It’s only taken him just under a week, but Mel Gibson has finally bit the bullet and acknowledged what was obvious to everyone in the world who read the filth he uttered during his DUI arrest–that he’s spouted offensive anti-Semitic slurs. You’ve got to know it’s serious when a serial anti-Semite actually fesses up to his hate. Gibson must see his career hanging in the balance if he does anything less. But is it sincere?
“There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark,” Gibson said in a statement.
“I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said…I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena.”
“I’m not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing,” Gibson said.
He said he has begun “an ongoing program of recovery,” but admitted “I cannot do it alone.”
“I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery,” Gibson said.
I’m troubled by the italicized remark. In it, he seems to say that his remarks were the fruit of insanity. In other words, they were not something he owned, but rather “the devil made me do it” to quote Nipsy Russell (I think). He’s got to do better than that. You said it, now own it. If you don’t, you’re repentance isn’t worth crap.
Why his original “apology” didn’t contain a specific reference to the group his tirade most offended is open to question. Perhaps he’s a denier just as his father is a Holocaust denier. He’s sworn up and down that he isn’t an anti-Semite; just like the white folks who murdered Goodman, Schwerner and Cheney in Mississippi didn’t hate Blacks.
In Jewish tradition, when someone comes to you and asks for your forgiveness for an offense they’ve committed against you you’re obligated to listen. So Jewish leaders must hear the man out. But the tradition also insists that the teshuvah must be sincere and that if it is not, then you are under no obligation to accept the apology.
If I were in such a meeting I wouldn’t let this jackass off easy. First, let’s hear him admit that he spoke anti-Semitic remarks. Ask him why he said them. Ask him what he believes about Jews. Ask him if he’s willing to take serious lessons on Jewish history from reputable rabbinic or academic sources so he knows a little more about the people he so blithely hates. Let him give tzedakah to support efforts to fight anti-Semitism. And not token gifts, but substantial ones. Let him endow a Jewish studies chair at UCLA or some other university.
If he does all this and doesn’t raise any red flags in the process, then perhaps he might be worthy of forgiveness. But given the man’s clear ability to deny his worst & most offensive behavior, including his alcoholism, I’d be very skeptical. A man who’s been raised in the mire of anti-Semitism as he must’ve been by his father doesn’t change his stripes overnight. Teshuvah for a man like this is a gradual process. Let’s see how serious he really is about doing something about it.
The NY Times interviewed Marvin Hier (someone whose views I usually detest) who said much the same thing:
Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center here, also offered to meet with Mr. Gibson, but cautioned in a statement that, like substance abuse and alcoholism, anti-Semitism “cannot be cured in one day and certainly not through a press release.”
I hate to say it but Gibson’s request to meet with Jewish leadership strikes me more as a PR ploy than a sincere effort. It’s something he must do to save his career. Not something he wants to do from the bottom of his heart. It’s something his advisors have argued him into doing. But who knows, maybe the power of teshuva will work miracles on his mind and soul.
blurted out in a moment of insanity
Insanity in this case may be xAnonymous program-speak for “something I did under the influence of my substance-of-choice”, so he may have been told to do this by someone in the Program. Then again, he may have been advised to make amends and then chosen this route as a PR ploy. Who knows?
The man has apologized. He has reached out to the Jewish community to help him through this. And you want him to go through all this crap.
Listen to what you are asking for!!!!
That part sounds reasonable. But then you go furthter.
Sounds to me like you are exacting your “pound of flesh”.
You are so clueless you don’t realize that the reference to “pound of flesh” harkens back to the anti-Semitic Shakespearean portrayal of Shylock in Merchant of Venice. Seems those who sympathize with anti-Semites just don’t get how their defense can be deeply insensitive.
If I offend someone deeply and truly wish to do teshuvah for what I’ve done I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make amends. I don’t sit and weigh whether what the offended party asks of me is taking a “pound of flesh” from me.
I didn’t spout anti-Semitism. He did. If he wants to make amends he’ll do whatever it takes to do so. If not, he won’t & he & his career can go to Hell as far as I’m concerned. You might want to write to him & encourage him to stand tall against Jewish blackmail or whatever calumny you’d choose to use to describe this. Then I’ll be comfortable knowing that he’ll be joining all the other anti-Semites in history when he finally descends to the Other Place.
Oh & by the way, I don’t care a whit what you think of me or my comments about Mel Gibson.
