Warning: Mel Gibson Thread

[MoseyWalker]

I can't believe I'm doing this, but feel a compulsion, so bear with me please.

I have read many posters who wrote that a person's true self comes out when drunk, because the inhibitions are no longer there. That is something that my mom said to me many times while I was growing up, and I used to believe it. I no longer do, because I think it's a little more complicated than that.

I'm not religious, so won't be the first to throw stones.

I think that when a person becomes drunk, the frontal cortex is basically put to sleep, and more base and basic levels of functioning come to the surface. There are many unknowns interacting at the base levels of the brain, and one never knows where they are going to take one.

MSNBC just had yet another report about Mel, and the "reporter" related that he had been having a great time with everyone, though was a bit drunk and shouldn't have driven home.

First mistake: No one took his keys away and forcefully told him not to drive.

Mel apparently got into his car, was probably listening to some music he liked on the radio for about 30 minutes or so, and then had to contend with flashing lights in his rear view mirror. He's drunk, he's almost home, and the damn cops have pulled his ass over.

No, He should not have been driving, but I understand in a way his reaction.

Remember, he was not functioning with all his faculties.

He is being questioned about his drinking, made to blow into a breathalizer, and probably asked to walk a straight line after a flashlight was shone in his eyes to look for nastigmus sp?.

He got pissed, and due to his diminished mental capacities, reverted to something and someone from an earlier time.

And here is where I depart from the belief that a person will be their true selves when drunk. I think they will become a regressed version of themselves.

It's common knowledge that Mel's dad was a psycho anti-semite. Mel grew up with this.

When a drunk becomes angry, sometimes they revert to a previous pattern of thoughts and reactions. I think that is what happened in this case.

I believe Mel is sincere in his apology and other words he has stated publically since. I could be wrong.

I still won't watch any of his movies.

I won't comment on this any further, but felt I had to put my 22 cents in.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Updated to take a word that had the wrong meaning, and change it to a word I can't spell.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. What was his BAC?

Last I heard it was only slightly higher than the legal limit which means he was in complete control of his mental faculties and is indeed an anti-semite.

But that's no surprise.

[MoseyWalker]

3. 0.12

The legal limit is 0.08 in most locales these days.

An advanced alcoholic with diminshed liver function could very well be in a severely drunken stupor at this level.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Uh huh.

I'll buy that.

[personman]

28. Does seem fishy...

His defense is that he was plastered drunk when he said those awful things, and yet he blows a .12 on the breathalizer? Has anyone done the math? Is that about 2 beers? If 2 beers could turn a reasonable man into a neo-nazi...

Also, of all the things one could go off about after being pulled over...jews?...I could understand some anti-authority rant, or some power-tripping pig rant, but where the fuck did "jews are responsible for all the wars" come from? you can't make this shit up...it's just too bizarre.

[sgxnk]

2. i agree

it is not a person's "true self" comes out, but to paraphrase a famous comedian referring to cocaine "it makes you MORE of an a**hole"

the point is that no amount of alcohol is gonna make somebody who is not already some sort of anti-semite, start spouting the everything is the fault of the jews line...

like i said, i have arrested well over 100 drunks (for DUI and sundry) and drunk people WILL say things they would never (or rarely) say when sober

that much is a given

and i've had dozens of hateful racial slurs directed at me by drunks. far moreso than any other group of sober people

[Kahuna]

8. Right. If I get smashed, no way am I gonna start bashing Jews, gays

or anybody else. Because, that's just not me. Mel was being his trueself and got caught at it. It's about time too.

[MoseyWalker]

12. Have you ever gotten drunk and angry

and said things you regret? Many people have, and would never admit that they always wanted to tell their SO that they are a slut bitch, or that they always wanted to punch that hole in the wall........etc.

Do you think that everyone who has ever gotten drunk and told their SO that they hate them really meant it? Do you think that people always say what they mean when they are drunk and pissed off?

[sgxnk]

16. i totally agree

but i have dealt with literally hundreds of drunks, and you never hear 'the jews are responsible' for everything type of rants

that's a whole nother level of alcohol inspired wackiness

[sgxnk]

13. yes

that is my take on it

i *have* seen a lot of people who are probably not racist make VERY VERY racist slurs towards arresting officers (or even officers in general)

during one event, i saw a group of white and black "protestors" approach a cop (in riot uniform) who was black, and just start HURLING the "n" word at him for about 15 minutes, and talk about lynching etc.

on numerous occasions, i have heard incredibly racist terms being directed towards white cops, black cops, asian cops, etc. by people of all races

but conspiratorial "jews are to blame for everything" type of rants are really only seen imo in somebody who has an anti-semitic screw loose

it just doesn't crawl into anybody's head otherwise

[MoseyWalker]

17. it crawled into his head

when he was a kid growing up.

Things tend to stay in people's heads, even when they are later adults and no longer believe the things they were told.

[sgxnk]

25. i guess

that is certainly a possibility

if there is one thing that is 100% not in doubt, it's that his dad is anti-semitic

[kentuck]

5. Why is this getting so much attention??

the spokesman on the TV just said they are "only 3 or 4 days" into the investigation? How long are we going to spend on a drunk that said some stupid shit??

[MoseyWalker]

6. I think

because he is a celebrity, AND most of us have had the unpleasant misfortune at one time or another in our lives of having had to deal with a "drunk".

I think it's a way for people to share opinions and gain some knowledge.

