It is with great consternation that I seem to be inundated with news about Paris Hilton in all media outlets as well as the blogosphere. There seem to be a great many people who are over-joyed at her recent mishaps. Now, I am no fan of the girl, but she has never wronged me (and probably has done nothing to the millions of people who seem to hate her). I feel she is a vacuous person, but the point is ... she is a person with emotions and feelings. She also has friends and family who love her ... who must also be hurting.
It seems that most people dislike her simply because they don't think she deserves everything that she has. Maybe she doesn't, but what does that say about this society, that they feel they should pass judgement on this girl.
Judge not ... lest ye be judged.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Are We A Vindictive Society?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
29 comments:
Honestly, I don't think she's a "bad" person. I think she grew up in a lifestyle that we just can't identify with so we are more apt to be intolerant of her behavior. I just always think of her as having the mentality of a child. It irritates me on all the attention she is getting more than anything...because I feel like the media won't leave it alone more than Paris is flaunting herself. Now, granted, I don't think she should have gotten out of jail because she, like any other member of society did something wrong and there are consequences to that.
I am expecting her to attempt suicide out of her desperation as her next step.
Regardless on how anyone feels about her, your view is certainly appreciated. She is a person.
--snow
Pretty power stuff Paul, but might I add that I was not mad it her. I was mad that we set up a justice system so that we can punish people who break the law and a sheriff goes and disregard the judges and the courts orders. When a sheriff can bypass the law and release a prisoner whenever he likes, that brings the justice system down and invalidates it. How can we promote democracy if we can't get it right?
People love to hate. It could have been anybody, but because it was Hilton, people were up in arms because it seemed money had again circumvented out trusted government processes.
Friday renewed our faith on this system. Of course we are going to rejoice.
Well put! I agree with Snow.I have many views on Paris, but I have to stand by my, "I am done" with Paris stance and not even talk about her anymore! She's a person, she makes mistakes, she needs to pay the consequences, she needs to take responsibility for her actions! Her family can afford to buy new happy feelings...just kidding - good for them for having shit tons of money and raising an entitled daughter!
I find it interseting that the American Dream is supposed to be one where a person is prosperous and happy. We as Americans don't like to be reminded of the fact that the American Dream is a myth. And Paris does that on a regular basis as do many of the "stars" and politicians for that matter. There is this idea that money fixes things and that seems to be a fixture in our consumer driven lives.
The Hilton's did what we are all supposed to want to do. Work hard, make a name for yourself and make the lives of future generations of your family better. When that comes crashing down, when money does not make things better or right, when we see people who "have it all" crash and burn it not only leaves a bad taste in our mouths but begins I think for most, to make us question what they hell we are working for. That is why people get so mad, not that it is right to push that onto a girl who obviously has her own issues to deal with.
It is so much easier to blame Paris than to really look at our economic system and political system that allows for this and even easier to blame Paris than to look at ourselves as citizens and realize that this is life and money does not fix it, nor does it make the world go round.
snow ... if anyone had any doubts about Paris being a child ... they only had to watch "The Simple Life" to have those opinions validated. The thing is ... nobody does all their time in LA County Jail. When someone is sent to county, it is more a "scare them" type facility than a punishment one. People are hoping that hearing the cell door slam shut will change their lives. Michelle Rodriguez ("Lost" star) only did like 2 hours of her 30 day sentance.
mike ... people without money get out of LA County Jail early all the time ... people without money are not even sentanced as strictly as Paris was. The judge in this case is just trying to show that he is tough on celebrity crime. Must be election time.
jenny ... isn't the American Dream partly about your kids having it better than you did? The parents failed in instilling a few things in Paris' character, but I don't fault them for having lots of money ... I respect and envy them.
sarah ... the "American Dream" is not a myth. I hear success stories daily on how people are achieving it. The dream is not about getting filthy rich ... it is about being able to buy a home, and provide for your children and the hope that your kids will do even better than you. I have been to college graduations and seen the tears gushing out of the proud parents as their kids walked the stage.
You can't blame our Political and Social systems for Paris Hilton ... she would have been Euro-trash if she had grown up overseas.
This was a thought provoking post. I think that as a society we get so tired of "celebrities" getting away with the things that normal people don't . I think this may be MORE of where people are coming from in respects to Paris.
Yes she is a person with feelings.. But she also is a role model for our youth today. She has a huge responsibility which has been ignored.
But, who am I to judge? Noone Judgement is not mine to impart (Thank God). My only hope, is that this is a learning experience for her that she can grow from the experience... and show us something real! (excluding porn tapes and saying that's hot) lol Hope you are having a great day friend.
Thanks for visiting my blog again!
I don't have an opinion either way on Paris Hilton, but she broke the law and should have served the sentence she was given like anyone else would have been expected to do.
shibari ... you got my whole point. We are not the ones to be judging anyone. One of these days I will actually have to pull jury duty and be forced to judge my fellow man ... till that day, I will try to stay out of the judging business.
akelamalu ... the whole point I was trying to make is the vitriol that Paris gets from so many people. Of course she should serve her sentance ... but it seems that she got a harsher penalty than anyone else would get for the same offense, just because of who she was.
Hey sometimes I am on top of things.. erm.. current events and such.
Have a great day Paul!
Well if you are going to go "biblical" then...an eye for an eye...She deserves her lumps just like you or I...Just because her father made billions and she is a celb-u-tont...doesn't give her the right to be treated "special"...
