World's worst anti-semitism

What is the most anti-semitic thing someone could do?

A) Open fire in a Jewish Center in Seattle, injurying five and killing one

B) Lobbying rockets into Jewish cities, killing innocent civilians

C) Photoshopping a Jewish politician in blackface and using Nazi terminology to talk about the politician's volunteers

D) Claiming the way for peace in the Middle East is the destruction of all the Jews

E) Going into a drunken rant about "f-ing Jews" being in control of the world

Well according to the left and Andrew Sullivan, which may be the same thing, Mel Gibson's idiotic statements are the worst moment for the Jewish people since the holocaust.

Here's my comments about the whole controversy, but it seems to me we have lost any sense of proportion. Making racist statements while drunk is a bad thing, but when placed beside some of the other things actually involving life and death going on right now...why is this getting so much media attention?

Comments

[Sam]

You know why Aaron. Gibson made an anti-Semitic movie, claimed it was otherwise, and claimed he wasn't an anti-Semite. Yet four beers in his system and he's suggesting that Jews are responsible for the world's wars. Of course, when people originally suggested that the Passion was going to be rabidly anti-Semitic, people on your side of the fence scoffed. It's not so easy to do that now, knowing that the film's director is a Jew hater.

[posted by Aaron from an email exchange since the comments were down]

[Aaron]

I cannot and will not defend his words or his actions, but remind me again how many Jews were killed because of Passion? How many antisemitic hate crimes did it insite? The answer is none and according to polls people came out of the movie with a higher positive reaction toward Jews than they did when they went in, but of course the movie was anti-Jew, since you know 90% of the characters were Jews
including all of the heroes and protagonists. Yep, that's an anti-Jew movie if I ever say one.

We have people actually killing Jewish people because of their enthnicity, but Mel Gibson saying "f-ing Jews" is the worst thing ever. Come one Sam be serious. Would you rather someone curse at you in a drunken stupor or shoot you or lob missiles at your house? Me, I'll take the drunken idiot any day of the week.

[again posted from email exchange]

[Sam]

As for the Passion, obviously what Hezbollah is doing is worse than what Gibson did. But one doesn't excuse the other, and Gibson's statements tend to pull back the curtain on the man, and perhaps on his particular brand of Catholicism. His father's a Holocaust denier after all. To simply say that's he's a troubled alcoholic and ignore the commentary after that seems foolish. Unless you're willing to do the same for
every other idiot to defames Jews. And I doubt you are; I wouldn't either.

{ed. posted from email exchange}

[Aaron]

I agree that someone killing a Jewish person, does not excuse a person insulting Jewish people, I just question the media coverage on Gibson compared to say the Seattle shooting.

My wife on gets a minimum exposure to media and news. She knew all about what Mel Gibson did and said, but she had not even heard that a Muslim opened fire in a Seattle Jewish center killing one and injurying five others because of "his people."

Andrew Sullivan has been writing non-stop about Gibson since this broke and yet can't find time to mention Jewish people actually being killed because of antisemitism.

Gibson may indeed be a anti-semite - the evidence would indicate that he is, but that doesn't mean The Passion was an anti-Jew movie. Just like I can watch Pirates of the Caribbean, even though I know Johnny Depp is a loon, it doesn't mean the movie is bad automatically.

His brand of Catholicism may indeed have strains or be dominated by anti-semitic feelings. I don't know, I'm not a Catholic and really have never had any run-in's with people from his version of Catholicism.

I think he has taken the right steps since his drunken rant, but that still doesn't excuse the rant. It is a difficult situation, but while I cannot defend his statements (or possibly even him) I feel confident that all the evidence shows The Passion was not an anti-semitic movie.

[Sam Wilkinson]

I think it is quite possible that two things occurred:

1. Christians like you saw, and liked, the Passion, but maintained their respect for Judaism. Despite the presentation of Jews in a less than favorable light - many critics suggested that the depictions of the Jews in the film were specifically designed to subconciously reinforce traditional stereotypes - you and your friends didn't see it that way and moved on.

2. But that doesn't mean that Gibson wasn't TRYING to accomplish something. He might have failed to present Jews in a negative light, but that certainly didn't stop him from trying to. Just because you didn't recognize what he was attempting didn't mean that he didn't attempt it. His position on his father's positions, his drunken rants, amongst other evidence, seems to suggest that Gibson is a loony Jew hater. And he deserves to be thoroughly excoriated for that.

[Cineaste]

...his (Mel Gibson's) drunken rants, amongst other evidence, seems to suggest that Gibson is a loony Jew hater.

What I think about Mel Gibson Warning: It's South Park.

[Aaron]

Sam, Gibson may indeed be a drunken, lony Jew hater, but again based on the evidence if he was trying to make a Jew-hating movie, he did a horrible job. It didn't cause more anti-semitic feelings. If anything it reminded people of the Jewishness of Jesus and Christianity.