Let’s take a moment to assault reason, shall we? The latest, glorious twist in the Paris Hilton story is something that can surely bring us all together, red or blue, male or female, rich or poor. Whoever doesn’t feel an ounce of pleasure at the sight of this mega-rich non-entity finally being treated with a modicum of justice has surely lost the capacity to feel anything. Sorry, Al, I know I should be studying carbon offsets. But far from undermining democracy, this little story about this pathetic, pampered wretch can only restore a little faith in the criminal justice system. It’s almost enough to make up for O.J.
Well, maybe. But at the same time, anyone who can not also feel sorry for her, as I do, has also lost the capacity to feel.
Paris Hilton is a horrible, empty, shallow person, who has spent her entire life being pampered, doted on and catered to by criminally incompetent parents (why aren’t these two in jail for child abuse?), all the while swooned over by a pack of sycophants and the fawning media. She has no concept of reality, no real relationships, no real understanding of love, sacrifice, and true friendship, and lives a shallow but gilded existence. She probably does think what is happening to her right now is unfair, but her poor grasp on reality is not entirely her fault. Unless things change radically for her as a result of this incarceration, she will go on and live out a meaningless and transparently fraudulent public existence, none the wiser that there really is much more to life than the fancy restaurants and trips to boutiques.
Yes, she is rich and spoiled, but only in the financial sense. Otherwise, she leads an empty and utterly meaningless existence. I wouldn’t trade places with her for all the money in the world (or in her trust fund, for that matter). It is entirely possible to loathe and feel sympathetic for this tragic figure.
I do.