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Jesse Walker sighs at the public spectacle that is Paris Hilton.
Bee|6.18.07 @ 12:06PM|#
I thought sex offenders were our modern scapegoats.
Except they never get "redeemed" or "cleansed".
|6.18.07 @ 12:12PM|#
Yeah, yeah, oh let me taste your tears Paris. Ummm, your tears
are so yummy and sweet.
Oh, the tears of unfathomable sadness. Yummy, yummy guys.
|6.18.07 @ 12:22PM|#
Yeah, she's a twit. But the point is that she's doing 45 days for what Joe Shit the ragman would get something like house arrest.
SPD|6.18.07 @ 12:30PM|#
Why does Paris get to be the scapegoat? Didn't Mr. Slave beat her in a "whore-off" or something?
stephen the goldberger|6.18.07 @ 12:31PM|#
Good article. We hate Paris for being shameless and doing what she wants regardless of how it makes her look. And that pisses us off.
SPD|6.18.07 @ 12:31PM|#
ed,
I thought we warned you about forcing us to take good, hard looks
at ourselves!
|6.18.07 @ 12:32PM|#
Yeah, she's a twit. But the point is that she's doing 45
days for what Joe Shit the ragman would get something like house
arrest.
The point seems to be that the state is going out of their way to
try give the appearance that justice is just as
harsh on the rich and famous and connected as it is on Joe Shit.
Imagine the outcry the other way. If she would have just gotten a
slap on the wrist, Joe Shit would be screaming bloody murder for
her special treatment.
My belief is this:
Paris Hilton can't take a dump without photogs showing up. When she
had her license suspended and chose to drive anyway knowing full
well that she would be photoed and videoed doing so, I would
imagine many a prosecutor and jurist would feel she is showing
contempt for the justice system and acting as if rules and
punishments don't apply to her for some reason.
I imagine this belief played a part in the judge being adamant that
she serve time in jail.
I'm not shedding any tears for Hilton. I am sure though that, since
the conditions she had to endure were so terrible and it wreaked
such havoc on her psyche, that maybe she will now user her wealth
and profile to push for better prison conditions and treatment for
convicts.
|6.18.07 @ 12:40PM|#
Either she's preternaturally stupid, or she's in on the
joke.
Is it really that much of a stretch, Jesse, to think the former may
be the truth?
|6.18.07 @ 12:42PM|#
"Either she's preternaturally stupid, or she's in on the
joke."
This is a pretty compelling argument. I know next to nothing about
her, but I doubt she is under-educated, and may very well be
laughing all the way to the bank. As far as the teary ride back to
the clink, sometimes we overshoot our marks.
|6.18.07 @ 12:43PM|#
The point seems to be that the state is going out of their
way to try give the appearance that justice is just as harsh on the
rich and famous...
Concur. See Martha Stewart for more of the same. Yes, the wealthy
and well connected get away with far too much and that is an
injustice. Excessively punishing a few hi-vis cases doesn't change
that. It just helps keep the far too uncritical public quiet.
Brian|6.18.07 @ 12:49PM|#
She got an excessive sentence no matter how much you dislike her. It's pretty ridiculous. I really see no reason to hate her.
|6.18.07 @ 12:50PM|#
I'm sorry Jesse. I'm usually a fan of your stuff, but I think
you blew it here.
Either she's preternaturally stupid, or she's in on the joke.
Why can't she be both? She may be "in on the joke", but she isn't
deliberately manufacturing her image and manipulating the media the
way say Madonna did. Paris is nothing more than a skanky whore, and
she's been fortunate enough to capitalize on that. Her tearful
tantrum at the courthouse showed her true colors to be the same
one's she's been wearing all along.
Paris' signature is that insufferable smirk. If she had any sense
of controlling her media image, she'd have kept that smirk.
Jozef|6.18.07 @ 12:51PM|#
"Either she's preternaturally stupid, or she's in on the
joke."
