I think the furor over Mel Gibson's drunken, anti-Semitic tirade brings up a host of interesting questions. How much do the beliefs of musicians, actors, etc. matter when it comes to consuming their product? I have no doubt that some of my favorites believe stupid and/or offensive things. They might not say them publicly, but isn't the problem the belief itself? After all, that's part of why people have jumped all over Gibson. They feel like they have been deceived for years and it took alcohol and an arrest to reveal what he really thought. Where does freedom enter into the equation? It may be reprehensible, but we should be careful not to create an environment hostile to free speech.

Then there's the question of punishment and rehabilitation. Rob Schneider has declared a Gibson boycott, that he would never work with Gibson no matter what 1 . On the one hand, it's understandable that he wouldn't want to associate with someone who believes such things. On the other hand, if most of Hollywood behaved the same way and marginalized him, Gibson would see no point in attempting to change his ways. I don't care about Mel Gibson or about this relatively minor incident that has become national news, but it does provoke some interesting questions.

¶ 1344 Posted at 12.51 PM ⇒ No Comments ( deep thoughts | media )