She made her choices and deserves the consequences just like the rest of us???
What if she had KILLED someone? Would it make it any less or more dramatic?
I think the OVER zealous reporters need a "chill-pill" but the media has been a wee bit over zealous in all matters "hollywood"....
shibari ... I'm sure you are often on-top of the situation (current events and such)
superstar ... I may be wrong, but "an eye for an eye" is from the Code of Hamurabi and not the Bible. The Bible states "If your right eye offends thee ... then pluck it out" Neither of these sayings are something we should live with in modern society. "He who is without sin ... let him cast the first stone", is more like the Bible I remember. As for "special treatment", did you know in California you have the option of going to a "self-pay" jail? This would have been easier for her, and she could have afforded the $127.00 a day fee. She chose not to go this route.
ah! Its not for us to be judgemental. Let the system meant to do it do that!
The fact remains, that she didnt choose to be born in her family!& yet there are consequences to your acts...
& media has to earn bread, so why shud we work up our tempers over that?
I don't fault them for having tons of money, they worked hard for it, I fault them for expecting the world to bend over for them because they have lots of money. Lots of money and special treatment can't go hand in hand for all situations!
mona ... I'm not faulting the media, if people didn't want to know all the horrid little details, they wouldn't bother themselves with it. I am blaming our society.
jenny ... for someone who is "done with Paris", you do have a lot of opinions. Just kidding, Privilidge is a thing that these kids have known all their lives. Hopefully in Paris' case this will serve as a wake up call ... and isn't that what prison for minor offenses is supposed to be?
ok, i don't car eif it is paris or the working class guy down the street. a drunk driver who violates probation while having their license suspended should serve the maximum time permitted by law.
in her case it seems worse to me because how many private dirvers must this pampered child have at her disposal who she could have called to drive her? there is simply no excuse.
when she gets out she or anyone else who does this ought to be required to help take care of people permanently disabled by drunk drivers, they ought to attend a few DD funerals, and they ought to have to help clean up a few grisly accident scenes. then they can chauffer around some slobbering drunks who needs sober drivers.
the thing that makes her som completely odious is that it is a media circus and she really (even for all her kicking and screaming) seems to be happy to have it be so.
i don't wish her ill.
i wish her to serve her time, learn her damn lesson and go away.
lime ... she absolutely needs to be punished and serve her sentance. But what is good for the goose is good for the gander, and all people convicted of this crime need to be punished just as harshly. It is not the the severity of her punishment that struck me, it was that it was considered harsh compared to what others were getting.
kudos to you for going against the grain of the great Paris hating campaign.....My proverbial hat is off to you!
Peace
odat ... just trying to be fair to the girl ... thanks
Although it might seem that this is coming at Hilton, I believe it is aimed at what her keepers tried to do to make it easier for her. The judge represents law and when he makes a lawful order it is to be carried out. This the keepers failed to do and they tried to circumvent the judges orders which were very explisite. She is not to have home detention, at least that is my take on the situation. I am suprised they all were not held in contempt for ignoring his orders and doing what they wanted. Does this make sense???
I like this. True, no big deal about her sentence (although justice isn't always served anyway, so if someone manages to escape their punishment, i'd say kudos to them). Yes, I don't dare judge at all....! ;-)
tapline ... I think the sherrif saw that the judge was trying to make an example of Paris and gave her a break. The problem is, the sherrif is supposed to enforce the law and the judge lays down the law. The sherrif overstepped his boundaries. I think he was not held in contempt because the judge didn't want to make the situation bigger. If I were the judge ... I would have the sherrif serve out the rest of Paris' sentance.
eve ... welcome to my blog. I do not like to see people escaping punishment for a very selfish reason ... I always get caught and punished for things that I do.
i completely agree...the punishment i suggest is one i think everyone should have to endure who is similarly convicted....i just happen to think she has even fewer excuses than the average citizen because she has so many people at her disposal who could have driven her.
lime ... of course, she has the means to hire a driver (or two or three). I have seen drunk drivers insist on driving even if their passengers were sober and offered to drive. Part of the problem of drunk driving is that your ability to make these decisions is impaired. A few years ago, Paris wouldn't even have been considered as drunk. Her BAC was only 0.08, which is the current limit to be charged (it used to be 0.10). At that BAC, she may not even have realized that she was drunk (she is blonde after all).
I don't think I can trully be "done" with Paris...but, she has announced that she is going to, "stop being dumb"!!! Yeah!
jenny ... is she going to change her hair color?
No, otherwise the peroxide would allow her brain cells to breath, and that would be a very bad thing!
jenny ... oh, I so hate it when my brain cells breath :P
I'd have to pretty much agree with lime on this one. It wasn't a hardship in the least having her licence suspended, then being caught twice driving around happy-go-lucky, having the nerve to show up late for court, etc...
This has been one of the most interesting posts (with comment interaction) I've read...better than any debate team I've ever heard.
I've had mixed feelings about the whole Paris episode. I can agree with you on your views but at the same time sit back and see the influence she is having on our young girls, right here in my little hometown. And then, again, much of this influence can be put right back on the parents for allowing their young girls to emmulate the celebrities; not only Paris, but also...Britney Spears, Natalie Maines, and others.
Didn't mean for this comment to get so long. This post is really a 'thought provoker'!
You had a lot of good input.
Post a Comment