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The Revolution.
By matt | June 13, 2007
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Two Problems
If you haven’t read the comments on the Paris post, they are interesting reading. There are two things that come out in the things people wrote.
First, there is the problem of the ‘media’. Money is best made by the ‘media’ through sensational and negative stories. Thus, we will never see a story of redemption on the news. Best case, if Hilton turns her life around, we’ll see her on Oprah or in a Lifetime Channel made-for-cable movie.
Second, there is the question of justice. Hilton did something wrong, but it was minor offense. What Hilton did was essentially a high-class “Cops” script, played on the evening news.
The Player.
Paris Hilton may have led a mostly worthless life: ethically, religiously, philosophically.
However, she isn’t dead yet and has time to change. As long as she hasn’t done something completely reprehensible — injured a person or worse — then as much as I dislike her I can’t hate her. If I hated her, I’d have to hate many other people…maybe even myself.
The Game.
As Lakeside Ling points out, there are systems in place that fosters belief in class, in privilege, and worse. (Apologies if I’m turning a comment about spoiled brats into a pseudo-Marxist rant.)
The vapid lives created by the society in which we live don’t justify our pillory of the vain. We’re flawed ourselves and I think it’s an excessive punishment given their “crime”.
I think the answer is to understand the system and figure out how to tear it down. Anything else means we endure endless streams of Hilton-clones, even if the real Hilton reforms.
To understand where I’m coming from, check out the rules I proposed. Maybe my theme with this whole topic is: be compassionate but work for change.
Viva la Revolución!
Topics: crime & punishment, entertainment |
June 14th, 2007 at 8:42 am
“Paris Hilton may have led a mostly worthless life: ethically, religiously, philosophically.
However, she isn’t dead yet and has time to change.”
Why does Paris have to change? For all I know, she could be going to church every Sunday and leading Kierkegaard discussions.
There seem to be many snap decisions about how she was brought up and what her motivations are for the way she is.
I don’t know how she was brought up nor do I know her motivations for what she does. Are the judgements an effort to make oneself superior to Paris in some way? By any American standard, Paris is superior to me, more wealth, more fame, better looking. The same can be said of the person next to me at work. If I’m bothered by that (I’m not) then I should be trying harder to excel in those attributes (I don’t) But honestly, who the hell really cares?
June 14th, 2007 at 9:31 am
There are plenty of judgments made about her without understanding the full context. That’s very true.
And who cares? Well, I don’t especially care about Hilton because she has no effect on my life. However, it’s clear that a few million people care.
Frankly, if the American standard is simply measured on how much she has, then I don’t like the standard. Any system that doesn’t have room for compassion isn’t a system I like and is a system I think should be changed. So that’s my interest…
June 14th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Maybe it’s about being more aware of the different ways people preceive and interact with the world around them - be the difference caused by ethnicity, religion, generation or class - if you can understand the differences, it’s far easier to feel compassion. It’s easy to vilify someone who (seemingly) has it it all and (seemingly) squanders it. By reacting negatively to it, you’re telling the world “I would NEVER act that way!” But maybe there’s something in her particular experience that leads to acting that way - some incentive that you can’t conceive of because it’s simply not on your menu of options.
Here’s a great article on a woman who studies the differences between classes… get it while it’s hot (read: free)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/magazine/10payne-t.html?pagewanted=2