I dont know, you all seemed to go easy on Mother Sheehan.

It's disheartening, but not surprising. Hollywood has long been a hotbed of racism, sexism and anti-Semitic rhetoric and behavior. The myth of the "Hollywood liberal" is about the same as the myth of the "liberal media."

And, of course, I'm still waiting for someone--anyone--to take Gibson to task for his drunken sexist remarks during the car incident.

When I get drunk I go on rants about the diamond cartel and the fact that diamond prices are supported by artificial means....the only people that pisses of is debeers and my grilfriend!!!!

I find it ironic that certain people want to damn Gibson for anti-Semitic comments, yet quite likely have no problem with a convicted pedophile fugitive (Roman Polanski) winning an Oscar. Gibson's remarks are no doubt wrong and he deserves to be chastised. But is what he did somehow worse than a man who once had sex with a 13 year old? I think not.

"Hollywood liberal" is very much alive and well. They are not, nor never have been the suits who green light projects.(Early 70's perhaps being the exception) However the creative folks are universally liberal, to the point where being conservative will pretty much get you black balled.

Patrick Swayze and icon? Hahahahaha! Sense when?

As for Cindy Sheehan, I disagree with many of her views, notably some of her views on Israel. And as as for Roman Polanski -- who doesn't have a problem with pedophilia? And what the heck does it have to do with this? Finally, in calling Patrick Swayze an icon I was...joking.

"However the creative folks are universally liberal, to the point where being conservative will pretty much get you black balled."

Yes, that would certainly explain the utter failure of the careers of Gibson, Bruce Willis, Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello, Drew Carey, unindicted sex criminal Arnold Schwarzenneger, Joe Pesci, Kelsey Grammer, James Woods, Chuck Norris, Adam Sandler, and Shannen Doherty.

Is "I slept with your wife" more or less stupid than "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" ?!

Perhaps if you zealots would actually acknowledge that people are JUST stupid we’d have a functional 2nd party in this pathetic country.

The socialist acknowledging that people are stupid and fascists acknowledging that people are slimy; what a concept!

"I slept with your wife" was hardly the comment to which I was referring. Gibson let out a string of vile commments regarding the female officer. They have been ignored by the media and by most bloggers.

John, the point is that alcohol prompts people to make indiscreet but (often unwisely) honest confessions or comments. The stupidity lies in expressing a view, not in the view itself. (Shorter version: alcohol is a truth drug, for better or worse.)

What alcohol *doesn't* do is implant (in this case anti-Semitic) conspiracy theories about how the world works. It brings them to the surface.

It is stupid (if you don't want to incur unpleasant consequences) to tell somebody you slept with their spouse. It is stupid (if you want to maintain a viable Hollywood career) to give voice to absurd and hateful views about Jews.

But Gibson's statement *itself* is not primarily stupid (though it's that too); it's morally repugnant.

As for socialists and fascists, and people being stupid, god knows what you're talking about...

"And as as for Roman Polanski -- who doesn't have a problem with pedophilia?"

Apparently Hollywood, Academy voters, and many apologists in the media who advocated allowing him back in the US to pick up his shiny statue.

"And what the heck does it have to do with this?"

Hypocrisy for starters. Again, I'm not defending Gibson. I find his statement repugnant. I'm simply illustrating that the media backlash on Gibson has been far worse than it has for the countless other celebrities who've exhibited equally bad or even worse behavior. And yes, I wonder if that might have something to do with his conservative political ideology.

"Gibson, Bruce Willis, unindicted sex criminal Arnold Schwarzenneger, Adam Sandler."

Wow, you've named 4 current\past (in Schwarzenneger's case) Hollywood power players. Each has made the cynical studio system tons of money. None but Gibson and Arnold are particularly vocal about their political views like most of their liberal counterparts. Arnold has never been part of the creative process if you can even consider the bulk of his films to be creative. That leaves Gibson, which aside from his "actor for hire roles" has for the most part worked outside of the Hollywood system.

"Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello, Joe Pesci, James Woods"
With rare exception, these folks seldom work within Hollywood. They are mostly successful in independent features.

"Drew Carey, Kelsey Grammer, Chuck Norris."
Hmmmm. TV. I guess you have me here.

"Shannon Doherty." Is she successful?

Roman Polanski isn't the issue. Mel Gibson is the issue.

I wonder how much outrage would the media had displayed in case a drunk media celebrity had blamed all the wars of the world on Muslims? It is ironic to listen to radio shows and conservative TV journalist call Muslims as terrorist daily on the air and yet a simple remark of an individual cause such an uproar. I am just wondering if the condemnation of disparaging remarks is limited to certain races in the western world.

I am a serious film and entertainment fan. I have collected over 600 movies and well over 200 CD’s and LP’s the past 30 years. Our society should stop viewing entertainers as something other that individuals with better than average jobs. Far too long they have been viewed as role models for society. Well they are not and they are subject to the same prejudices we all harbors within but don’t talk about. Mel Gibson is no different. As a longtime fan of many of his films, I personally condemn his actions and verbal responses in this situation. Will I stop viewing his film? Perhaps not! However, I will not view him in the same light as I did before this incident. I still watch John Wayne movies when aired, and he did not seem to like anyone who did not share the same opinions, causes, or values he supported related to minorities. It is time we look at celebrities as what they are. They are people with all the shortcomings, frailties and prejudices an equal number of members of any occupation, race, and religious group have in common. We are all works in progress. Mel needs more work and especially at his age.

Alex

"Roman Polanski isn't the issue. Mel Gibson is the issue."

Polanski serves simply as an example of the disproportionate amount of distain Gibson has gotten for his admittedly stupid behavior. Does he deserve the ridicule? Absolutely. I just happen to believe there is a tremendous amount of hypocrisy in the selectivity employed by the media.

Yoomhabib, you bring up a very good point.

And if it's true that the media went easy on Polanski (and I don't know if it is true), you think that's...why?

And still no word on the "sugar tits"... Over to you, Bob.

Part of the problem here is that we're taking one slice of Gibson's life and using it as the sole determiner of his beliefs. The suggestion that alchohol only brings to surface what's inside of a person already may be true, but it doesn't prove that these are the kind of beliefs and attitudes that he cherishes.

I've got a friend who was raised by an incredibly racist father. He has struggled his whole life to overcome the attitudes his dad instilled in him as a young man, and he is proud to have several close friendships with the very folks that his father taught him to hold in contempt.

But when he gets one too many in him, I've seen all that bile come out. When he gets drunk, he's as racist as his dad. The difference is that he hates that part of himself and tries every day to kill it.

When I look at Gibson in this instance, I see a guy who was raised by an anti-Semite, and who consequently still has that crap rolling around inside of him. To say that the alchohol brings it out is a good argument for Mel to stop drinking, but it doesn't prove that he really thinks that way. Everything I see and read about the guy shows that he's tried his whole life to overcome it.

Alchohol isn't a truth drug if you mean that it reveals us for who we really are. Who we really are is a bigger package than the brokenness and bitterness that alchohol can release. A man should be judged on what he does with those hideous dark currents inside himself, not by the fact that they exist in the first place.

I know that Roman Polanski isn't the issue in this article, but if a comparison is going to be made about the relative impropriety of Mel and Roman's wrongdoings, one has to ask why the 13-year-old girl with the fake ID was even in Jack Nicholson's hot tub at 4 am in the first place so that she could meet Polanski. I don't condone pedophelia in any form, but it's a valid question. Yes, I'm female.

I must also concur with yoomhabib, and question why insulting some groups causes instant outrage, while insulting others is considered patrotic by many.

Why do we get so up in arms about celebrity opinion? Gibson isn't a political figure, or someone in another leadership position who SHOULD be tactful and decent. He's a celebrity, they are people, and just like the Dixie Chicks they have opinions that they should be able to EXPRESS freely. It's called the First Amendment. I'm surprised this has bothered so many people. Who gives a shit what his opinion is anyway?

