Gibson's Problem

Drudge has the most recent apology from Mel Gibson.
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There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of Anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge.

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. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words.

The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God’s child, and if I wish to honor my God I have to honor his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.

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.

I have begun an ongoing program of recovery and what I am now realizing is that I cannot do it alone. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery. Again, 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.

This is not about a film. Nor is it about artistic license. This is about real life and recognizing the consequences hurtful words can have. It’s about existing in harmony in a world that seems to have gone mad.

I think Gibson is sincere.

He's not dodging the issue of his anti-Semitism. He's not looking for excuses. He's taking personal responsibility.

I really don't think this is a self-serving effort at damage control.

The guy has enough money to never work again. His statement can't be seen as a desperate attempt to salvage his career.

I think it's a genuine reflection of his recognition of his serious personal problems.

I give him credit for that.

But Gibson could apologize from here to eternity and it won't matter to some.

While most moviegoers will forgive him eventually, he will never live this down.

I think the consequences of Gibson's meltdown will be akin to Jane Fonda's implosion.

Fonda has never been able to live down cozying up to the enemy in Vietnam. There's no question that her anti-American romp will always be the albatross around her neck.

Still, she went on to have a successful career, win another Academy Award, etc.

I think Gibson finds himself in the same boat. I suspect moviegoers will forgive him and let this incident go if he manages to put out quality work.

Nonetheless, as in Hanoi Jane's case, there's no doubt that there will be a group choosing to boycott Gibson for life.

That's their prerogative.

An important difference between Gibson and Fonda:

Gibson knows what he did and said was terribly wrong. He has apologized. He did so immediately.

Unlike Gibson, it took ages for Fonda to acknowledge that her behavior was offensive. Over the years, Fonda has only partially apologized. She's talked about her poor judgment and her regrets for causing pain to our troops, but she hasn't made any apologies for her belief that what our troops were doing in Vietnam was wrong.

I think Gibson can reform because he genuinely appears to want to change.

Fonda, on the other hand, wants to be forgiven without changing.