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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
The book by music critic Dave Marsh is kind of old; it covered Michael Jackson up to the point where his popularity blew up, at the end of the "Victory Tour." But there are 29 copies on amazon.com for under $6 plus shipping, so it's not hard to get.
In the end of the book, as he recounts the wreckage of Jackson's career, Marsh points out how the media loves to build up celebrities that don't deserve it. Then they suddenly break, print every bad thing about them and give the celebrity's career a funeral. The book is one of the best looks at pop culture ever published, since Marsh actually likes Jackson and some of his music.
To the other letter writers, it isn't simply a matter of the press on the attack. You, the public, want to read this stuff. And that fact alone - that it's grabbed so many people's attention, rather than global warming or George Bush - that makes it important.
People love these conceited, rich, spoiled idiots. But deep down, they're ashamed that they like them. So when the hysteris curve reaches the right point, they snap. Norman Osborne said it in Spider-Man: "The only thing that people love more than a hero is to see a hero fall."
I'd only add that the hysteris curve seems to depend on how much real talent or contribution the particular celebrity has. Elvis Presley did awful stuff, but he had some level of honesty about his music, so he didn't fall as far or as fast as Jackson or Hilton. (Some say he hasn't fallen at all.)
And if this was a "simple" article to write, why did Havrilesky need a co-writer...or supposedly a "co-" writer...to finish this article in time? Well, the answer is obvious, but I'm not going to go there right now.
What is happening to this country? I have no feeling about Paris, one way or another, and it amazes me that she could possibly cause so much angst. She doesn't strike me as a bad or evil person in any sense of the world. She is just a silly 26 old girl who has a little more growing up to do. Big deal!
What scares me to no end is the mob mentality to railroad her into a substantially increased punished beyond anything anyone else in her situation would get to satisfy the "mob." America is so prone to a mob mentality, it really stuns me, and scares me.
There are laws, and there are rules and regulations for a well ordered society. Laws are of the "Thou shalt not" variety, while rules and regulations. She broke no serious laws. Yes, she blew a .08; however most alcohol related traffic accidents and fatalities are caused by drivers with much high blood alcohol levels. Yes, she drove on a suspended license, but she wasn't drinking.
Consequently, what we have is a 26 year old girl with no previous criminal record who blew the minimum BAL, and then drove with a suspended license. The judge threw the book at her because he doesn't want to look soft on her, and basically sentenced her to 45 days in solitary confinement.
Where is the proportionality? Sheriff Baca was just being realistic. Average Jane would have been released on this set of circumstances after 3 or 4 days max. However, because the media watching mob doesn't like Paris, she requires a non proportional punishment to satisfy the mob sense of outrage in some symbolic fashion to prop up the power structure against revolt?
That is not justice.
Why not address the real issues concerning how come we continue to crimanlize, incarcerate, and basically torture an increasing number of low level offenders in horrible conditions? Is basically torturing one mentally fragile, blond girl from the upper class the payback the mob demands?
"Torture"?
Do I really need to say anything more?
Did anyone see the Youtube video of her dancing at a house party and calling people the N word and more? According to celebrity gossip websites, it's well-known in celebrity circles that she's a blatant racist.
Her everyday notoriety aside, she drove drunk, she violated probation twice, then cried in jail and they sent her home. If I (totally average joe) did the same, I'd have the book thrown at me.
Also, I am a totally informed, involved citizen. I work as a political organizer for progessive causes, I have dedicated my life to stopping global warming, bringing universal health care, reducing poverty, etc. I also read perezhilton (even though I think he's a moron) and laineygossip.com is the best -- so it's possible to be a tuned-in citizen and also be interested in celebrity gossip.
Although, truth be told, I wish I had a better guilty pleasure. I'm working on it -- perhaps yoga, time at the soup kitchen, teaching kids to read?
As I was watching the media coverage of Paris today I was struck by the overheated defense of the girl by several of the men, plus Greta van sustern and Ann Coulter.
Levy, the editor of TMZ, appeared on several shows to insist that Paris was being destroyed and she was seriously ill! He was really pissed.
Geraldo insisted that this was pure, unadulterated evil.
Some other FOX news guy claimed the justice system was all messed up, seeing as how the preacher's wife was sentenced to less than 300 days in a mental institution for killing her husband. And isn't this proof that the justice system is screwed up? (Quick answer: No).
Several other white men were impassioned about this--always with references to her crying, her mental distress, the hell, the torture...And pointing out that she didn't injure anyone with her two driving violations.
I don't care if no one is injured when someone is driving drunk or 70 mph with no lights on, like Paris was. People are killed by drunk drivers and that's something we take seriously in our society.
To me it sure seemed like "poor little blond rich girl" syndrome took over for these guys. She was crying! Boo-hoo! I have compassion for anyone in this situation, including Paris, but these same men aren't lining up to protest similar examples of bad punishment. What if this was a young black man? "He could've killed somone! Throw the book at him! He was drunk! We're lucky no one got killed!" Or what if it was some poor white woman--trailer trash redneck would be the slur.
Greta was upset because she was crying and twitching in court. Paris isn't the first defendant to have that reaction to imminent jail. In reality, Greta believed Paris was being abused by a psychiatrist and being overwhelmed by Thetans, which is the orthodoxy of her religion. Somebody call Tom Cruise.
Coulter sympathized with Paris because she should just be able to "pay a fine." Wait, is this the same Ann Coulter who wanted to behead and imprison Muslims and liberals? Just asking. Because conservatives like those who run with Fox News are the ones who call for mandatory minimum sentences, limits to judicial discretion, harsh prison conditions, etc.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