I honestly believe that mentally and emotionally she is on the
level of a 8 years-old. Just like Michael Jackson. She doesn't
understand why she's in prison, nor does she understand that some
of her actions may have nasty consequences. Her handlers are doing
a pretty good job at portraying her as a mature human being, but
sooner or later they're gonna fail, just like they failed with
Jackson. For her own protection, I would take away most of her
privileges that could hurt her or others (driver license, voting
right, etc.) and appoint a guardian that would take care of
her.
|6.18.07 @ 1:01PM|#
Jozef,
I agree. But there's one flaw with your plan. Paris Hilton is now a
product, worth vast sums. That value could be jeopardized by a
guardian who would threaten her "bad girl, spoiled and stupid,
privileged and irresponsible, hedonistic in the most dull and
predictable ways" marketability.
|6.18.07 @ 1:29PM|#
"Being a scapegoat is part of her job."
Etiquette says we don't have to stop dunking her 'til she confesses
to being a witch.
|6.18.07 @ 1:31PM|#
The in and out and in of jail business is not justice served blindly. But, didn't she get pulled over something like four times after her license was suspended? Judges don't take well to that stuff.
Garth|6.18.07 @ 1:32PM|#
My understanding is that the 45 day sentence is not for a lone
offense, but a pattern of multiple similar offenses and that she
was nearly held in contempt for her courtroom behavior and general
-- well contempt remains the best word -- of the whole justice
system.
Were she a real scapegoat she should be either exiled or put to
death.... SAY! Not a bad idea!
|6.18.07 @ 1:44PM|#
She got an excessive sentence no matter how much you dislike
her.
She didn't get an excessive sentence. Others have gotten more
lenient sentences by not flaunting the law on camera and not acting
like entitled douchebags to a their judges. The judge didn't make
up a punishment for her, he threw the book at her because she gave
him no compelling reason not to.
|6.18.07 @ 1:47PM|#
Hilton had her license suspended for a DUI, continued to drive
and was caught driving twice. She's not in jail as a
scapegoat, she's in jail for the contempt she showed the court by
ignoring its order multiple times.
You're a judge. You give a defendant probation with terms X, Y and
Z. Defendant agrees to probation but states that terms X, Y and Z
don't apply to her and she won't keep them. What do you do?
DM|6.18.07 @ 1:50PM|#
If the argument is that most people get out earlier on house arrest because the jails are overcrowed, then what is wrong with Paris not getting out early when she was in, IIRC, the "Special Detention" wing, with a 2 person cell to herself
bill|6.18.07 @ 1:57PM|#
She makes $100,000 dollars a half hour for appearing at clubs
and events. Last year she made 6.5 million doing this. I'd like to
be that stupid.
Steve,
She got reckless driving (a misdemeanor) and driving on a suspended
license (a misdemeanor) not a DUI.
|6.18.07 @ 2:02PM|#
"She got reckless driving (a misdemeanor) and driving on a
suspended license (a misdemeanor) not a DUI."
Both of which suggest that she might in fact be a witch!
|6.18.07 @ 2:07PM|#
If she really wanted to make a splash, she'd join a political
cult and become a bank robber. ...yeah, I know--already been
done.
Short of that, I'd suggest she come out of prison as a born again
Christian and then marry a black guy.
Brian|6.18.07 @ 2:11PM|#
Jan. 15: Hilton is pulled over by California Highway Patrol and
informed that her license is suspended. She signs a document
acknowledging she is not to drive.
Jan. 22: Hilton pleads no contest to a reduced charge of
alcohol-related reckless driving. She is placed on three years
probation, ordered to enroll in alcohol education and pay $1,500 in
fines.
Feb. 27: Hilton is ticketed for misdemeanor driving with a
suspended license. A copy of the document signed Jan. 15 is found
in her glove compartment.
March 29: The city attorney's office says it will ask a judge to
revoke Hilton's probation.
