One might expect that after his drunken tirade against Jews, Mel Gibson's career in Hollywood would be finished, or at the least severely damaged.

Not so, believe media planners and buyers. They think he can recover.

Yet Media Life readers also believe that the virulent anti-Semitism expressed by Gibson during his recent drunk driving arrest is still relatively common in America, despite all the public emphasis in recent decades on respecting religious and cultural diversity.

Gibson was arrested last week for speeding after leaving a Malibu bar, his blood level at 1.2, well over the California limit, and during his arrest the actor and producer of the controversial "Passion of the Christ” allegedly let loose an anti-Semitic harangue, blaming the Jews for all wars, among things. In the following days, amid the storm of press coverage, ABC canceled a miniseries it has signed Gibson to produce on the Holocaust.

On Wednesday, Media Life posted a poll asking readers for their reaction to the Gibson debacle.

Readers were asked: How much damage did Gibson’s alleged anti-Semitic rant do to his career?

More than half, 55.4 percent, agreed with the statement: "Some but nothing that can’t be overcome. All will be forgiven after his next hit movie."

Just over a third, 34.3 percent, felt Gibson's career will be permanently damaged, agreeing with the statement: "A lot. He’s finished in Hollywood – after years of rumors about his anti-Jewish opinions and his dad’s Holocaust denial, no one will want to associate themselves with him now." The remainder thought Gibson's outburst would be quickly forgotten.

Readers by a large margin believe ABC did the right thing in canceling the Holocaust project, with 81.9 percent agreeing with the statement: "The guy’s radioactive right now. Why risk involvement with him on any project, much less one that deals with Jews?"

The remainder thought ABC erred, agreeing with the statement: "Think of the ratings they could have pulled. Watching Gibson sound off about the Holocaust would have been irresistible."

Media Life asked readers whether Gibson's tirade changed their view of the "Passion of the Christ,” which critics complained blamed the Jews for killing Jesus.

A small number, 15 percent, said it did, while twice that number said it did not, agreeing with the statement: "For goodness sakes, it’s a movie. Gibson gave an artistic interpretation. It had nothing to do with his feelings toward Jews." The rest, the majority, had no opinion because they had not seen the movie.

Media Life was curious as to whether readers suspected Gibson's anti-Semitic feelings were common in present-day American society. The question: With all the press over Gibson's drunken tirade, what does this say to you about anti-Semitism in America?

Opinions were divided but the consensus seems to be that it is still widespread.

A quarter, 24.8 percent, agreed with the statement: "It says nothing. Gibson is not an American, and he's also kind of a goofball."

But 35.3 percent hold the opposite view, agreeing with the statement: "It says it is alive and well. When you realize that a person of Gibson's offensive views can still become a successful actor and producer, it suggests there are many more out there who support his views."

In the middle were 39.9 percent of respondents, agreeing with the statement: "It tells me that it is still an issue, underlying but still present, yet not nearly as prevalent as it was a few decades ago."

Perhaps the most interesting insights came in the part of the survey in which readers were asked for their opinion of the whole Gibson affair. Media Life asked: What do you think the appropriate reaction toward Gibson is, from both Hollywood and the American public?

Opinions were all over the place. Many felt it all was much ado about nothing and that Gibson didn't deserve the attention.

Said one: "This is no big deal at all. Forgive Gibson and move on." And another: "He should be charged for his crimes if found guilty of drunk driving. All else should be deemed as the comments by an individual who was under the influence. It is not a crime to express yourself regardless of the content. Which is evident in most of what Hollywood says."

Many others followed in that vein:

"He's an entertainer. If I cared about the politics of entertainers -- I couldn't watch any of them."

"I don't care. Gibson is a Hollywood entertainer, and I don't care what they do or think. They are not my friends or family."

"Forgive and forget."

But other respondents were adamant, revealing disgust or contempt for Gibson and for Hollywood as well:

"His apology was merely to cover up his true feelings. He is an overpaid, undertalented actor who is full of himself. I think his 15 minutes of fame should be over."

"Dry out and read your history books, Mel!"

"Those in the community that are offended by Gibson's comments have every right to speak out against him. Drunkenness does not excuse his actions, and he should not be shielded by a good publicist and a stint in rehab."

"I think people should be outraged -- for the comments and the cover-up. While I don't think his tirade says anything about anti-Semitism in America, after all, he is just one man, I think episodes like this are shocking and should make everyone take stock."

"Mel Gibson's reaction proves how fake Hollywood is and demonstrates how well actors & directors can fake their beliefs for a part. The fact that Mel Gibson was planning on doing a movie for ABC about the Holocaust when he clearly had prejudices on the topic, makes Hollywood look even more phony than we already knew it to be."

"Either you lock him up or you load Gibson into an Israeli F16 and he gets dropped over a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon."

"Disdain and dump."

"Send him back to the outback -- with nothing but videos of 'Yentl' and 'Fiddler on the Roof' for entertainment."

"Force him out of the country for good."

"Hang him!"