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Mel Gibson releases new statement, reaching out to Jews »
Posted by: Karina 2 years, 2 months ago"I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed."
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Karina
Karina Longworth blogs about film at Spout.com. She co-founded the film blog Cinematical in March 2005, whilst simultaneously completing an MA in Cinema Studies ...
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Comments: 251
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garbow1
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:11 p.m.Anti-semite and homophobe...nice guy.
Suddenly finds contrition when it appears the money he makes is threatened.
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pulsebreak
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:14 p.m.I guess I don't know what to say exactly. In the time that Mels been alive, and the short time I've been around, biggotry has followed us everywhere. In the scools, on TV and at the dinner table. Despite his "Passion" project, and his comments, I'm sure it just slipped out, like acorns falling from a tree. He didn't put the acorns there, they occured naturally. So, if there's a way to breed hate out of people, I say we do it. Maybe that's why we have stem cell research! (ha ha)
Poor Mel. I'm Jewish and I could care less. It just sucks that a majority or Rich and Famous people are naturally ******s. If that's what it takes to be successful, then maybe its not such a good idea to follow that path after all. Either way, his ticket to hell is bought an paid for. Good luck Mel.
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Montana43
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:17 p.m.Well. Considering I am a Mel Gibson fan, I must applaud his apology to the Jewish Community. I think it took a lot of courage to apologize publicly. He has proven that booze can
twist your personality in unimagineable ways. I hope he gets the help he seeks, and that He has not damaged his popularity,
and the overall opinion of the public toward the jewish people. There are those who will see this as more reason to dislike jews. I hope that is never the case, ever! He is very popular, and could have influenced public opinion negatively.
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frankieb
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:18 p.m.i got busted for drunk driving twice. i said a lot of stupid things too. i was doing more than just alcohol. i wonder if mel was too.the bad news i got busted twice, the good news,i haven't drank alcohol in 18 years.
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bronk
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:18 p.m.Who has not made a mistake. We are all human and not free of sin. Forgive we shall.
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Montana43
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:20 p.m.Pulsebreak.. Oh my.. where did that come from. What a tragic
sentiment!
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mattiekats
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:28 p.m.Good for him. It is a rarity that any celebrity appologizes for their actions publicly.
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Prairieghost
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:29 p.m.That is the first truly intelligent thing I've heard Mel Gibson saying in a long time. I lost a great deal of respect for him the day I read an article in which he said, that he loves his wife dearly, that she is a wonderful woman, and that it makes him sad to know she's going to miss out on Heaven anyway because she's a Protestant instead of a Catholic. This statement gives me a little more respect for him, as I doubt he's doing this to save his career, seeing as how his work wasn't really aimed at any demographic other than his own anyway. Perhaps he truly wishes to make amends and heal, as he put it. In such a case, I wish him the best, and commend him for being enough of a man to have the guts to apologize publicly and admit his flaws and mistakes.
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PINTO
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:29 p.m.Im not one to believe conspiricy theores but I like to make a game out of creating them.
Hows this one; the Jewish people who dominate Hollywood (thats not being a biggot, thats the truth, and im fine with them running it) were really mad a couple years back when he made the Passion, he was being accused of being anit-semestic etc etc........
Maybe, just maybe the Jewish hollywood types wanted to find a way to black list ol Mel but couldnt do it cause hes a pretty powerful guy in the wood. So they get some cops to arrest him for drunk driving and then make some stuff up about him saying anti-semestic remarks!!!! hows that? no!? ok fine well it sounds more fun that way.
Mels a funny guy, could you just picture him stumbling around talking about "the jews" for no reason. its pretty pathetic and funny
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PINTO
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:34 p.m.Mattiekats: Are you joking? they apologize constantly for garbage that normal people do every day of there lives. someone says "tar baby" in a completely no racial way and theyre on tv the next day "profoundly sorry" for the "horrible mistake they made."
They do it to save there career. Im not faulting them for it, you do what u gotta do. But to say they dont apologize is absurd
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CapnBubba55
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:38 p.m.He screwed up...He apologized..He didn't do harm to anyone..Let it go America, will ya.
There is frankly some truth to what he said and that's not being antiSemetic it's being factual.
We all bite our tongues all of the time and don't speak all of what we feel UNLESS there are situations like happened to Mel. He had too much to drink. He, like a lot of people that get drunk, might have said things that were designed to hurt. Whether he believed them to be true or not is not the point.
I'd ask anyone reading this to check your memory and see if too much alcohol has ever made you do things that might have been foolish and that you had to eat crow over for awhile.
As far as hollywood trying to cut him off....go ahead. I dare ya. If they try to boycott him I will (and I suspect others also) will go see any movie he makes just to fight the power brokers in tinsletown.
Barbara Walters won't go see his movies now...who give s a damn?
