Essay 4882

Special treatment in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s office of independent review reported Mel Gibson may have received special treatment when arrested for drunk driving last year. A supervisor apparently tried to censor the arrest report—which detailed the star’s anti-Semitic rants—but a captain overruled the attempt. Meanwhile, it was decided that Paris Hilton received no special treatment when she was jailed for a probation violation. Of course, Gibson and Hilton technically received special treatment in warranting these special reports, as regular people arrested in Los Angeles probably don’t see such concern from officials.

• The Miami Herald interviewed GM CEO Rick Wagoner, who expressed guarded optimism about the year ahead. “We look forward to the sunny days, but realistically we can’t plan on it for next year,” said Wagoner. “We’ve got the best car in the segment [with the 2008 Chevy Malibu]. It will be a very good test case to see how far we can, how quickly we can, begin to change not only image but then consideration of the purchase.” The automaker will need to do better than the forgettable “It’s the car you can’t ignore” campaign.