Actually, I was very well aware of the origin of the “pound of flesh” quote. That is precisely why I used it. But then again, I know next to nothing about anti-Semitism. Gibson has offered an apology (sincere? not for me to decide), yet it seems the Jewish community – or at least the ADL – wants much more from him (i.e. the pound of flesh). You yourself are talking about a substantial charitable giving and an endowment to UCLA. Even then, you are not sure he would be worthy of forgiveness.
As far as his career goes, I don’t think he is in any real danger. Most people are pretty forgiving. If they believe Gibson is sincere, this event will be forgotten.
I have been reading your blog for some time, and I always found it informative, even though I don’t always agree with your point of view. I know you don’t care a whit of what I or anyone else thinks of you, and thats fine. But I must say, I find you to be a very angry and implacable person. I don’t deny that Gibosn holds anti-Semetic views, but lumping him in there with Hitler is way overboard. I think your views of him and Opus Dei seem pretty darn hateful as well. Sounds like a double-standard to me.
If you knew the origin of the phrase and used it deliberately that makes you an insensitive boor. I find the phrase offensive. Don’t use it again here, period.
And you possess this special knowledge how? Or am I supposed to trust the judgment of a defender of an anti-Semite?
When it comes to injustice or anti-Semitism, you bet I am. I have nothing to apologize for there. My people have been killed in oh so many ways by anti-Semites like Mel Gibson for millenia. Oh sure he hasn’t killed anyone you’ll argue. But I have no doubt that were he alive in Kishniev in 1903 he would’ve been right there with the Cossacks killing Jews.
I don’t have any tolerance for it. Besides, Mel Gibson is a man of the world who presumably has intelligence and education. He should know better. I cannot forgive statements like the ones he made given the gifts & background he has. It’s inexcusable.
I did not always hate Mel Gibson as I wrote in my first post about his arrest. I quite admired his creative talent & saw a good number of his movies. But I hate him now for his views about Jews, Judaism & Jewish history. The idea that he once intended to play Judah Maccabee & make a film about him is utterly preposterous.
As for Opus Dei, they are one helluva right-wing reactionary group. In case, you weren’t aware, I’m not a right-wing reactionary. I tend to dislike those who’d like to take the world (or at least the Roman Catholic part of it) back a century or two.
Your statement
“But I have no doubt that were he alive in Kishniev in 1903 he would’ve been right there with the Cossacks killing Jews.”
No disagreement there. Bu what about Naveed Haq? It just sounds like your rage is very selective.
No, Jake. Have you read what I’ve written about Naveed Haq? It’s an entirely diff. case. He is profoundly mentally ill. He’s had serious bipolar disorder for at least 10 years.
Mel Gibson too has had bipolar disorder or so I hear. But no one I’ve heard has ever claimed that his illness made him an anti-Semite. Besides, Gibson’s anti-Semitism clearly derives at least in major part fr. his father, who appears to have taught his son to hate.
Naveed Haq’s parents have never done so to their son. Haq’s father personally delivered a letter to the local Richland, WA synagogue expressing his shame & remorse for his son’s acts. Plus, the family had the letter hand delivered at the Waechter funeral by a Muslim friend who attended. These are acts of contrition that Mel Gibson never attempted. Never even contemplated I’m sure.
When sinners express remorse for their sins (or even those of their children), as Jews we are commanded to take such acts of teshuva extremely seriously. That is why the parents of two of the victims have told the Seattle papers that they harbor no hate or wish for vengenace against Haq.
I certainly wouldn’t deny that Haq expressed anti-Semitic sentiments or that he is a violent killer. But he’s a mentally ill individual who committed those acts. I can’t muster the same sympathy for Mel Gibson because I don’t believe any expressions of remorse which he’s put forward so far. They strike me as self-serving rather than sincere.
Wrath is a deadly sin. Looks like you are going to hell because you can’t see past your hate… Poor little word jockey.
Btw, telling someone not to use a quote from Shakespeare because it doesn’t fit in with what your point of view is, is not much different than the reason Hitler was burning books. Looks like you have much in common with him
Actually, injustice & anti-Semitism are more deadly sins to me than wrath. And besides, Mel Gibson has a great deal of wrath against Jews it appears. So you should be ministering to him before bothering with this Jew. BTW, wrath is not a deadly sin & we Jews don’t believe in deadly sins. So nice try. But yr propaganda won’t work here.