May 3: Prosecutors recommend Hilton serve 45 days in jail for a
probation violation.
Wow - 45 days for that. Ridiculous.
|6.18.07 @ 2:18PM|#
Throw in that she was late to her hearing, showed a distinct
lack of any awareness of the gravity of her situation, and
generally pissed off the judge.
Then ladle in the fact -- very obvious to the judge -- that Paris
Hilton, of all people, would find compliance with a 1500 dollar
fine and a driver's license suspension to be trivial. Yet she
didn't do it.
She deserved having the book thrown at her. For most people,
suspension of license + fine is at the very least a significant
hassle. For her, it's nothing.
Theodoric of York, Medieval Ju|6.18.07 @ 2:34PM|#
Wood floats. Therefore if she floats, she must be made of wood. Since we cannot dunk her, we should cut off her arms and legs. If they be made of wood, then she is a with and we must burn her.
|6.18.07 @ 2:35PM|#
I was going to list the timeline of events that gives a better
picture of what's going on here than the article suggests but
people beat me to it.
Paris Hilton all but begged to get slapped down and she finally
did. And then she decided to once again play the system with her
"illness" and got slapped down.
The goal of jail should be to deter future criminal behaviour. I
have a feeling HIlton has been deterred.
|6.18.07 @ 2:42PM|#
"Throw in that she was late to her hearing, showed a
distinct lack of any awareness of the gravity of her situation, and
generally pissed off the judge."
Then she must be a witch!
The Wine Commonsewer|6.18.07 @ 3:21PM|#
Do libertarians come to this site anymore?
[smirks]
[sighs, closes Firefox and goes back to work]
JG|6.18.07 @ 4:16PM|#
No, she pretty much got what Joe Shmoe would have gotten,
because small sentences like this can be across the board. A
(non-famous) teenage girl once got the maximum - 6 months - for
shoplifting for her first offense, as an example.
Crap happens to ordinary people. Crap just happened to Paris, and
the sentence wasn't unreasonably out of order.
I don't know why anyone is defending this twit.
And as to the people who think she's secretly smart: Her family's
got money. Her family sent her to one of the best private schools.
Her family could afford tutors, it could afford a professor as a
tutor. Paris was known to be "slow" in school and never got her
diploma. All accounts are that she is stupid.
If she comes up with a new twist on quantum mechanics, I'll retract
my words. Until then, being a hedonistic twit who gets money is not
the same thing as being smart.
|6.18.07 @ 4:37PM|#
"Her family sent her to one of the best private schools. Her
family could afford tutors, it could afford a professor as a tutor.
Paris was known to be "slow" in school and never got her diploma.
All accounts are that she is stupid.
She might be stupid. ...or maybe she's a witch!
|6.18.07 @ 4:47PM|#
Goldberger says: "Good article. We hate Paris for being
shameless and doing what she wants regardless of how it makes her
look. And that pisses us off."
Being libertarian doesn't mean approving of another person's
reprehensible behavior. It means not siccing the cops on them if
their behavior isn't harming others.
If you were just trying to be witty and snarky there, my bad. Carry
on!
|6.18.07 @ 5:00PM|#
Re: my 4:47 post:
After reading the posts below Goldbergers', looks like PH asked for
more jail time, between the reckless driving and the complete lack
of repentence indicating she'd keep on endangering others if not
given a bit of a smackdown.
In my defense, I make a point of not following MSM accounts of
"celebrity" misdeeds, so I didn't know what PH did until I read
this thread.
|6.18.07 @ 5:21PM|#
She's not doing society any good sitting in a jail cell for 45 days. If I were doing the sentencing, I would have given her 500 hours serving as whore to English majors at engineering schools. She'd enjoy it and we'd save some lives.
Jesse Walker|6.18.07 @ 5:23PM|#
You can cite the judge's grounds for jailing Paris Hilton all
you want. You can argue (as many here do) that they are reasonable,
and you can argue (as I would) that they are not. But does anyone
really think that they have anything to do with why so much of the
public is demanding that she be jailed?
