The Beginning of Tolerance for Mel
by heathervescent
This mugshot has been all over the news the past few days. It's one of those stranger than fiction stories from Malibu. The story includes a drunk driving celebrity in his Malibu community. When the 17 year old Jewish deputy pulled over Gibson, it was for speeding. But that didn't stop Gibson from making now infamous anti-semetic remarks.
"That stuff is booze talking," the deputy said. "There's two things that booze does. It amplifies your basic personality. If you are a laid-back kind of person, just an easygoing kind of person, booze is going to amplify that and you'll be just sitting around going how it's a wonderful day.
"But, if you are a high-strung person, it's going to amplify that, and all the bad things are going to come out." [Source]
And that's just what happened. Mel was drunk and his internal filter was down, so he spoke his thoughts, unfortunately for the whole world to hear. His words have had a monumental impact on his career that no amount of apology can make good again and now, he seeks forgiveness.
I'm not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing. [Source]
Poor intolerant Mel. But it's really no surprise. Gibson's father made controversial remarks about the holocaust a few years ago, to the point of questioning whether it happened at all!!!
"It's all — maybe not all fiction — but most of it is," he said. Then, to illustrate his point that the gas chambers and crematoria at camps like Auschwitz would not have been capable of exterminating so many people, Gibson senior added: "Do you know what it takes to get rid of a dead body? To cremate it?" he said. "It takes a litre of petrol and 20 minutes. Now, six million of them? They (the Germans) did not have the gas to do it. That's why they lost the war." [Source]
Intolerance and ignorance must run in the family. Until now, Mel has been able to keep his under wraps, but no more.
The first step to healing a problem, is to admit you have a problem. Gibson has admitted to his alcoholism, but not yet to his intolerance. He's asked the Jewish community for help; however I think he still believes what he said in his unguarded moment - at least on some level.
Sure we can cut him down for his point of view, which is based on his own narrow education, but this does nothing to help tolerance for anyone. Cutting down the bigot, doesn't heal the bigot. Education is the beginning. And let's remember we all have our own biases.
Do you know your personal biases? Even the most self-aware and successful individuals are biased. We have only our point of view to live from. Not even an enlightened master is free of bias. The master may not act from their bias, but I'd bet my life they still have them. Like Mel, the first step is to realize you have biases, but how?
Here's a handy way to discover them - try one of these tests from Harvard University. Once you know your own biases, you can head over to Tolerance.org to get tips to expand your own tolerance. They are simple and easy and not only help you practice tolerance, but I'd bet you'll have fun doing it.
- Attend services at a variety of churches, synagogues, mosques and temples to learn about different faiths.
- Shop at ethnic grocery stores and specialty markets. Get to know the owners. Ask about their family histories.
- Think about how you appear to others. List personality traits that are compatible with tolerance (e.g., compassion, curiosity, openness). List those that seem incompatible with tolerance (e.g., jealousy, bossiness, perfectionism).
So get out there and get to know yourself - even that darker side - so it doesn't "accidentally" slip out on a drunken tirade in front of the media cameras!
| 08/01/06
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Celebrities
