Volume 4 No 2 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

2012] ANTISEMITISM AND HOLLYWOOD 729antisemitic and the son is making a film controversial to Jews. In myresearch, Gibson has yet to condemn his father’s views. In fact, in hisReader’s Digest interview he went so far as to say that his father “never liedto me in his life.” 42 A father is naturally a role model for his son. And whoknows how much Gibson’s father influenced his son? Sadly, all the controversysurrounding the actor/director leads one to conclude that, in thisinstance at least, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”Hutton Gibson’s antisemitism presents the question of whether youexcuse the antisemitism and racism from older generations because at thattime it was commonplace and acceptable—or do you blame them for notchanging with the times, for living in the past? It also makes one wonderwhether you ignore someone like Hutton Gibson and hope people will seethrough his lies. To do so would mean having faith in humanity’s ability toknow right from wrong.Hutton’s comments remind us that with a clearly crazy person, youmust be smart and pick your battles, as sometimes it’s not worth any energyor time disputing his claims in an effort to convince that person of a differentpoint of view. Often, the antisemite refuses to even entertain the idea ofbeing proven wrong; he blocks out the truth. Antisemites believe in somethingthat doesn’t exist, something that only exists in their heads. It isn’treal and therefore can be unlearned. Their stubborn, prejudiced notion ofwhat does exist, however, precludes the possibility of what doesn’t exist.Furthermore, challenging and confronting a crazy person might actuallybe counterproductive and would legitimatize—at least in his mind—hisargument as something worth arguing over. In the same vein, you wouldignore a crazy person on the street uttering conspiracy theories about theworld ending. If said person, however, is a celebrity or some sort of a publicfigure, then he must not be ignored.Gibson was not unchallenged, though. He was fired from his cameorole in the comedy The Hangover 2 following complaints by the cast. Hehad also been fired a few months prior, in July 2010, from his talentagency. 43 Apparently, the agency figured their reputation wasn’t worth themoney.According to a piece in the New York Post, “A source close to Gibson”said, “[Gibson] doesn’t understand why Mike Tyson, a drug user whoturned his life around, was given a second chance while he [Mel] was42. Peggy Noonan, “Mel Gibson Interview.”43. Frankie Stone, “Six Ways to Fix Mel Gibson,” thewrap.com, July 11, 2010and November 3, 2010, .