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J.C., I don't hate Paris Hilton "for her sexual freedom". Her "sexual freedom" is another word for lack of self respect, and I feel badly that she thinks she has to have boring sex (she answers the phone or something in the middle of it, doesn't she?) with some asshole who would tape and distribute it, but I'm certainly NOT jealous of her sexual freedom.
I'm free to have sex with whoever I want to also.
I don't "hate" Paris Hilton. What I hate is what Heather and Rebecca are talking about - that our society is at a point where someone completely devoid of any native talent (or not displaying any) and completely divorced from the reality that most of us live every day, and lacking any drive to add one positive thing to the world nor any glimmer of recognition that the rest of us exist, can capture our attention while things that really matter (Romney thinks the inspectors weren't in Iraq? Cheney directed the wiretapping thing? Our judiciary is being stacked with neocon fundamentalists who threaten our voting rights? People are dying by the millions in Africa?) go ignored.
Paris Hilton is a symptom of the death of any real news media in the U.S., a seriously ominous sign regarding the state of our Democracy at its core. The rich/poor thing is interesting, but people aren't using this as a launching point to improve the situation (why not solve the deplorable conditions instead of avoiding putting "soft" rich people in there?).
It's a frightening symptom of the deteriorating state of discourse, knowledge, and engagement in things that really matter to our way of life. It doesn't portend well for the election next year that the lies and misrepresentations of our would-be leaders go unchallenged and lives around the planet go unsaved while we jaw on about the "plight" this poor, foolish woman. Will we be voting for the best media image next November, or the best candidate, and how will we know?
