Mad Mel

Stephen Hand of TCR News comments on that whole Mel Gibson thing:

"If the statements that are attributed to him are true I can only conclude that they weigh about as much as a young man or woman who says, under the influence of Tequila to a nagging spouse, 'I Hate YOU!' and then repents in tears as soon as s/he sobers up and is filled with guilt."

Two respondents at the hotair combox both said it best:

Mikeyboss: "Drunken rantings do not necessarily reflect what a person ‘really’ thinks, especially if that person is an alcoholic, where there can be a Jekyll/Hyde difference between the drunk and sober person."

Donnah: "[I]f you’ve ever been on the receiving end of an alcoholic tirade, you’ll know they’re going for maximum damage points, and truth or personal belief has little to do with it."

You see, you’ve got your happy drunks, your sad drunks, and most often, your mean drunks. In any case, both quotations reflect my own personal experience with alcoholism in my own family.

Gibson has apologized profusely, which isn't good enough for the Anti-Defamation League. He has even offered to go the extra mile: "I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery. Again, I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed." That probably won't soften any hearts either.

And yet it seems the intelligensia can be forgiving when it wants to be. Witness this gem from actor Alec Baldwin on December 11, 1998, on NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien (w/Black Hat tip to Marion for quotation.):

"If we were in another country... We would stone [Roman Catholic Republican Congressman] Henry Hyde to death and we would go to their homes and we'd kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families."

Hey, Canada, wouldn't that be a hate crime?

Discuss.