Thug Waffle
Member
It is not, however, "more than fair" to pass off your interpretation as some sort of first-hand knowledge of the speaker's intent. I'm sitting here with my Jewish roommate - who, like me, works in the film industry - and laughing at your odd notion of what anti-semitism really is. You're taking a leap trying to decipher Oldman's statements, which were really pretty straightforward and not themselves indicative of anti-semitism.
Anti-semitism is "hostility or prejudice against Jews." Oldman's statement was neither hostile or prejudiced.
Prejudice is a "preconceived notion that is not based on reason or actual experience."
Anybody with "actual experience" in this industry will tell you that it is very densely populated with Jewish individuals, and this is particularly true with respect to studio executives, representation firms, and producers. Hollywood essentially is run by Jews. It's not a bad thing. Only a few of those Hollywood players who would say that "Jews run Hollywood" would be so bold as to contend that there's some sort of secret meetings going on behind closed doors wherein Jews decide who to blacklist and who to let off the hook.
Within this industry, saying "Jews run Hollywood" is far more commonly used as an observation of cultural prevalence, not as an allegation of collective conspiracy.
I'll reiterate:
Gary Oldman was pointing out that Mel Gibson angered a community that held the majority of the power in Hollywood and that's why it's been tough for him to match his previous successes. That was the statement. It wasn't: "The Jewish community's attempt to take over the world through Hollywood has been criticized by Mel Gibson. Now they won't use him as an instrument anymore."
Is Gary Oldman an anti-semite? Maybe, I don't know. Neither do you. Did that particular statement reek of anti-semitism? No, it rings with an intimate and accurate understanding of the industry in which the speaker works. He explicitly stated that Gibson said the "wrong thing." Gibson insulted a community that holds the most power in his industry. Now he doesn't work as often or make as much money from his work. That's the truth.
Follow your own advice and try not to be so dense. Your reading the language in Oldman's statement as anti-semitic has been addressed above.
Gibson, on the other hand, has been quite hostile to other communities, but his disdain for Jewish enterprise in the biz predates the racial bigotry he's spewed en masse in recent years. You'll find that, above all, Gibson was chiefly villainized in Hollywood for anti-semitic remarks and artistic expressions. Rightfully so.
There's a big difference between what Oldman said and what Gibson's said. You're refusing to acknowledge this.
