Christopher Knowles at the Secret Sun reminds us this week that Mel Gibson’s crazed dad — a reputed Holocaust denier and darling of white nationalist broadcasters — deserves much of the credit for creating Hollywood’s favorite real-life monster.

Knowles calls upon his own experiences, as well, to make the case:

I very much doubt that growing up with a guy like Hutton as your father made for a lot of smiles and sunshine. I wouldn’t be surprised if that belt didn’t come off at the slightest possible infraction. Growing up in a neighborhood with a lot of people raised in the pre-Vatican II church, I got to know the mentality.

via The Secret Sun: Mel-ennium, or The Real Passion.