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

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.

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

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.

California
Although California is a two-party state, it is also legal to record a conversation if you include a beep on the recorder and for the parties to hear.

California prohibits telephone monitoring or recording, including the use of information obtained through interception unless all parties to the conversation consent (California Penal Code Sections 631 & 632). There is no statutory business telephone exception and the relevant case law all but excludes this possibility. California courts have recognized "implied" consent as being sufficient to satisfy the statute where one party has expressly agreed to the taping and the other continues the conversation after having been informed that the call is being recorded. Violation is punishable by a fine of up to $2,500, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. A civil plaintiff may recover the greater of $3,000 or three times the amount of any actual damages sustained.
http://www.callcorder.com/phone-recording-law-america.htm#Evidentiary Issues

I'll go along with Whoopi's opinion that Mel is a bonehead. We all know his track record of alcoholism.
I don't think that is an excuse for bad behavior, although hopefully this will motivate him to actually do something
about the problem,


admittedly too late to save his career.

Yes, he's wealthy, but forever disgraced.

Which is obviously why the tape went straight to the press.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,

and this one knew exactly what she was doing.
Payback?

He's very emotional.

I''ll go along with Whoopi's opinion that Mel is a bonehead. We all know his track record of alcoholism.
I don't think that is an excuse for bad behavior, although hopefully this will motivate him to actually do something about the problem, admittedly too late to save his career.
It seems a bit over the top to label someone as racist on the basis of the information given by the dirty laundry department of the press. Most of us have our own issues with prejudice to deal with, and that is quite different than being racist. Untreated alcoholism coupled with issues of prejudice can produce some very ugly behaviors, but that doesn't necessarily constitute racism. Whoopi Goldberg obviously has a good reason to stand up for Mel, she doesn't need the money or the press.
One thing is certain, we will never know the whole story of the incident, or much else about the personal lives of Mel and his ex-wife other than what the laundry hangers decide suits thier purpose best ( making $ ).

chai2 wrote:

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

Just as much business as it is yours to wonder if it's our business, I guess. <shrug>

(I don't know why we should care what anyone thinks, you, him or me)

But I heard that the police want to review them anyway. Gibson does threaten her on those tapes. She does have reason to be frightened of him.

chai2:

Quote:

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.

A bold statement.

I don't think it's necessarily"sad" if some actor has some influence over a person. I think it's natural. A couple of for instances...


So I don't think it's "sad" if someone is influenced by an actor. I think it's sad if someone thinks themselves so above or immune to any such influence, that they think others "sad" for being influenced.

Quote:

And **** like this should be exposed. I'm glad she exposed it.

So she exposed it.

Now what?


From what I can recall, you really like Bruce Springsteen. What if Springsteen, despite his public persona, actually has an aspect to his personality that you find repulsive and disgusting?
What if the man goes to his grave, and you and the general public never learn of this?
You would still laud him as a great man, even though he may very well have some deep dark perversion, which he keeps well hidden.

You would have been admiring a lie.

I would venture a guess that ALL of us admire someone who, if we knew the whole truth, would change our minds.

How you you feel if Gibson was hospitalized over something unrelated to this, and in the course of his stay, it was discovered he was suffering from a lack of vitamin anti-wacko?
That's fixed, and there's a big push to have everyone who acts in any sort of rage to be diagnosed for this deficiency. Mel is the poster child for the sufferer of "Gibson Syndrome"

What people are upset about is his actions. They just want him to control his actions.
We all know racists, we don't realize they are, but there you go.

We (the general we) don't care if someone is a racist....as long as they keep it to themselves and never act out on it.

Again, he may be a asshole evil ****, or, sick with something that can be helped, even if he doesn't feel he needs it.