Via Kathy Shaidle comes a thoughtful article from Libertas, a forum for conservative thought on film, regarding Hollywood celebrities in light of Mel Gibson’s recent troubles.
Although Gibson clearly used the conservative media to promote a product of his, Gibson’s politics remain vague. Basically Gibson appears to be an idiosyncratically devout Catholic whose agenda crossed paths with religious conservatives when his film came out, and also when Gibson lobbied against stem-cell research. Otherwise, it isn’t clear to me how the mythology of Mel Gibson as political conservative began. In fact, these days I’m sensing the opposite may be true: Gibson may be a left-wing Catholic much like ... Michael Moore.
... And this, perhaps is the most vital point I have to make to fellow conservatives: get over this guy. Stop treating Hollywood Celebrities as anything more than they are: Hollywood Celebrities. And what is a Hollywood Celebrity? For the most part they’re bizarre, indulged, completely self-absorbed people who do not live in the world the rest of us live in.
... The problem is that the allegiances of Hollywood Celebrities are determined by who is going to give them $20 million paychecks, and little else. More than liberalism or (in the very rare case) conservatism, the ideology of Hollywood Celebrities is: narcissism.
I’ve written about it before. I’m always amazed at how some orthodox and conservative Catholics go all weak in the knees whenever they think that some Hollywood celebrity might be a closet Catholic or a closet political conservative or agree with their point of view in some way. Who cares? Why must we get our validation from people whose job it is to prance about the stage and play at imagination. There’s nothing wrong with that if it’s your profession, but that’s the point. It’s just a job, not membership in an American aristocracy that automatically makes the anointed celebrity an expert in everything he or she has an opinion about.
Technorati Tags:celebrity, conservativism, Hollywood, Mel Gibson, movies
Well, if you read the linked blog entry you’ll see that it is Gibson himself who declares himself to be sympatico with Michael Moore. It’s not just about his views on Iraq.
I am more and more beginning to ‘believe’ that the origin of the gods and godesses pf Mount Olympus began as celebrities who lived in this enclave called Olympus!
Gotcha, Mel. Now we’ve really gotcha! You are simply not as smart as some of us thought you were. Why didn’t you ask the arresting officer if he was Irish? Then you could have gotten off by claiming you’re related to the Kennedys.
And this, perhaps is the most vital point I have to make to fellow conservatives: get over this guy. Stop treating Hollywood Celebrities as anything more than they are: Hollywood Celebrities. And what is a Hollywood Celebrity? For the most part they’re bizarre, indulged, completely self-absorbed people who do not live in the world the rest of us live in.
With all due respect to the Liberatas writer, this is, in my opinion, not a really smart paragraph. Mel Gibson hasn’t been a “Hollywood Celebrity” for years.
Driving under the influence and his anti-Jewish remarks (both of which he has apologized and will continue to apolize for and continue to rue until he gets his act together and perhaps not even then) are pretty damn serious offenses.
But they’re not why the man’s under the gun at all!
There are two, and only two, unpardonable “sins” Gibson has committed:
1.) Making millions while thumbing his nose at the Beautiful people (and “The Academy”) and using his own money, in that crass, capitalistic way to do it, to boot, and,
2.) Creating a movie with an unmistakable, unambiguous Eucharistic (read CATHOLIC) message. Which wouldn’t have been so awful except for the fact that he actually Made Money doing it. Made money…not inherited it.
The glitterati, in which I include the MSM and Father “call me Walter” Cuenin, can forgive a drunk, and can certainly forgive anti-Semetic remarks. (Does no one remember good ol’ “Hymie Town?” And let’s not even get into Chappaquiddick)
However, they cannot and will not forgive a self-made man…especially those who, in an in-your-face way, promote Catholicism.
Yeah, Gibson made some major mistakes.
Unfortunately, he’s not being blamed for them at all.
It’s a good thing the Lord God judged Saint Paul and King David and not the MSM & Abe Foxman.
One has to wonder though, if Hollywood, ADL, et al are so down on Mel Gibson for his anti-Jewish remarks why aren’t they supporting the Jews/Israel publicly? Have heard not one peep from Foxman or the glitterati. Odd, that.