Is Mel Gibson Now Blaming Everything On The Vikings?
It’s been eight years since Mel Gibson’s notorious anti-Semitic rant but it would appear old Mel might just be blaming his monstrous behavior on his Viking roots.
Sounds bizarre doesn’t it? Yet moody Mel, who is still cruelly referred to in some circles as Gibson the goon, has a past pedigree when it comes to playing the blame game.
Who can forget Mel the maverick’s manic night in Malibu when the Hollywood heavyweight was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.
The police report of the evening in question states that Gibson asked the arresting officer if he was Jewish, and upon receiving an affirmative answer, Mel apparently let rip in a big way.
Snarling at the police officer, Gibson snapped, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”
Mel Gibson later apologized for his particularly vicious tirade and called it “the stupid rambling of a drunkard.”
Yet Mel’s tongue and the damage done has not been forgiven or forgotten in a lot of quarters and the disgraced actor and director is still remembered for his spiteful outburst.
Just this month, The Guardian reported that Jewish groups in the Czech Republic protested against the decision to honor Gibson with a lifetime achievement award at the Karlovy Vary international film festival.
The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic stated that Jews were portrayed as “evil and bloodthirsty” in Gibson’s 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas insists that Gibson still “hates Jews'”
Yet in a recent interview with Variety Magazine, Mel Gibson could be interpreted as blaming his past digressions on his Viking ancestry.
Now, the Scandinavian sea-borne raiders of the early medieval period were a pretty barbaric bunch, even by today’s standards. They certainly didn’t believe in treading lightly or being careful not to offend anyone, that’s for sure.
In the Variety interview, Mel appears to delight in being descended from the Vikings and almost indicates the hot-tempered and offensive traits which conspired to create his fall from grace can be lain at the Norsemen’s door.
After confessing that he’s had his genes tested for Viking blood and wants to make a film all about his Viking ancestors, Mel explains,
“I love that era. I love it. I love it. I love it. And Vikings are historically not very sympathetic characters. I mean, they are really just a bunch of brigands.
I’m definitely from that area, so I had some great ancestor named Bjorn who was probably coming to your town and making a monster of himself.”
One can’t help wondering if Mel Gibson was a Viking back in the days of swords, shields, and dubious helmets with horns sticking out of them, what his Viking name would be?
Mel the Marauder? Mel the Mayhem? Mel the Monstrous? Or even perhaps, Mel Make-Peace? The mind boggles. One thing’s for sure, if the cap — or should that be horned helmet? — fits, Mel, then you have to wear it.
