John Galliano is only the latest celebrity to enter rehab after making bigoted comments. It’s almost the expected move at this point — but prejudice isn’t something you can twelve-step your way out of.
According to the Times, Galliano has left France to seek treatment for alcoholism, probably at a facility called The Meadows in Arizona. This won’t eliminate the consequences of his alleged anti-Semitic rant — he’s lost his job, and could face prison time in France — but it will make him look contrite, which is probably at least part of the goal. Galliano’s friends are apparently concerned about his drinking, but the timing of his retreat to Arizona makes it seem like he’s really in rehab for bigotry.
A number of celebs have gone this route in the past. Mel Gibson went to rehab after his anti-Semitic tirade against a cop in 2006 — and was rumored to be considering it again last year when his racist rants at Oksana Grigorieva surfaced. And Isaiah Washington reportedly entered rehab in 2007 after using a homophobic slur in reference to his costar. Even then, media outlets were criticizing the rehab-trip-as-PR-move. And Washington eventually clarified that he was really in “executive counseling,” adding, “There is no rehab for homophobia.”
No, there isn’t. And being drunk — or being an alcoholic, for that matter — isn’t an excuse for anti-Semitism. Though alcohol certainly lowers inhibitions, it doesn’t change people’s personal beliefs or magically plant prejudices in their heads. Far more likely: getting boozed up simply makes celebs say things they think deep down, but are ordinarily savvy enough not to utter when there are cameras present.
I’d like to think it’s possible for even bigoted people to learn the error of their ways, and maybe rehab is as good a place as any to begin that process. But in the case of Galliano or Gibson — or Charlie Sheen, for that matter, with his “Chaim Levine” comments — we shouldn’t forget that addiction doesn’t make you a bigot. They’re separate problems, and while treating the former may help with the latter, it’s not some magical cure-all. And just as addiction doesn’t cause prejudice, rehab isn’t the way to atone for it. Real atonement usually starts with an apology — and so far, Galliano’s leaves a lot to be desired.
Galliano Said To Be Headed For Rehab [NYT]
Earlier: John Galliano: “I Completely Deny The Claims Made Against Me”