You don't have to be innocent to be a scapegoat.
Ashley|6.18.07 @ 5:27PM|#
Either she's preternaturally stupid, or she's in on the
joke.
Third alternative is possible--just a kid who wants attention and
is emotionally unable to differentiate a beating and a hug. Got a
generation of kids that mostly fit in that diagnostic.
And what Jozef said about Michael Jackson.
|6.18.07 @ 5:36PM|#
"But does anyone really think that they have anything to do
with why so much of the public is demanding that she be
jailed?"
Even in this thread the complaints seem to be mostly about
wealth.
I suppose it's an improvement--punishing people for class envy
rather than on religious grounds. ...but I'm not convinced there
isn't some latent misogyny underlying some of this too.
Blatant sexuality and an idle mind! ...might as well just call her
a witch.
Brian|6.18.07 @ 5:48PM|#
I don't know why anyone is defending this twit.
All accounts are that she is stupid.
OK then, lock her up for life I guess.
JG|6.18.07 @ 5:50PM|#
"...but I'm not convinced there isn't some latent misogyny
underlying some of this too."
-----------------
In some settings - I'm not sure about here - treating people
equally has turned into "misogyny". Requiring women to be equally
responsible is being misogynist. So you get case results like Mary
Winkler.
Some men get a beton across the chops for a smart remark to cops,
without much outcry. Imagine the wails of misogyny if those same
cops did that to a woman.
JG|6.18.07 @ 5:55PM|#
And ... few people seem to be calling for Paris Hilton to be
burned at the stake, just for her to exist - for a very short time
- way down in reality where all the rest of us live. Why not, it's
just another "reality show".
I certainly wouldn't want her burned at the stake, even if she is a
witch. She's far too entertaining.
JG|6.18.07 @ 5:57PM|#
"OK then, lock her up for life I guess."
---------------------------
Why lock her up for life for being stupid? Why lock her up at all
for that?
Sorry, I don't even understand that comment, even assuming it's
some kind of sarcasm/irony/whatever.
She's probably stupid - it's not a crime.
|6.18.07 @ 6:01PM|#
"Requiring women to be equally responsible is being
misogynist."
If I'm reading Walker right, he's talking about the public reaction
to the sentence, not the sentence itself. ...that's what I'm
talking about too.
I don't care about the sentence. I saw people high-fiving when they
found out she was going to jail. ...what's that about? I saw people
high-fiving when she was thrown back in jail. I saw people make fun
of that picture of her through the car window, weeping as they took
her off to jail again.
...How would you explain the thrill of joy so many people seem to
get from her pain?
When I think of Paris Hilton, which doesn't happen very often, idle
wealth and sexiness come to mind. Am I wrong to think that's what's
in the public imagination too? ...that that's what the general
public is reacting to?
|6.18.07 @ 6:04PM|#
Ken,
Seriously though, I think that what people are saying on the wealth
angle is that if a person who lives paycheck to paycheck gets their
license suspended, and they absolutely depend on being able to
drive to work, it would be more understandable that they'd drive
with a suspended license.
It's not so much a matter of class envy as recognition of
extenuating circumstances that would apply to many people, but
definitely not Paris Hilton. The sentence might seem overly harsh,
but it's to be expected when you show the utter contempt for the
justice system that Ms Hilton did.
|6.18.07 @ 6:06PM|#
Is thinking that this girl may in fact be as stupid as she acts somehow equivalent to wishing her active harm?
JG|6.18.07 @ 6:07PM|#
"...How would you explain the thrill of joy so many people seem
to get from her pain?"
--------------------------
Because there have been so many reports of her treating people like
crap (among others, the cast of Saturday Night Live didn't have
many good things to say about her), of her arrogant entitlement and
her attitude.
