I was just tempted to start this topic because Bill Maher brought it up on Leno tonight. It was amazing - Bill came right out and said "I am not a big fan of religion. Anybody who thinks they’re absolutely sure about what happens after death is dangerous," and so on… This is by far the most anti-religious statement I’ve ever heard on national TV. Go Bill!
He went on, explaining how religion can actually hurt society when it comes to things like stem cell research.
Bill Maher should be CFI’s first comedy fellow.
Anyway, if anyone has anything to say about Mel’s classic commentary on Judaism, rant away!
I missed that, but yes, kudos to Bill Maher. Frankly Mel Gibson’s rant didn’t surprise me at all given his family history and recent Jesus film. Also odd that he allowed himself to get raging drunk and arrested.
And now we all know who owns Malibu… I had been wondering.
Bill Maher also made a great point when he said that the worst part is Gibson coming out and trying to apologize. After all, “we’re more honest when we’re drunk,” as Maher indicated. Alcohol has no anti-Semitic effect, last I checked…
I never saw Passion of the Christ but I did see Signs, the M. Night Shamalan (sp?) film that Gibson starred in, and it was quite possibly the worst film I can remember. I did learn, however, that the two things to do when evil aliens invade are (1) head for water, and (2) keep my faith in God, if only because it seems to repel the aliens somewhat.
Take it from someone who knows - alcohol does nothing to change anyone into someone he or she is not.
It does two things, it dissolves conscience and operates as a rapid and effective veneer stripper.
A person who speaks while drunk is the very same person who speaks while sober except that while sober his conscience is in place operating and a civilized veneer covers his warts.
Jim
Once in college I had a few too many and came up to a friend of mine (a “friend” whom I got along with, but he did a lot of things that annoyed me) and shouted at him how much he bugged me and how passive-aggressive he was, etc, etc. I have no recollection of doing so, but was told the next day by many credible witnesses. I apologized to him and played the drunk card, but deep down I know where the outburst came from. Alcohol merely removes the inhibitions we have in dealing with people.
[quote author=“jimmiekeyes”]Take it from someone who knows - alcohol does nothing to change anyone into someone he or she is not.
It does two things, it dissolves conscience and operates as a rapid and effective veneer stripper.
A person who speaks while drunk is the very same person who speaks while sober except that while sober his conscience is in place operating and a civilized veneer covers his warts.
Jim
... or as they used to say in Rome, “In Vino Veritas”.
[quote author=“HolyAvenger”]I never saw Passion of the Christ but I did see Signs, the M. Night Shamalan (sp?) film that Gibson starred in, and it was quite possibly the worst film I can remember.
This was ‘way before Mel’s Malibu outburst, but I was sooo excited about the film “Signs,” and it turned out to be such a dud. I had liked Mel as the Road Warrior, and his other roles… but that’s just acting. Sigh. But I never did see the Passion of the you-know-what—except for the outtakes in The God Who Wasn’t There http://www.thegodmovie.com/
after which I was thoroughly, blissfully happy that I had missed it.
Our society venerates actors the way previous ones had great respect for monarchies. Maybe once in awhile one of them has a good idea, or supports a cause I respect—but they are really just fallible humans, who make an embarrassing amount of money for what they do for a living. :?
Yeah, we expect actors to be the like the characters they play—heroic figures who always know the right thing to do or say—and it comes as a shock to discover that without a script in front of them, they are just as stupid as we are!
BTW, I liked Mel’s earlier movies like Beyond Thunderdome and Bird on a Wire, but I think my all-time favorite is his rendition of Hamlet! Anyone else see that?
No, I like it when the public gets a cold dose of “celebrities are actual people with faults” medicine. It helps to mitigate our obsession and adoration of those in the sports / entertainment / music industry when some of them prove to be less-than-stellar human beings.
Honestly, if we weren’t so obsessed with athletes, actors and other celebrities, this would really be a non-issue. In a way, when we scoff and laugh at a celebrity’s faults or downfall, we really out to be laughing at ourselves for caring in the first place. WE elevated them to that status; Mel wasn’t born into public scrutiny.
They should be able to say whatever they want to say, and we’ll be all the more wise for it, by recognizing what culture’s icon’s are REALLY like. This would help curb the over-marketing and packaging of superstars.
In the end, people tend to buy trash in equal volume as they buy great art, if not much more (Paris Hilton, anyone? We all know what she’s “really” like and yet millions have watched her TV show, buy her album, and follow her personal life). Our preferences for entertainment are strange, indeed.
I like the fact that we have the behavior of these icons of culture to compare, dissect, discuss. For example, when I didn’t have a TV and didn’t know who “Nick and Jessica” were, I didn’t understand the conversations my classmates and friends were having about Jessica’s assumed lack of intelligence. But one can learn a lot from that kind of conversation (say, for example, in a women’s studies class). Or how about a discussion of cultural concepts of race—if I ask if Michael Jackson is still black, I hope that everyone knows who MJ is. (If I ask about Tracie Ellis Ross, I assume fewer know who she is.) But it’s useful to have this kind of knowledge. I mean, we couldn’t have this conversation if we didn’t have some idea of Mel’s crazy background, and the more we know, the better we’re able to guess at his reasons for acting the way he did. And that’s worth discussing, even if only a little, because we learn something useful. It’s like being armchair psychologists and being able to throw the same person on the couch in front of lots of people.
Okay, it’s a little early for my brain to be functioning, so I’m going to end there…
