Say It Ain't So: Could Mel Gibson Exploit Violence and a Late Great Culture As He Also Perpetuates Ugly Stereotypes?

Uh... uh... In a word, yes, to all of the above.

Read the analysis at The Nation on Mel's Apocalypto (which tepidly led a very depressed box office this past weekend). Then read all about Disney's campaign to get Mel Gibson the Oscar (Academy Award) which should be a bad joke but somehow isn't (apparently taste is mutually exclusive from Disney and Mel Gibson):

OK, I wish this were a bad joke, but it's real: Disney's new and quiet Oscar campaigning for Mel Gibson is to convince Academy members that he's "not as bad as Roman or Woody." Specifically, I'm told that, to plead with Oscar voters "to look at Mel the artist and not Mel the man", the studio is saying that Gibson's drunken anti-Semitic ranting was not as bad as Polanski having sex "with an underage girl", or Allen having sex "with his step-daughter". Disney is also pointing to Elia Kazan's role "naming names" before the Hollywood Un-American Activities Committee to try to bring what Mel did into perspective when it comes to judging Apocalypto. I should point out this is part of a modest attempt by Disney to snag some key nominations for the film. It's long been my belief that if a litmus test were given for behavior, nobody would ever work in Hollywood again. Nevertheless, I just don't think Oscar campaigning that underscores the character flaws of other film directors will work.

Twisted. Very, very twisted.

Mel? The Mayans are gonna get you for this IF you don't piss off yet another group first.