´óÏó´«Ã½

I haven't heard anything about Mr Bale's rant (as you put it).

It could well be a cleverly(?) contrived scheme to gain publicity.

All the hype and razzemataz of the film industry is only surpassed by the cavortings and rantings of our beloved politicians.

There is one word for this obnoxious and aggressive behaviour - BULLYING pure and simple - anyone who does this only does so because their ego is out of control and they have an over-inflated sense of their own importance.

NO ONE and I mean no one has the ability to verbally assault someone else and then live to believe that they were justified in doing so since the other person is lower down the greasy pole of celebrity than they are.

You say this is 'generational' - this could be an explanation for people on public transport who seem to think it is their god-given right to harangue staff with rude, arrogant, profane and vitriolic venom and expect to get away with it.

It just demonstrates a complete lack of class and only the likes of Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson are allowed to get away with it, neither of whom appear to be in the running for any Oscars this year.

The fact that Bale is alleged to have been as badly behaved to his own mother shows this ignorance and idiocy have been tolerated for long enough.

I am reading the 'Dirk Bogarde Letters' - a man who certainly is not 'PC' and who uses expletives liberally - but he would never stoop so low as this feeble tirade from a man who makes Craig Bellamy look well brought up and a paragon of virtue.

Razia:
I have heard the comments from Christian Bale, and he should have been more diplomatic with his using of those words...

~Dennis Junior~

What makes you think that only older people are offended by this outburst? It seems a sweeping and very glib statement to make.

I do agree with James 2550 that Razia and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ should be rather less agist is the matter of acceptable language. The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s DG revealed that the audience for Rossie' former edgy Radio 2 show on which the Ross/ Brant 'event' occurred was well over 50 on average. However the Bale incident occurred at work and is a matter for those involved. I'm sure the crew have their own way of dealing with Mr Bale and indeed the publicising of this incidents suggests they have. No doubt his agent has mentioned to him that perhaps that he is now a bit of a risk. Insuring the risk of production delays in films he 'stars' in will have certainly gone up.

Not quite generational divide. I'm pretty sure that, back in the day, you were all just as entertained by the antics of Oliver Reed et al, and the older generation was just as outraged and offended.

We expect actors (especially method actors like Mr Bale) to be a bit unhinged, it's part of the job, and it's always interesting to see just how far it goes.

The only big question here is where on earth was the director when this was happening? And what does that say about the likely quality of the directing?

Culturally relative responses to this are inappropriate. Our cultural relativism is a sign of sloppy thinking and is putting us in danger. Either there are standards for human behaviour that are 'right', or the US can go ahead and hang convicted murderers (forgetting for a minute that innocent people are often convicted), and it is fine to beat women, employ children as slave labour, and so on.

It is irrelevant that one camp feels it is bad, another is surprised and another feels it is alright, what matters is the truth.

A sign of Society's increasing tolerance to willful behaviour perhaps?

Have to say though, as a husband to a wife with Epilepsy, that I take as much offence to the phrase "hissy fit" as I do to a rant of bad language.

Poor form, Razia