Robert Downey Jr. asks Hollywood to forgive Mel Gibson

I don't know. I can't forgive Gibson for anything because I am not presently carrying a grudge against him, for anything (I've let go the business about that time he was an ungentlemanly jerk, toward my wife).

On the other hand, whether I bear him a grudge or not, it remains that he is...well, himself. Bigoted, unpleasant, misogynistic, the whole package.* I don't need to be carrying a grudge against him, to still know that I want nothing to do, with him or his work (should my phone ring again with an invitation to join one of his projects, I will again politely decline). If others want to work with him, and add to his wealth by buying tickets to his films, that's their call and I don't have any judgment to offer on the matter. But the idea of taking positive action on my own part to benefit him, whether it's helping produce content with his name (and, more to the point, mine) on it or dropping $$$ in the till, is quite distasteful.

Put it this way - if I were driving through a thunderstorm and saw him changing a tire by the roadside, I wouldn't swerve to hit him and pass it off for an accident. But I don't think I'd pull over to help him, either.


*edit - in all fairness, also intelligent, charming, creative and generous. If that's what others prefer to see, that's their call, and I wouldn't criticize them, for it
 
...as an aside, that bit about the crushed rose is downright horrifying: that lingering scent is the evidence of having wantonly destroyed something beautiful, not the evidence of forgiveness from something without consciousness or a nervous system. One might as well suggest that the smell of a slaughterhouse is evidence that all of the animals there are offering us their forgiveness, for having been slaughtered.
 
I wanna know why is it his personal life is relevant to his craft...and why is it his personal life that is boycotted to some degree or another.

Take my Hangover example...Mike Tyson is a convicted rapist. No problem there.
Take Polanski who raped a 13 year old aspiring model/actress (excuse me; drugged and raped a 13 year old aspiring model/actress).
Also no problemo (well legally, problemo...but calls for boycotts like Mel Gibson? Quite the opposite.)

What did Mel do?
I'm not talking about the speculation s**t, I mean what did he do?
He threw slurs at a cop after killing the better part of a bottle of tequila.
Yes, that was stupid, uncalled for and insensitive.
But, how many actors have done things that were stupid, uncalled for and/or insensitive?

Again, this all started when he went outside the system to make Passion.
Think about it.

By the way, I'm not saying the other examples I gave should be boycotted either.
I love Polanski's style and I love his films, & I always will.
I just hate hypocrisy.
 
I can't address the Passion bit one way, or the other. All I can say is that it was a pretty masterful piece of film making. People who complain that it is in some way anti-Jewish miss the point: it is an adaptation of a work that has historically been interpreted in an anti-Jewish manner.
 
Sad Max said:
I can't address the Passion bit one way, or the other. All I can say is that it was a pretty masterful piece of film making. People who complain that it is in some way anti-Jewish miss the point: it is an adaptation of a work that has historically been interpreted in an anti-Jewish manner.
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Agreed. He is a damn good director. Granted, he has only been up to bat four or five times as a helmer, but his batting average is in the high 3's...
 
I'll disagree on the Tyson thing. I was slightly uncomfortable during the Hangover the whole time he was on. Maybe everyone else is over it, but I still think of him as the maybe rapist who definitely bit a dude's ear off and is (or was) known to be unpredictable and volatile. And that's really all I could see the whole time he was onscreen.
 
CallaghanFilms said:
What did Mel do?
I'm not talking about the speculation s**t, I mean what did he do?
He threw slurs at a cop after killing the better part of a bottle of tequila.
Yes, that was stupid, uncalled for and insensitive.
But, how many actors have done things that were stupid, uncalled for and/or insensitive?
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There is an old Russian proverb: Men are like sponges: you don't know their -real- shape until you have seen them soaked.

From my perspective this is less about what MG has done, and more to do with what he is. Now, if you subscribe to the strong drink makes people say things that they don't mean theory, that's fine. But I happen to be in the strong drink lowers inhibitions and leads people to say what they do mean camp. For which I think there's a preponderance of evidence. YMMV.

I just hate hypocrisy.
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I think that 'hypocrisy' would be saying 'hey, I get drunk and slander women and minorities and get obnoxious with cops, but it's okay for -me- to do it, while it's -not- okay for Mel Gibson, to do it.' If someone decides that, having served his time, Tyson now deserves to be out there performing, without the asterisk, that's a different matter. Or that Polanski has been forgiven by his victim and deserves some sympathy for his 'banishment' over the years - well, not my personal take but okay, as always YMMV.
 
Josh Bass said:
I'll disagree on the Tyson thing. I was slightly uncomfortable during the Hangover the whole time he was on. Maybe everyone else is over it, but I still think of him as the maybe rapist who definitely bit a dude's ear off and is (or was) known to be unpredictable and volatile. And that's really all I could see the whole time he was onscreen.
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I always kind of assumed that this was an effect of casting Tyson that the producers had in mind...
 
CallaghanFilms said:
Now that's anti-Semantic.
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LOl....I had to read that twice.

Batutta said:
I think it's a nice gesture on Downey's part but not likely to sway anyone's opinion on the matter. People are going to forgive who they want to forgive. While I personally don't condone a lot of Mel's actions, I really don't care all that much. If he makes a good movie, I'd still watch it.
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I can't disagree with this.
 
Sad Max said:
...From my perspective this is less about what MG has done, and more to do with what he is...
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I dunno. It seems what MG is is greatly dictated by speculation.
No one could hold up under the scrutiny of today's public once you find yourself so high on that s**tlist like he has.
None of us could.
 
CallaghanFilms said:
I dunno. It seems what MG is is greatly dictated by speculation.
No one could hold up under the scrutiny of today's public once you find yourself so high on that s**tlist like he has.
None of us could.
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*shrug* if one cleaves unto a racist world-view, one may be safely categorized as a racist. If one expresses misogynistic and anti-semitic beliefs, then one is a misogynist and an anti-semite. It becomes difficult to argue when it's caught on tape, plus underpinned by a fairly long history (that is admittedly not all that well-publicized...)

And, FWIW, the 'any one of us' angle doesn't hold water. Should you ever happen to spot a recording (or reliable eyewitness testimony) of me going off against people for their gender, ethnic or religious affiliation, you're welcome to call me on it.
 
...and I break everyone's balls equally.
I don't have a PCfilter.
Yet I am the least racist and least sexist....ah...the least racist person you could meet.

Much of what I've said or written could be misunderstood or blown out of proportion by those without a sense of humor.

Not saying that is the case with Gibson or anything.
 
I should have put the
Sad Max said:
...Should you ever happen to spot a recording (or reliable eyewitness testimony) of me going off against people for their gender, ethnic or religious affiliation, you're welcome to call me on it.
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and
Sad Max said:
...plus underpinned by a fairly long history (that is admittedly not all that well-publicized...)
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not all that well-publicized...yet many believe everything they hear about him, unless it's positive (Downey, Jodie Foster, etc.)
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Well, one has to consider one's sources. And, he's not a cartoon character (despite the striking similarities, sometimes) - there -are- positive things about him. It's up to any given individual to weigh those against the negative and decide what they want to do. Or not. Whatever.
 
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