There's an old adage in Hollywood that says that any kind of publicity is good because it puts your name out in front of the public. That adage might be disputed by Mel Gibson who's deep in the throes of negative publicity due to his drunken revelation that he might be harboring a prejudice or two against Jews.
Now, normally we don't talk to much about celebrity gossip, but like my post on Barbra Streisand, it would seem fitting for us to discuss Mel, in as much as he and his Icon Entertainment International production company are enterprises and not really just ordinary folks like you and me.
It seems Mel was pulled over for drunk driving, and with keen ethnic acuity, sized up the officer as being Jewish, and then let said officer know that he personally blames Jews for all the wars in the world.
And with that one drunken outburst, Mel Gibson might very well forever be remembered as an anti-semite rather than as an actor/producer. His demand as a Hollywood leading man might diminish and some firms might think twice about making deals with his production company (one deal has already been lost)
Of course, Mel Gibson certainly isn't the only bigot in Hollywood (or any place else for that matter.) His only sin was revealing his prejudices at a time when he'd have been better off just saying things like "Yes, Officer" and "No, Officer." The significance of his tirade is more important. It should be a constant reminder that for every Mel Gibson who loses his cool and says what he truly feels, there's probably of other people who have the emotional intelligence to not voice similar feelings about any group of people. In business, these prejudices are made manifest in a "socially acceptable" way, i.e. lower pay, passed over promotions, subjugation, etc. It happens every day, to someone, maybe even you. Mel is just a vocal example.
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