Here here! The bashing of different racial groups seems to always drift with the tide of whatever conflicts are foremost in people's lives or newscasts. Do the Hispanic, Black, Asian, Irish, Italian, Chinese, German, et al forget so quickly when it was THEIR turn to be bashed and how it felt?

"Why do we get so up in arms about celebrity opinion?

Because of their visibility in the world, celebrities' opinions are heard by many. Yes, celebrities are just people, but when the people I am around voice their prejudices, I speak out, even if I have been the only one to hear the remark. When many have heard, many should speak out. Anything less condones and perpetuates bigotry.

Gibson's drunken outburst was certainly ignorant and (for a man in his position and industry) unwise. Is it any worse than what a lot of ignorant people say about blacks/women/homosexuals in a drunken stupor in any bar of the US?

This is getting a lot of play because the zionist/jewish lobby needs 'any' target to deflect criticism away from its hijacking of US international policy.

BTW 'Hollywood antisemitism' is a contradiction in terms.

another case of killing the messenger

"because the zionist/jewish lobby needs 'any' target to deflect criticism away from its hijacking of US international policy"

Israeli politics are wacked [like our own in many ways] but trying to turn perfectly understandable national outrage about Gibson's comments into a plot by the Israeli nation and lobby is just ridiculous. That's sort of like blaming the victim.

"Perhaps if you zealots would actually acknowledge that people are JUST stupid we’d have a functional 2nd party in this pathetic country"

John, you sound like a cliche of the angry,cynical conservative, which is ironic since you profess to understand shit about the liberal world view.
There's no need for you to reply, because it will be such a predictable vomitous spew that any of us could probably write it for you.
I for one will never apologize for believing this world is big enough for all religions [or people who practice none] all ethnicities, sexualities and all ideologies.
Oh, I think I hear your comeback now.
Blah, blah, blah, crank, wheeze, blah, blah....
Yousound like you hate your job, your life and everyone else. Pathetic.

This whole Mel Gibson business, like so much in the country right now, is being handled with so little class and decency that I can hardly believe that anyone takes their reactions to it very seriously, at all...

I used to react to stuff like what Mel said with this kind of self-righteousness...

And then I learned what a jerk I sounded like and how little generosity and space to learn and grow I offered people...

It feels good in the moment to take a self-righteous stand...but the sad thing is that it doesn't do any good...and it doesn't really mean anything except how sanctimonious we feel that we have the "right" attitudes and someone else is in the wrong...

If I acted this self-righteously to every stupid and ugly thing I thought that people said, I don't think I'd like anyone, truth be told...because we're all full of them...

And it's when we think that we're not that we're the most dangerous...because that's when we're not only full of it, but we're lying to ourselves...

And there's no reason to follow in the footsteps of people who can't be honest with themselves...

This story needs to take a more generous turn if we're going to do any good in the world...

I get so up in arms about celebrity opinions because they have a 'bully pulpit' from which to speak. No one listens to my views but they listen the idiots like Mel Gibson, Rupert Murdoch's via Fox talking heads, Tucker Carlson, Joe Scarborough, the screaming Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, the Bush cabal, nazi-fascist neocons,the Republican party, Hagel, Lugar(the northern Repugs, Sessions, Lott, Graham,Inhofe,Barton,Cornyn,DeLay, Brownback(the southern Repugs)Russert, all of whom do nothing but repeat Karl Rove talking points like the little robots that they are, the theocratic fundamentalists like the white southern Baptists and the Catholic Church all of whom are tightly allied with the Bush Repugs who want to bomb the entire world and anyone else who doesn't agree with them just as Hitler did.

American democracy is dead(no 'checks and balances') and these people killed it.

An independant swing voter and a NONE fundamentalist Catholic.

Maybe someday the 241 million Americans will throw out and condemn those 59 million who voted for the Bush/Repug conspiracy that has turned American into a government of killers.