Frank Rich, (Jewish) “Jew York Times” columnist, of whom Mel Gibson once said to The New Yorker “I want to kill him…I want his intestines on a stick…I want to kill his dog” has an op-ed (largely jeering) this week on Mel’s six-year collapse since the release of The Passion of the Christ. It was Rich’s comments about that very film that elicited Gibson’s threats of canine violence, so one can only imagine what this latest bit of Gibson-baiting will bring on him. Probably a threat against his cat. You might know Mel, that old action-star dinosaur of yesteryear, has come back into public focus since he followed up on his latest starring role in a movie (Edge of Darkness) by insulting his Russian singer girlfriend, with numerous epithets, including put downs of women, blacks, and Latinos, at one point suggesting that the provocative way she dressed would get her “gang-raped” by a bunch of a word I refuse to repeat, but starts with “n” and cost Kramer from Seinfeld all of the good will he had remaining from that show.
Do not heckle this man if you are black.
Over at trueslant.com, meanwhile, contributor Ethan Epstein (who, based on his profile picture, is clearly part of the hipster demographic) argued for Sympathy for Mel Gibson and decried the “elite media” for attacking Mel, not just now but six years ago. Epstein also to time to psychologically dissect the tapes to provide evidence that they demonstrate a man truly in pain over his relationship, which the cruel vicious media is now exploiting over a few, admittedly indefensible, vulgarities. Epstein actually opens the article by favorably comparing Gibson to Jesus. For let us not forget the time when Jesus was recorded saying Mary Magadelene dressed like a slut and suggesting that she would be gangraped by racial minorities for it, and the Pharisees totally blew it way of proportion. Ironically, Epstein also says of other columnists’ comments on Mel’s tirade that they have been “have been comically, preposterously bad.” Of course, by his own admission, Epstein has never actually watched Passion of the Christ so he can’t be sure if the elite media’s summary of the “fine actor’s” movie is accurate (*spoiler alert* It is), but this is beside the point. The question is not whether or not Gibson’s critics have valid reason reasons for attacking him or not, it’s whether or not they’re horrible immoral cretins for attacking at all. Especially you, Frank Rich. You criticized the guy’s movie and he offhandedly remarked that he’d like to kill and disembowel you, as well as your non-existent dog, but you’re the real bad guy here, because Mel is a private person. Just one who frequently shares his personal feelings with the media on a fairly regular basis.
Still, there’s one thing to take heart in about all this. I mentioned three groups earlier that Mel targeted when putting down his girlfriend: women, Latinos, and blacks. There’s one group you’d expect to see there that you didn’t: the Jews. Ever since his drunken traffic stop in 2006 (and arguably since just before Passion came out) Mel’s been frequently associated with anti-Semitism. It looks like all that help from the rabbis paid off.
Mazel tov, Mel!