That rubs people the wrong way, and it rubs people the wrong way
whether it's a woman or a man. Even more so when she has nothing at
all to base it on, I guess people would excuse it a bit more in a
person who discovered a cure for cancer or something like
that.
I think it's pretty much that simple.
Now you can debate whether things SHOULD be that way ... but that's
the way they are. French people cheered when Marie Let Them Eat
Cake got into legal trouble.
People feel a sense of injustice with life that they have to work
so hard and others get handed things because of the genetic
lottery. Right or wrong, that's what people feel. And frankly, it's
a service to people who are out of touch with reality.
|6.18.07 @ 6:09PM|#
Ken,
So, do you think there was less schadenfreude going around
when the (almost all male) Enron/WorldCom/etc executives were
getting their sentences handed down?
People like to see those higher up on the totem pole fall down.
It's not a new thing; you're arguing with human nature.
|6.18.07 @ 6:11PM|#
"The sentence might seem overly harsh, but it's to be
expected when you show the utter contempt for the justice system
that Ms Hilton did."
The respect I hold for the justice system is almost completely
driven by fear...
Before this, I didn't know she had any admirable qualities.
|6.18.07 @ 6:12PM|#
In any case, I think Mr Walker is violating Napoleon's exhortation not to assume malice when incompetence is a sufficient explanation. I don't know her, but I haven't seen any reason to think she's too smart to do this stuff.
|6.18.07 @ 6:15PM|#
"So, do you think there was less schadenfreude going around
when the (almost all male) Enron/WorldCom/etc executives were
getting their sentences handed down?"
Woe be to everyone wealthy who find themselves in criminal court in
this country...
...and if the public has its way, apparently, only God help you if
you're a famous, sexy woman from among the idle rich.
JG|6.18.07 @ 6:21PM|#
What do you get out of being the Chivalristic Hero Coming to the
Defense of Spoiled Heiresses Everywhere?
A movie deal?
Maybe the chance to be included on MySpace as one of Paris' 117,000
friends?
A warm feeling?
I just don't get it. There are other people to be worried about if
you want to correct injustices in society. I think Paris will
somehow recover.
JG|6.18.07 @ 6:22PM|#
"Woe be to everyone wealthy who find themselves in criminal
court in this country..."
------------------------
Here's a secret (but don't spread it around): Wealthy people tend
to do BETTER in criminal court than poorer people.
Jesse Walker|6.18.07 @ 6:27PM|#
I don't think "class envy" is a big part of it. Envy implies
covetousness, and I'm not convinced that most people covet Paris
Hilton's life.
I don't think the fact that she treats people like crap explains
it, either. That's certainly a good reason to dislike her, but it
doesn't explain why so many folks would pay attention to the
stories of her treating people like crap in the first place. Every
day, somewhere, some rich person acts like a douchebag. That isn't
usually considered newsworthy.
There is no innate reason for anything Paris Hilton does
to be newsworthy: She was famous long before she tried her hand at
acting, singing, designing, etc. But she's famous anyway, and the
reason she's famous is because there's a popular demand for stories
of a stupid, shallow, self-absorbed princess with an air of
entitlement.
As I said in the article, being a scapegoat is a part of that job
description. The jail sentence is an inevitable part of the
narrative: The rich bitch gets her comeuppance! But it's a
temporary comeuppance -- just 45 days. Then she gets to claim
redemption and start yet another Paris Hilton story arc.
|6.18.07 @ 6:33PM|#
"What do you get out of being the Chivalristic Hero Coming
to the Defense of Spoiled Heiresses Everywhere?"
I find people's reactions to these things telling.
I have to admit I've made a bit of a hobby of defending the wealthy
and famous. ...really since Keating, who, I'd argue, was all but
framed. From Leona Helmsley to Martha Stewart... the list goes on.
I think it's important that people think about why they hate the
rich the way they do. Speaking truth to that demon inside them...
It does more for some of 'em than any rational argument I could
make about capitalism or respecting other individual's rights and
choices.
