Mel Gibson, Racist, Sexist, and Violent--Has He Gone Too Far?

I've never liked him anyway - the only thing I've ever enjoyed that he's done is Braveheart.

But as of today - I will never watch him in anything else.
No, I won't be supporting any of his efforts - unless they have something to do with achieving a less vitriolic humanity within himself and extending it to others.

He obviously needs to find something to do that will bring him some sort of peace - which is obviously lacking in his life.

You know good old Mel is a nut, a racist, and many other things however, he likely was set up by an expert on that tape in my opinion.

I would love to hear the conversation before the tape was roll.

On the tape she sound very cool and calm giving him no reason at all to be that upset and for some reason he was very very upset.

I can picture her causing him to be very upset and when he reached the blow out point turning on the tape and sounding like a complete innocent angel.

If hard to feel sorry for the man but I do think he was set up by the mother of his child.

That's interesting. Having no supporting evidence, you assume there was some undue provocation. Even though there is supporting history on the man that shows an ever escalating tendency toward vitriolic outbursts. Yeah, that's interesting.

I think she set him up too. Those were taped phone conversations. But I don't think it takes much to get Mel going on a rant, and she certainly didn't put those words in his mouth. She may have pushed his buttons, but she let him do the rest by himself. And the kind of person he reveals himself to be is just plain awful.

I doubt the tapes will be admissible in court, because they were phone conversations taped without his knowledge. On the phone, you do have an expectation of privacy.

Okay, let's go with the "she set him up" meme. How is that relevant at all, beyond asserting something like the juvenile reasoning "the other person started it"?
The offense remains.

Ok, that might explain some of the vile things he said to her, but it certainly doesn't explain away the vile things he now has a history of saying about Jews, blacks and hispanics. The way he referred to "packs of niggers" makes explicitly clear his views on race and I don't see how being "hurt", or even drunk, explains that away.

If that's his feeling he should go back to Aramaic.

Is this sort of belief system (I mean the racism and anti-jewish crap) part of the religious cult or whatever it is he was brought up in?

(Not that that is any excuse he is a grown man.)

I am not defending him and I can not see myself saying the kinds of things he said no matter how provoked, however the tape smell to the degree that she one sit it up and two once it started she was all calm reason.

Once more I would love to hear the whole conversation from the first hello as I question if the whole conversation would paint the same picture as the part that we all hear at least concerning her.

I can see that as a distinct possibility, but her deceit doesn't really explain his history of racist views.

No one said it did on this thread that I know of.

He is a sick sob without question however even a sick sob can be sit up and once more I would love to hear her and his conversation from the beginning.

So, what if you could hear the conversation? How would that make a difference? What if she was provoking him and setting him up? Does it make his words more acceptable to you?

I have little knowledge of Mel Gibson's character, but to strongly suspect that he has a strong dark side. He is one hell of an actor though.

Whoopi Goldberg says Mel Gibson is a bonehead but not a racist.

again, not meaning in any way to defend mel, but, what business is it of ours how he feels about anything?

How do I know what you are really like Robert? Or anyone on here for that matter?

How do I know if any one of us IS mel gibson, and is posting under the name of dutchy, or letty? Maybe I'm roman polansky.

If he's ******* up his life, why does he owe any explanation to anyone, except a chosen few?

Has he been a raging maniac ALL of his life? When he was a teen, 20's, 30's?

I have no idea, but it would be helpful to pinpoint exactly when this behavior change began. What if, just what if, there is something wrong with this man that can be treated?

The man had 7 children with 1 woman. Would she have hung around that long if he hit, or threatened to hit her while she was holding each of her babies? Was there a history of him being violent throughout the marriage?

Did he, from early on in his career, have a habit of explosive behavior on the set? I don't know, but I'd like to.
What has caused him, in recent (in relative terms) years to start outwardly displaying this rage? Is this real rage, or a symptom of something?

What if mel hated all sorts of people from early childhood, but just never said anything out loud, or through his actions, at least to those who would spread the word around? There are plenty of those types out there.

Are people upset that he hates, or that he is displaying his hatred?

You know what celebrity I really can't stand? Sandra Bullock. I don't have any specific reason, there's just something about her.
Ah....but she's the nations golden girl, so kind and giving, working through this horrible experience with her marriage, trying to save some kid that's not even hers. The woman just poops rainbows 24/7.

Or....does she?
How do we know what she does behind closed doors.

Serious question.
Is there any chance gibson's behavior is the result of something physical or pychological, and instead of the worlds scorn, he needs to have someone look to see what's wrong with him?

I don't care if in 1991 he said he didn't like gays, or in 2006 he said **** about jews. Walk into any bar, or even a mcdonalds and ask around, and you'll get the same opinions from someone.

But behaviors were escalating.

I've seen they same type of question you raise ("why does anyone care what this celebrity says or does?") in bunches of other discussions about some celebrity sticking their foot in it.

