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Originally Posted by ottopilot
A tale of two racists.
Mel Gibson was apparently raised by a father that is openly and adamantly antisemitic. However, Mel Gibson's long standing public image and body of work do not reflect racist or antisemitic tendencies. He also struggles with alcoholism and on occasion has revealed the deep seeded programming of his childhood. He is a racist like a recovering alcoholic is still an alcoholic. Unfortunately for Mr. Gibson, he is both. Although his life's work, circle of friends, and documented public life showed no indication of racism until his arrests for drunkenness and statements made with abusive behavior toward the police, he was attacked and immediately labeled as a racist in the media. This will always be with him. He may have occasionally stumbled and revealed his demons in his life, but he at least tries to rise and be a better person. We should expect behavior that strives for redemption, a conscious attempt to be "better" from someone with such an upbringing.
We all know of Rev. Wright's upbringing as a black child into manhood, his service to his country in the Marines, and the good things he has done for his community. But he does not try to come together with non-blacks, he openly and without apology preaches racial hatred, stereotypes, and racially based anti-American rhetoric. Regardless of his heritage and past life, he intellectually chooses to perpetuate racism and the culture of victimization for opportunity. The hypocrisy is when we coddle these excuses and express understanding for such unadulterated continued hatred. There is no attempt at redemption or reconciliation in the actions of Rev. Wright.
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The accusations of anti-semitism leveled against Mel Gibson did not originate from his 2006 drunk driving incident. They go as far back as 2004 when he released
The Passion of the Christ and many Jewish groups were upset over what they viewed as an anti-semitic portrayal of Jews in the movie. His arrest only reinforced what those groups thought of him in the first place. These accusations id not stick, and many newspapers reported that the controversy surrounding his DUI arrest
boosted ticket sales for his movie Apocalypto which opened while this controversy was still brewing. Somehow, I doubt his slurred slurs has had any lasting impact on this man.
I don't know what you're trying to pull, because I can't see how you can compare Mel Gibson to Jeremiah Wright aside from the fact that both men took a boatload of heat for their comments. If you're trying to turn this into some sort of double standard where the careers of white people are ruined if they say something racist while the careers of black people are unaffected when do the same, it's destined for failure.
Please explain the point you're trying to prove by comparing a Hollywood actor to a community preacher.