If you come across someone later this week, spouting hatred of
little Miss Hilton, you might take it upon yourself to ask them
why. You might end up having a conversation similar to what you'd
have if you were trying to persuade them of some economic policy or
some aspect of the war on terror. ...minus all the baggage.
|6.18.07 @ 6:36PM|#
Sorry. I haven't evolved to the point that I don't take pleasure
in seeing an uber-bitch receive her karmic comeuppance.
Bathe me in pigs blood and call me Carrie.
Of course, because I'm taking pleasure in her suffering, my karmic
retribution will be that she will emerge from jail even more famous
and ubiquitous. Only this time with a message of hope and
redemption. Barf.
JG|6.18.07 @ 6:38PM|#
"I think it's important that people think about why they hate
the rich the way they do."
----------------------
I don't think it's as simple as "hate the rich".
As an example, I did NOT want to see the three Duke guys get
(unjustly) fried, although they were born into privilege. There are
any number of cases where I felt that I was "rooting" for a rich
person in the criminal justice system for whatever reason.
Paris is not one of them. OJ Simpson was not one of them.
|6.18.07 @ 6:42PM|#
"Here's a secret (but don't spread it around): Wealthy
people tend to do BETTER in criminal court than poorer
people."
Don't tell Charles Keating or Ivan Boesky or Michael Milken or
Leona Helmsley or Sam Waksal or Martha Stewart or the Ken Lay
family or Jeff Skilling or Dennis Kozlowski or, for that matter,
don't tell Paris Hilton.
They'll laugh at you.
If you're saying people who can afford their attorneys tend to do
better than people who can't, I'd agree with that. ...you get to
wealth above a certain level, and God help you.
|6.18.07 @ 6:58PM|#
When I glance over the comments in this very thread, it seems to
me that most of the nasty comments about her have to do with her
wealth and sexuality.
...so I don't think I'm goin' out on a limb suggesting that the
people who hate her, hate her for those reasons.
No, maybe that isn't all of you... Maybe for certain individuals,
hating on sexy, rich women has nothing to do with misogyny or class
envy.
JG|6.18.07 @ 6:58PM|#
Ken, most of the people you named were sent to jail for
violating things like securities laws.
Comparison with poor people is tough because, unlike Ivan Boesky
(for instance), most poor people aren't in investment banking
circles where they can even regularly come across inside
information.
I guess you can argue that securities laws should not be in place,
but since they are, you may as well follow the law.
In addition, there are federal sentencing guidelines. As far as I
know, most of those people were within those guidelines. If Joe
Blow, the janitor down at the Budweiser Factory, started
manipulating bond sales, I suspect he would get the same
sentence.
|6.18.07 @ 8:16PM|#
Either she's preternaturally stupid, or she's in on the
joke.
I'm betting on the former.
|6.18.07 @ 8:19PM|#
Maybe for certain individuals, hating on sexy, rich women
has nothing to do with misogyny or class envy.
Reminds me of Ayn Rand's defense of Marilyn Monroe after her death.
She said Marilyn was hated for just the same thing. But unlike
Paris, Marilyn was sexual without being a slut, and truly
talented.
Paris is a spoiled, leg-spread cum-catcher without an iota of
talent. To loathe her is an act of sound moral judgment.
|6.18.07 @ 8:23PM|#
Ken, I don't hate PH. I pity her. I wouldn't want to be anything like her. The reason I think she deserved some jail time is that she posed a danger to other drivers, and showed by her behavior that she intended to go on posing a danger to other drivers. I think the judge ruled correctly. Does the public have other reasons for wanting her jailed not having to do with those facts? Certainly some if not most of them do, but they didn't do the sentencing. So unless the judge sent her back to jail due to public pressure rather than her comportment and noncompliance with court orders, than PH got what she deserved.
Jesse Walker|6.18.07 @ 8:24PM|#
Maybe for certain individuals, hating on sexy, rich women
has nothing to do with misogyny or class envy.
