Lay Your Burden Down

I think these thoughts on the Mel Gibson fiasco are about right. I also find it ironic that so much sturm und drang surrounds Gibson's anti-Semitism, while many of the same critics want Israel to step back and allow Hizbollah to take soldiers without retribution. There is also something else afoot here that bears mentioning, and that is Mr Gibson's confession. Of course, much commentary revolves recently--not around poverty or housing issues--but whether Mr Gibson's apology is sincere or whether he is simply playing the PR game. For my money, it doesn't really matter. Yes, it matters to Mr Gibson personally, since the cancer of hatred will still eat away at his spirit. And, yes, it may matter on some level to members of the Jewish community who have been taken advantage of before and who prefer not to fall again for a polished ruse. But the bigger picture is that there is a confession and it, at least, sounds authentic. There is an admission, a plea for help, and a request for relationship with the injured party. I don't think publicists know how to write something that sounds like the 51st Psalm, but even if it is contrived, it gives the public an example of good confession, and the public sorely needs it. Think of other opportunities that have gone wasted: Bill Clinton torturing the meaning of the word 'is'; George Bush talking around bad intelligence; Cynthia McKinney blaming her violence on the Capitol Police. Confession is not popular these days in America; it is seen as weakness. But which is more courageous--to avoid the truth or to take it head on? There is a part of Mr Gibson that is horrid--but I am glad it was brought to light--both for his good and for the confessional example it gives us.