I think that's a good thing. Far too many people still drink and drive, though one would think it would be pounded into their skulls by now that this is something that should NEVER be done.

[ChiciB1]

15. I Think It's Because Of That "Movie!" n/t

[Phx_Dem]

7. Intoxication does not put your cortex "to sleep"

though chronic alcoholism does affect cortex functioning.

[MoseyWalker]

9. thanks

I was using a simplistic method for describing what happens when one ingests alcohol, and maybe shouldn't have used the word "sleep".

It does, in a simple, sleepy kinda way describe the process, though!

:)

[Phx_Dem]

20. yes it does

Hey I remember from a psych. class that I took years ago that there is a drug that eliminates all the effects from alcohol consumption. I don't recall what it's called, but it's a very dangerous drug because it masks the effects so if a person is not careful they could easily consume enough to kill them. Spys etc use this stuff when they are "undercover" so they can appear to be drunk when they are not.

[ChiciB1]

14. To This I Agree....

It most definitely depends on the person I think. Give me a few beers and I'm the LIFE of the Party. I can clean my house like nothing flat... I get extremely into it. I do things like get a paint brush out and dip it into furniture polish so I can swish it through those pesky cracks you miss when you just wipe. Beer is an "upper" for me, and I really don't need much of one to begin with!

[MoseyWalker]

21. That's another odd thing about alcohol

studies have been done (no, I don't have links to my '70s textbooks) that showed that, for the average social drinker, the first two or three drinks are indeed an "upper". The depressant effect takes over very quickly after that, however, and that is when the things I described earlier take hold.

[kerrywins]

10. Braveheart is the greatest movie ever made.

Disagree all you like....but deep down inside your wretched heart, you know its true.

[sgxnk]

18. it's a good movie

but chariots of fire is way way better

;p

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. Braveheart, honestly, was boring as hell.

It's got some good scenes with arms and legs getting chopped off, I'll grant Braveheart fans that much. But Braveheart fans have to realize there are better movies where arms and legs get chopped off.

[varkam]

11. So far as I know...

alcohol modulates how well the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, binds to receptors. Of course, in alcohol's case, it allows GABA to bind much easier which, in turn, inhibits neuronal communication. I would agree with your statement that the "frontal cortex is put to sleep" if his BAC was obscenely high - at which point, he wouldn't be doing a whole lot of anything, much less driving and uttering anti-Semitic slurs. At low levels (read - the legal limit in most states) alcohol first impacts the cerebellum, which is involved in balance and motor coordination (which is why sobriety tests focus mainly on walking in a straight line, etc). Additionally, at low levels alcohol also removes inhibitions (because some neurons that would normally fire to inhibit behavior such as calling Jews warmongers are a little toopsy), which, from what I understand, could account very well for his comments.

And lastly, I also think it was a mistake for someone to not take Gibson's keys from him. However, that does not, in any way, absolve him for driving under the influence. It was his decision to get behind the wheel of his car while loaded, and his alone. Further, he's Mel Gibson. Something tells me he gets ornery while drink, so I don't think many people would want to stand in his way.

[sgxnk]

19. i'd get in his way

he's short and scrawny

and if he hit me, i could sue him

it's the american way, after all :)

[Cleetus]

23. Verdict: Guilty. Fuck Mel Gibson, typical Hollywood Asshole

Another Hollywood asshole. What the fuck is with these people?. It's not like they bust their asses. 20 Million fucking dollars to make a movie? Shit, the guy (or gal) who cures cancer or finds the answer for world peace is gonna end up with less than Helen Hunt made for a season of Mad About You, or what Mel Gibson makes for doing a single movie.

Expensive homes, expensive cars, outlandish lifestyles. You would thing these douchebags would be happy and grateful to their fans.

But no.

Mel Gibson, family man with a shitload of kids, galavanting around town, shitfaced, having fun with his groupie girls. What a fucking asshole. With so much to lose he simply couldn't help himself. He's anti-Semitic, and it will take more than a soundbite apology and explanation to get him off the hook. He is what he is, an Anti-Semitic, Jew-Hating scumbag.

So many people are.

In the most unusual places.

My friend of several years noticed a Menorah I lit. He asked what it was and I told him. He turns to face me, looks me square in the eye, and says-

"You don't look Jewish"

No Shit, that's what he said.

[MoseyWalker]

24. Your friend stereotyped you when he said

that you didn't look Jewish, and I think saying typical Hollywood assholes is being stereotypical also.

There are a lot of good people who make movies.

There are a lot of good Jewish people.

There are also, unfortunately, some assholes one sees along the way.

[sgxnk]

26. an autobiography

sounds like a good title for george carlin's autobiography

"a**holes i have seen along the way"

[liberalmuse]

27. We can't all be lovable drunks.

I have to agree somewhat. I know nice people who do not take to kindly to alcohol. Alcohol does not mix well with everyone's chemistry, and in these cases, large quantities of alcohol + nice person = belligerent asshole.

[Fridays Child]

29. "First mistake: no one took his keys away???" Oh, please!

He cannot, and should not, be absolved of personal responsibility for his behavior. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous.

Beyond that, alcohol lowers inhibitions. Hence, the age old expression, "in vino veritas." The suppression of the frontal cortex, which you described, allows the emotional centers of the brain to "light up." Because non-factual beliefs are intimately tied to emotions, it's hardly surprising that Mr. Gibson gave voice to his anti-Semitic views while he was under the influence of alcohol.

You should listen to your mother.