Alright ladies and gents, the rampant voyeurism forced on us by mainstream media and the bloodthirsty paparazzi has finally brought me to the contentious and ugly line that divides normal human decency from the instinctive urge to see others suffer. As a result, I find myself in a precarious position: take the high ground, ignore the latest Paris Hilton debacle and pretend the whole thing doesn’t disgust me, or write about it and risk sinking to the level of the very so-called “journalists” which I so despise. But do you really think I could let it go?
I am Blogger; hear me roar.
Yes, Paris Hilton committed a crime. Yes, she should be held accountable according to the laws established by the criminal justice system and the state of California. I’m not by any means an expert on the law, so I can’t speak as to whether the sentence issued by the judge in her case was fair. I’ve heard it argued that she was given an exorbitant punishment because the judge saw the opportunity to make an example of her, and I’ve heard it argued that she was given a reduced sentence because of her wealth, celebrity status, and familial power. I don’t know, and quite frankly I don’t care.
What I do care about is the fact that we seem to care so much. Images of Hilton being traipsed in and out of jail have been splashed across the TV screen and the news stands for the past week. The other day I was watching CNN and they devoted an excessive five-plus minute expose on the Hilton ordeal. And CNN is supposed to be a legitimate news source (or so I thought). I can only imagine the feeding frenzy at Entertainment Tonight and The National Enquirer.
Paris has been the butt of crude jokes (most memorably an aggressively unfunny crack about the bars on her cell being painted like male genitalia courtesy of the decidedly unfunny Sarah Silverman). And now we’ve seen her cry. Congratulations, America. Deep down isn’t that what we really wanted? To make the girl cry?
It’s funny (but not in a haha sort of way) how quickly we all jump on our puritanical high-horses to point the finger and humiliate an insecure, misguided, confused young woman. Of course I think Paris Hilton is a pathetic excuse for a human being, a negative role model for girls world-wide, and generally speaking a drain on society. I don’t imagine for a second that she would forfeit her celebrity for a chance at enlightenment or a normal life. But we must remember that nobody asked her. She was thrust into the spotlight, and even as she so wholeheartedly embraces it, she didn’t choose it.
So as we gaze down from our pedestals, imagining ourselves to be morally superior, we must remember that all of us were once lost little children. Paris Hilton deserves, like we all do, a chance to make mistakes, to learn, and to find her way. Whether or not she uses this opportunity to better herself remains to be seen, but until she decides one way or the other, it is basic human decency to leave her some dignity.
Thanks for reading.
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I was listening to a radio talk show just the other day and they had some interesting comments. I believe it was Joe Sucheray (or however you spell it) that said that 6 years back, just before 9 - 11 the stuff that is dominating the media now was essentially the same as then. Joe made the comment back then that if this is the type of stuff the American public is most concerned about, then something really bad is going to happen. He said he has the same feeling again with the Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, etc.
Not to say that Joe is a psychic or anything, but it is sad that with everything going on in the world the American public is so taken with the lives of these morons. I think it says something about our intelligence, or at the very least how naive we are.
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