I think it's very much an individual thing, that has to be looked at on an individual basis.

Mel Gibson, IMO, built a career on being this lovable character buddied-up with a Black in a movie series. He also made a lot of bank on morality tales - one of them THE morality tale, Passion of the Christ.

We feel influence from the people who enter our lives through popular media. Well, most people feel the influence. They influence our fashion, our speech, our very culture. When a big media icon like Mel Gibson does something that makes it appear that he is not the person we all thought he was, I think there's a certain amount of feelings of betrayal that happen - justifiably or not.

We can more easily see the connection to our real lives when it's a person who influences public policy, like a politician. What a collective hissy-fit we had when ole Billy C got a blowjob! But I think that it's the same thing here, just in a different degree.

All it could do is give us a better picture of this lady who is running a campaign for public support in her legal battles with the man.

And OJ was a hell of a football player...

(?)

some of the best ideas come from assholes, some of the best art comes from deeply disturbed individuals......I will never support the avoidance of good product because it is either known or suspected that the one who produced it is significantly flawed.

Actually snood, I wasn't thinking at all about "why does anyone care what a celeb says or does"

What I said was "what business is it of ours how he feels about (fill in the blank)?"

I'm not sure he's sticking his foot in it.
It may be that he is way past that.
I don't know what his character (meaning his personal character) was decades ago. Could it be either through drinking, or a brain tumor, or some neurological or chemical imbalance he is not acting as he normally would?

I'm just askin'

Really, it isn't any business how the person who lives across the street, or the famous celebrity feels about anything.

Any more than it's my business how you feel about something. I may agree, or disagree with you, but your feelings are your affair.

It's when you start to act out these feelings harmfully towards others that it becomes someones business.

Is this how Gibson always was? Is this how he always felt?

If not, what changed, and is it something he has control over at the moment?

If he doesn't have control, and is unable to make a decision on how he should act, then he needs medical help.

I would hate to think if I began to act out of character, I mean really out of character, that someone wouldn't fight for me to find out what was wrong.

Or, he could just be a gigantic asshole.

I don't have enough information to have an opinion on him specifically.

BTW, no actor has ever influenced my life, based on parts they played.. That would say something very said about me if I could be influenced that easily by someone, who by the definition of their profession, is Acting.

I don't feel betrayed.
Jesus Christ, the man is just another human.

Well, the bigotry, and arrogance, and sexism, and bad temper, first publicly surfaced with his arrest in 2006. So this isn't as though the man suddenly "snapped". With the current tapes, we just got to hear even more ethnic and racial slurs and demeaning terms for women. Plus threats of violence like, "I need to take a f__king bat to the side of your head".

What's interesting is that you don't hear people in Hollywood, people who really know him, defending the man and insisting that he is acting out of character. Perhaps this is the real Mel Gibson, or at least an aspect of Gibson that's been known for some time.

After his 2006 arrest, and anti-Semitic and sexist rant, Gibson said, "I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life". I think it is safe to assume that he is still losing that battle. He is an alcoholic, and long time drinking takes a toll on the brain. Rages may increase, impulsivity increases, self control and judgment decrease. But that doesn't mean he suddenly turns into an arrogant, anti-Semitic, racist who is contemptuous of women. That has to be a part of him, perhaps a part he has increasing difficulty keeping hidden, particularly when he's drinking.

And, since the 2006 arrest, Gibson's marriage collapsed, due to his infidelity, and his career has suffered because of his previous bigoted comments about Jews. He's acted in only one movie in the past 8 years ("Edge of Darkness") and it was a flop. He's been self-financing the movies he directs and produces, but this current avalanche of bad publicity will make it almost impossible for him to get anyone to star in them or distribute them. His agent just dropped him, and no other agency will pick him up, nor would any studio want to sign him. And now he's involved in a custody battle and domestic violence allegations with his girlfriend. All of this stress, over the past few years, might well have increased his drinking behavior and everything that would go along with that.

I don't generally care what celebrities think about anything. But when someone rants about Jews, Blacks, Latinos, and women, in a highly offensive manner, I do pay attention. And when a well known man hits a woman, and threatens to kill her, I do pay attention. And, since that person is acting in a way that is harmful, and quite contrary to my values, I do not want to see their movies, I do not want to support them or contribute to their income.

Gibson obviously needs help. He's not incompetent, he's capable of getting himself help. His life has crumbled around him. Perhaps the release of these tapes, and the reaction to them, will jolt him enough to propel him to get help. Even more of his dirty laundry is going to come out in his legal battles with his girlfriend. Perhaps that will do it. At some point he will hit bottom and go crawling for help. He's got to want the help. No one can do that part for him.

For his sake, I hope he can eventually get his personal life together. I really think his Hollywood career is over. He's just offended too many different groups of people.

For now, this is like watching a train wreck.