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djfriendly
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:42 p.m.ok. jeez! it's all right; i forgive you. "should not be tolerated" is just heavy guilt rhetoric that our society promotes to excuse ourselves from emotions we can't face to be our own. EVERYONE has fears, misguided beliefs, prejudices locked inside. alcohol & substances bring this stuff to the mouth. depending on the context, setting, etc. this can be a good thing and show you where you're not perfect or need some work accepting yourself or others. othertimes it can get you nailed to a wall. i am a jew & have had thoughts that seem abhorrent to me. i also have had substance issues, emotional problems, etc.
"should not be tolerated" in this context is a bit harsh. this concept is (and leads to more) intolerance. i would replace mel's phrase with "should be explored". we "should" work on finding the sources of these preconscious chimeras and being gentle with ourselves. we all might do well to stop making public hooha out of this stuff and let or help people sort this stuff ou
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grigorianvlad
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:42 p.m.It takes a lot of moxy (or PR people on your payrol) to apologize the way he did. He did not just said "I am sorry, let’s move on now". He basically wants to be educated by the people his inner ego hates. Is he gonna go to a local synagog and ask them to exlain where this hatret comes from and how to mend it because any hate is wrong? Who knows. But the intention itself is astounding. A lot of people would just publicly apologized and that would be it. Way to go, Mell. We are our own enemies. You are not letting that enemy take over!
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hellcattin
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:47 p.m.Who cares what he said. This is American. He has feedom of speech just like everyone else. I'm sure his career won't suffer to terribly.
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san619diego
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:48 p.m.We all have faults, "Whats yours, Those who are quick to point a finger usullay have something to hide themselves, pointing out others faults(to degrade) makes them feel not so bad??!!"
- We all strive for good, sometimes we miss the mark, what makes us all victorious is WE KEEP TRYING... IF YOU HAVE MISS THE MARK TO SAY TO YOU "KEEP TRYING, IT WILL PAY OFF IN THE END...
san619diego@sbcglobal.net
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CapnBubba55
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:48 p.m.I wish he would just let it go. He has 400 million dollars, has donated millions and done many thoughful and good deeds. He used his own $$$ to make the "Passion" when hollywood baled out on him and threatened him with "anti-semitism" because they didn't like the content of the movie (long before they even saw it coincidentally). He said to Hell with ya and used his own $$ and they told him he would lose millions. Well that didn't work out for the critics did it?
No....Mel...just take the family, buy your own island and relax and enjoy.
You haven't had friends in hollywood for some time anyway Bro.
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Pearl
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:51 p.m.Alcohol doesnt make you say anything that you don't already believe. It just loosens your lips. I got that straight from a 20 year AA veteran.
Gibson's apology is a joke. An attempt to squash what we knew about him before this. He's not a man trying to make amends...he's a lowlife biggot that wants more movie funding.
He was raised by his Nazi Father who said the Holocaust was a bunch of bunk. Now he is a second generation Nazi.
I'd like him to sit in my parents living room (if he can stand to be around Jews that long) and listen to what the Nazi's did to them, their siblings and Parents that were nuked in the gas chambers after they were tortured.
If he was attacking Hispanics, African Americans, Italians, Mexicans or whatever YOUR ethnicity I doubt you'd take this all so lightly.
I hope after his 'rehabilitation' his tongue falls out and he disappears from the planet.
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Gatsby
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:58 p.m.It's easy to apoligize when your professional life is on the line and I'm not buying it. Mel Gibson's always been an arrogant ass. He's only trying to save his career - and who can blame him for that? But where's apology to the gay communty? He offended it in nthe past - and he was sober. I haven't been to a Mel Gibson movie in years. I don't plan to start back.
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CapnBubba55
Aug. 1, 2006, 3:59 p.m.Pearl, Pearl, Pearl......
I think his father is an idiot. Anyone who disputes the holocaust is surely a fool.
If his apology is not sincere, please tell me why he made it?
He doesn't need any "movie funding" as he's already shown Ma'am. (Passion of the Christ)
As far "if he was attacking Hispanics or African Americans"..yada yada yada, I actually would take it as lightly as I'm taking this because everyone is too damn thin skinned these days.
Political correctness has taken over the country and turned everyone into a bunch of overly-sensitive whiners.
And finally Ma'am....having had experience with a drinking problem I can tell you AGAIN that drunks frequently say things designed to hurt and their true feeling aren't always a part of the equation.
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Alotacents
Aug. 1, 2006, 4:02 p.m.too much money, too big a ego and too many yes men in Hollywood have made him crazy, i mean have you real watched his last few films hes not right. once the words are said they can't be taken back so easy. prehaps he will make a film about it. i would by that for a dollar
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freeway6
Aug. 1, 2006, 4:06 p.m.i know mel isn't the only one of us who ever got drunk and said some crazy stuff. let it go america.
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