Episode 202: Unsurprising

Mel Gibson did something uncool. And this is considered NEWS?

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Laura 0:00

Why is Mel Gibson still relevant?

Male VO 0:05

This is Bad Attitudes.

Laura 0:22

Hello, friends and strangers. Welcome to another episode of Bad Attitudes, an uninspiring podcast about disability. I'm your host, Laura.

Laura 0:32

This week's supporter shout out goes to Joan KB. Thank you for your continuing support.

Laura 0:39

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Laura 0:51

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Laura 1:06

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Laura 1:25

As always, I want to remind you that disability is not a monolith. My experience as a disabled person is going to be different from the experiences of other disabled people. I am one voice for the disabled community, but I am not the only voice.

Laura 1:42

On August 29th, when coming on the stage at Fan Expo Canada, Mel Gibson made a questionable choice. In a career filled with questionable choices, this shouldn't really surprise anyone.

Laura 1:55

As he waved at the crowd, Gibson stopped behind the ASL interpreter and mimicked her signing, in a move that has rightly upset many people who witnessed or heard about the event.

Laura 2:07

Gibson is already well known for being homophobic, racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic. Adding ableist to the list is only surprising because it hasn't come up already.

Laura 2:17

Most people called out Gibson's actions, but I saw a few comments that were like, Mel Gibson doesn't give a fuck, and that's why I like him. Tell me you liked Morgan Wallen more after the video of him calling someone the N-word was released without telling me.

Laura 2:32

Considering his history of rants attacking marginalized communities, Gibson mimicking an ASL interpreter is probably the least offensive thing he has ever done, but least offensive is kind of a low bar. And it might have been mitigated if Gibson had acknowledged the interpreter or shaken her hand or something, but he didn't. Conversely, Alan Ritchson did shake the interpreter's hand after his Q and A session. Just more proof that the Reacher Star is a really good guy.

Laura 3:04

I've seen plenty of people interact with interpreters signing for their audiences. Comedians are especially fun to watch because the best ones make the interpreters part of the act. They include them in the joke instead of making them the butt of one.

Laura 3:19

Gibson did issue an apology, but per usual it wasn't much of one. Sometimes when you get pushed out on stage in a spotlight, your mind is all over the place and spontaneous thoughtless idiocy is displayed. Bruh, you have been doing this for decades. This is your job. You are not some bambi-legged ingenue who's never been on stage in a spotlight or in front of an audience.

Laura 3:45

Yes, sometimes we make poor choices even in situations we've experienced thousands of times, but blaming it on the situation is a cop-out. You aren't surprised by the spotlight or the cheering crowd. In fact, if there hadn't been spotlights or a cheering crowd, you probably would have refused to go on stage at all.

Laura 4:05

He went on to say there was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who is upset by it. Just say, I'm sorry you feel that way. It's basically the same thing.

Laura 4:18

Here's something everyone has to learn. Intent is different from impact. And just because you didn't intend to cause harm doesn't mean you didn't cause harm. Is it really so hard to say I made a poor choice and I'm sorry? You're not groveling. You're not prostrating yourself before the public. You're simply taking accountability and apologizing. It seems so simple.

Laura 4:43

Gibson did not take accountability. He blamed his actions on spotlights and being pushed out on stage. He didn't apologize for his actions. He apologized for anyone being upset.

Laura 4:56

Admittedly, Gibson's actions aren't that big of a deal. Compared to all he has done before, they're downright innocuous. And like I said, if he had interacted with the interpreter in some way to show goodwill, a shoulder pat, a handshake, a thank you, what he did probably wouldn't have gone viral. It would have been seen as a silly moment, maybe a bit out of pocket, but not unexpected from a seventy-year-old man. A dad joke, if you will.

Laura 5:24

I don't actually believe Gibson had malicious intent. I mean, he's still an asshole for all that has come before, but I really do believe this was an innocent mistake. But he doubled down by not taking accountability and not offering a genuine apology. Even though I believe he made a basically innocent mistake, I don't think people are overreacting.

Laura 5:47

Again, it's about intent versus impact, and people were impacted. The deaf and hard of hearing community felt they were being mocked. I'm sure the ASL interpreter had some thoughts as well. I don't know if she noticed it while it was happening, being focused on her job and all, but after the video went viral, I might expect her to feel denigrated for her professional capacity.

Laura 6:11

The sad thing is this would be a bigger deal, even for me, if Mel Gibson hadn't shown time and again what an awful person he is. If he hadn't in the past ranted about Jewish people, or gay people, or verbally attacked women and racial minorities, we'd all be acknowledging the potential harm from his actions. We might even be surprised by his behavior. As it is, we're all just kind of ho-hum about it.

Laura 6:37

He has consistently been forgiven for his atrocities. Hollywood still makes movies with him. People still go to see said movies. He didn't suffer any real consequences. Sure, his career cooled off a bit after he was arrested for driving under the influence and his anti-Semitic rant at the time, but it seems to me that people were perfectly willing to welcome him back with open arms. We need to let go of celebrities when they show us who they are.

Laura 7:05

For example, I loved Dean Cain since I was twelve years old and first watched Lois and Clark. His career waned and my love wasn't as fervent as it once was, but I still held a special place for him in my heart. But then he joined ICE and I was chanting fuck Dean Cain as loudly as anyone. Yes, I know he supported Trump in 2016, but second chances exist.

Laura 7:28

Second chances are great, but third and fourth chances are too much. We've known the truth of Mel Gibson's character for a long time. There's no need to pretend otherwise.

Laura 7:39

Thanks for listening, and I'll talk to you in the next one.