Sunday 24^th June 2007

Who needs Paris Hilton?

Here is a woman that for some time was a person of whom I was essentially unaware. And then, sometime over the last few months she began to become a part of my life by way of conversations with people I know, and then more recently by way of the media I consume. Interesting.

I was most struck by the way in which everyone seemed to have an opinion and a view about Paris Hilton. Except me, it seemed. I still don't have any particular opinion of her as a person, because I don't know her, I have haven't really listened to her songs, watched the movies that she appears in, or read any gossip mags. But I am certainly beginning to form my opinions as to what Paris Hilton represents, how she is used and who it is that needs her.

It was Alex Rieneck's thought provoking piece, Saint Paris (7 June 2007), that kicked me off to do a further search about Paris Hilton to see what other's had to say.

First off, make sure you have read Rieneck's analysis above first before you go on to read Cardinal George Pell's article, Searching for role models (24 June 2007) ... it's like wearing x-ray goggles.

Duncan Fine's piece Paris is good for kids (18 May 2007) certainly inspired much response with the controversial angle adopted, touching upon the analysis of the female condition, but it is David Walsh's analysis, The campaign to keep Paris Hilton in jail: nothing healthy about it (9 June 2007), that I enjoyed for it's wonderfully left of center thrust against the media and business machines that play on the celebrity and us regular folk alike.

So who needs Paris Hilton?

As you may begin to gather from these other articles above, all sorts of people and organisations need her. But there's also a very particular kind of person - a kind of person who is so full of hate and venom, with a sick desire to see another person suffer.