Celebrities, Bad Behavior, Contrition, and the Boston Globe

Today’s Boston Globe had an editorial on Mel Gibson’s DUI and his unacceptable conduct. Here As many other commentators have recently suggested, many celebrities engage in conduct that is deplorable, and Mr. Gibson’s falls within that category. He has twice offered public apologies, the second of which resembles an act of contrition. The ADL has noted this and indicated that this is a step forward, and the ADL looks forward to other positive acts once Mr. Gibson has completed his alcohol rehabilitation. Here The Boston Globe did not offer such a conciliatory note as did the ADL.

After considering the Globe’s editorial for some time, I was curious to see if this paper has in the past scolded other celebrities for their bad behavior when it was directed against Catholics and the Church. While my search has not been completed, I decided to begin with a pursuit for Globe editorials critiquing Sir Elton John’s harsh remarks that he has offered about Catholics and the Church in the past. It appears that the Globe has not commented on his intemperate rhetoric. Perhaps it was because Sir Elton was sober when his remarks were made and Mr. Gibson was not. I wonder if that is the distinction in the Globe’s policy: only intoxicated celebrities who offer bigoted remarks need public chastisement by the Globe.

This raises for me a question about whether the Globe’s editorial was really about Mel Gibson or was it about and directed to something else. I shall continue to ponder this matter, but in the meantime, I resume my search for the Globe editorial(s) on Sir Elton.    RJA sj