POLI-WOOD: Tinseltown’s Double-Standard Perspective on Gibson, Polanski (Guest in EDT)
Even in these times, when politics are more polarizing than nationalism is galvanizing, and the nightly news consistently kicks around the term “culture war,” many Americans would still like to believe that right is right, and wrong is wrong.
One of those Americans is attorney Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media (MIM), a watchdog for children and families.
Few would argue that Hollywood—the epicenter of America’s creative-side media—isn’t heavily tipped toward the liberal political persuasion. But Americans like Peters would expect that when it comes to the law, especially with regard to protecting children, none of that matters . . . And yet, this week, two different breaking entertainment news stories made it glaringly clear that it does.
Actor Mel Gibson is one of the few Hollywood celebrities who are not wont to align with such liberal views, and even has a history of railing against them. On Monday, he was publicly exposed for his sexist- and racist-anger veins for the second time in four years, when audio recordings of a vicious phone call to his girlfriend were released.
Almost immediately afterwards, his talent agency dropped him as a client, and the entertainment news media was writing his Hollywood-career epitaph.
Granted, it’s difficult to defend Gibson. But his problem is simply a failure to keep his highly offensive personal views and loud-mouthed threats to himself.
However, when acclaimed film director, Roman Polanski, is running from a child rape conviction, the Hollywood reaction is quite different.
The same day Gibson’s tapes were released, the Swiss announced that they would not extradite Polanski to the U.S. to face sentencing. From the beginning of that case, Hollywood has ashamedly come to Polanski’s defense—even though he confessed to the crime and, shortly thereafter, fled to Europe. Today, all you’ll hear from Tinseltown is speculation about when Polanski can return to filmmaking.
For a classic “what’s wrong with this picture?” assessment from a media analyst who is equally astute and passionate about Hollywood’s collective ethics, professional responsibilities and tendency for political misguidance, call Special Guests to arrange an interview with the extremely fair and always-enlightening Bob Peters.
ABOUT ROBERT PETERS:
Robert Peter is President of Morality in Media. He has been a guest on many television programs including three times on Larry King. He has been a diligent warrior in the fight against indecency for over two decades.
Headquartered in New York City, Morality In Media (MIM) works through constitutional means to curb traffic in illegal obscenity. MIM operates the www.obscenitycrimes.org website, where citizens can report possible violations of federal Internet obscenity laws.
Established in New York City in 1962 to combat pornography, Morality In Media works to inform citizens and public officials about the harms of pornography and about what they can do through law to protect their communities and children. MIM also works to maintain standards of decency on TV and in other media. Contributions are tax-exempt.
Morality In Media works through constitutional means to curb traffic in illegal obscenity. It operates the www.obscenitycrimes.org website, where citizens can report possible violations of federal Internet obscenity laws.