at 2:04 PM
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Thanks, RAME, for your thoughts and comments. I would repeat, however,
that my citation of James Carroll's work in no way reflects my views but does shed important consideration of the evolution of the Catholic Church throughout history and its position apart and against Judaism. By the way, James Carroll was once a Catholic priest and is still a Catholic, despite his hictorical observations. He does believe that the works of the Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II have done a tremendous service in rehabilitating the millenia-old rift between the two faiths. I, personally, am just relaying information and asking questions in this post, trying not to pass judgment on a man I consider an amazing actor driven by his faith and his conscience.
posted by
saul_relative
on July 30, 2006 at 2:13 PM
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Saul_Relative,
You bring up many good points. First, though, I have to say that "the Church" is not anti-Semitic. There are people in "the Church" who are just as there are people in other denominations who are. The people in "the Church" who stood by and did little to stop the horrors of the Jews have much to answer for, at least those who are still living. The Catholic Church did shelter many, many Jews in the Vatican and in many Churches, though one seldom hears of that. The Vatican, at the time, I'm sure had delicate issues to deal with politically, though I don't feel that excuses inaction to do anything they could to put an end to the Holocaust. Who knows what any of us would do, were we in that same situation, having had their pasts and upbringing or not.
Mel Gibson is a human, just like the rest of us, but he is a public figure and needs to be much more diligent in his behavior. He, like those in the Church, especially the Church hierarchy, need to constantly be aware that their behavior needs to always set good example, for many, many others are watching. They, by their actions, can bring much harm by their actions without even thinking about it. People judge them by their every action, other people imitate their actions, and still others turn away from "the Church" because of the actions of the few.
If I, or anyone else, especially public figures, causes a person to lose his faith because of some action I took, whether it is out of character or not, I have that to answer for when I die. When I do anything like that without thinking, I need to reexamine my own soul/attitude/conscience, and see if I, indeed, need to change my thinking and my attitude in order to be more Christlike.
We all have to take into consideration how our example affects others and realize that we are the only ones responsible for our behaviour.
On the other hand, we also have to realize that it isn't our place to judge others and we need to realize that, just as we have done things we shouldn't have, so can other people and, instead of judging, pray for them.
It is extremely difficult not to judge, and especially if the person or people keep exhibiting the same behaviour over and over again, like so many politicians and political figures. No matter what, we must pray for them and forgive them personally, even though we must not condone things they do which are wrong.
The many good points you have raised are very good food for thought. Great post!
posted by
RAME
on July 30, 2006 at 12:51 PM
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