There's a difference between being sexy and merely filming yourself
having sex.
Steve|6.19.07 @ 12:32AM|#
"You can argue (as many here do) that they are reasonable, and
you can argue (as I would) that they are not."
If you want to argue that DUI (I see no real distinction between
DUI and "alcohol induced reckless driving") should never result in
prison unless someone dies, I'm probably with you.
If you want to argue that no one in California should be
jailed for purposefully violating terms of DUI probation,
that's an argument that can be made in good faith (prepare for the
deluge of hatemail from MADD).
If you think the penalty for blatantly ignoring a court order
should be a fine, then argue that.
If you'd like California to stop issuing driver's licenses (making
the whole issue of suspended licenses irrelevant), I'm sure that's
a case that could be made.
But any way you look at it, the problem (if there is one) lies with
the statute, not Paris Hilton's treatment under it. As long as
California is jailing people for such things, I don't see why she
should be exempt.
In fact, with her tardiness to court, easy access to an alternate
means of transport and multiple probate violations, she was a less
sympathetic defendant than many people around the country who get
sentenced to prison for the same thing.
I know an auto mechanic who spent a week in jail for driving on a
DUI suspended license (he violated the court order to drive to his
job, not some nightclub). While I still think the law that put him
there is bullshit, I would hardly call him a scapegoat.
Also, he didn't make the judge look bad by asking the Governor to
issue him a pardon.
|6.19.07 @ 1:43AM|#
Paris is being treated differently, because she is different. Maybe jail will help her.
|6.19.07 @ 3:40AM|#
....and deep in the heart of the galaxy, near the gigantic black
hole that holds the whole thing together like a masterly cosmic
spider, a super powerful, all knowing race of incredible lizard men
who contemplate the infinite floating in the serene depths of
unbounded emptiness breathes out a sigh and says:
"So what?"
ed|6.19.07 @ 9:00AM|#
I think Roark's classic response to Toohey is applicable
here:
"But I don't think of you."
Brian|6.19.07 @ 11:52AM|#
Let's all hate her because she's rich and stupid - oh, and because she is posing a massive security threat to Hollywood - and maybe she'll change. That way we can all be just alike.
Brian|6.19.07 @ 11:54AM|#
She's so reprehensible the original arrest was made on her way back from a charity event. Oh, the heartless little spoiled rich bitch!
|6.19.07 @ 1:55PM|#
I keep waiting for the Dalai Lama to comment. Would he cough in disgust at the excesses of western civilization or would he smile and sigh, "Ahh, the cosmic ballet continues"?
|6.20.07 @ 12:33AM|#
She was actually given probation. She violated the probation
twice. She followed that up by announcing in the press her sentence
was "cruel". ok,noww...
You pretend you are the judge. You sentenced this young lady to
jail-no house arrest and no work release (this is your decision)
and you hear that the sheriff has decided to ignore your order.
What would you do?
I think it is not an issue of who she is and the judge was fair and
correct.
|6.23.07 @ 5:31PM|#
This article is the embodiment of progressive sophistry. The
topic is beneath the author and he still gets his big, brainy
conclusions wrong. Analysing every little flaw of Paris Hilton's
persona in isolation (and in evaluative terms), as thinking people
are taught to do, disallows any compounded results; "Either Paris
is stupid or she's in on the joke," Walker wrote. That's the best
you can do; an either/or dilemma? What facile writing. Combine
"stupidity" with the "beauty" agenda and you might get somewhere.
Paris acts stupid as part of the accepted beauty culture, wherein
young attractive women seek to be non-threatening to the alpha guys
they seek, for sexual (whore) or ambitious (advancement, ego,
publicity) goals. Contemporary, adult (and I use the word
generously, for men whose deepest interest is PlayStation) males
don't want a girl to challenge them. All social values fall in line
behind female vanity.
That wasn't too hard.
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