Mel Gibson Proves Alcohol Makes Him Dumb

The huge kerfuffle over Mel Gibson’s drunk driving arrest (to say nothing of the hysteria among the media over his alleged remarks that were allegedly anti-Semitic) says more about the condition of the culture than it does about Mr. Gibson. Were he not a mega-star in Hollywood, it would have been just another arrest along a Malibu street of a loud-mouthed drunk. It might have made the “police blotter” column in a free weekly, but it wouldn’t have been a global story. The real question, though, is who cares what Mr. Gibson says when he’s had too much tequila?

Anti-Semitism, like all prejudices, is plain stupid. Mr. Gibson is alleged to have said the “fucking Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” It is demonstrably untrue; e.g., modern Darfur, Sri Lanka and Colombia, as well as the Spanish and Austrian Wars of Succession, Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, and the Peloponnesian War. Not even the sharpest of eyes could discern a Jewish influence in these wars. If Mr. Gibson engaged in such remarks, he only proves that he doesn’t think well when he’s drunk (and probably poorly informed about various matters when sober). Driving while tequila-soaked might be taken as additional proof – surely such a fellow could afford a cab home.

However, there is the entire history of the 1930s and 1940s that make these remarks serious in the minds of some. One can argue, cogently, that the latent anti-Semitism that spilled out with the tequila is a forerunner of the kind of race-hatred that ends at the crematorium in Auschwitz. If Mr. Gibson really believes that the Hebrews are an evil race, the argument goes, it may only be a matter of time before he starts preaching such ideas. Some have taken his portrayal of the Jewish priests in “Passion of the Christ” as hate-filled and suggest his theme was to raise the sad and untrue charge of “Christ-killers” again. A careful viewing of the film, though, leads the thoughtful viewer to believe that the real message was “don’t piss off the Romans.”

That said, one must consider the source – a drunk actor. For heaven’s sake, the man is famous for saying words on camera that aren’t even his own, feeling rather than thinking. His roles rarely required much historical research, so his work has not given him any appreciable understanding of great political events, the history of various cultures and their interplay during that history. “Braveheart” may give him some standing to discuss Scottish history, but “Lethal Weapon” and its sequels make him an authority on nothing at all.

It is an unfortunate feature of democracy that people believe everyone’s opinion matters, no matter how ill-informed. Mr. Gibson, as a graduate of the [Australian] National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, is no expert on much that isn’t acting- and movie-related. So when he talks about something other than thespian matters (where he can always wave an Oscar around), he’s just another drunk in the bar. Shame on Mr. Gibson for allegedly saying what he allegedly said, and shame on the world for caring.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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