It may seem odd that I’m writing a justification of my recent blog entry satirizing Gibson’s recent run-in with police. After all, he seems like an obvious target. But my reasons go beyond the usual bandwagon-jumping, and I thought they might be worth sharing.

First, I took exception to Mel Gibson wrapping himself in the mantle of the Gospels in response to criticisms of the 2004 movie”The Passion of the Christ,” which Gibson directed. He maintained his movie was merely an attempt to “tell the truth,” and yet it deviated from the Gospels in many respects. There are those who have argued that such deviations were minor, but the fact remains that there were indeed such deviations.

I am not a Christian, and do not believe that the Gospels necessarily represent any timeless truths. If Gibson wants to “color outside the lines” when it comes to the Bible, it’s no skin off of my nose. I do, however, object to intellectual dishonesty. If Gibson wanted to “tell the truth” as Christians believe they know it, then shouldn’t he have stuck to the content of the Gospels — given that the Bible is the “source material” upon which Christianity is based?

Since he didn’t, I think Gibson should have had the backbone to stand up and say, “Yes, I made certain artistic choices, and I stand behind them.” He chose not to do that, and I believe it was deceitful and cowardly.

Second, Gibson never directly addressed charges of anti-semitic subtext in “The Passion,” and that also annoyed me. Moreover, while he swore up and down that he was not an anti-semite, he declined to publicly repudiate anti-semitic statements his father had publicly made. On one level, I can understand not wanting to openly criticize one’s own father. But Mel Gibson is a public figure, and in making “The Passion” he made those questions fair game. If he didn’t want to answer them he should have shelved his film. If you can’t stand the heat and all that.

Finally, I find it ironic that someone who was so ostentatious about his faith in Jesus Christ and in Christ’s message of love could act so badly. I do not subscribe to any religious faith myself, and remain unpersuaded that it is necessary to subscribe to any religion in order to avoid God’s wrath. That said, if you espouse certain views I believe you are obligated to at least make a good faith (no pun intended) attempt to live your life in alignment with them. I have little respect for hypocrisy. I despise it when I see it in myself (which I do, often) and when I see it in others. 

So, when Gibson was arrested for drunk driving and verbally abused a Sheriff’s deputy by unleashing a spew of anti-semitic nonsense, I frankly saw it as yet another example of someone stumbling on his own hubris. It’s poetic justice, and fair game for satire and commentary in my view.