title

The latest media creation to besiege our senses is, of course, Paris Hilton. This woman, who possesses all the intellect of a soap bubble and the charm of bubble gum, holds her devotees in a state of suspended absurdity. Not for her talent nor her personality (these are nonexistent in her) nor for any potential of some future greatness she has yet to reveal (which would be like expecting the sun to rise in the west)...but for her rich and famous beauty.

However, even Paris (or, I should say, her handlers) realized that simply being famous as a rich and beautiful spoiled brat wouldn't be a big enough role to keep her fans entertained for long. In the manner of her contemporaries (Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, and the belatedly late Anna Nicole Smith), she would have to star as herself in a reckless life of reckless disregard and self-destruction. With her terminal lack of talent, where is there to go but down! Since it's doubtful that Paris will "ever" be the next Ingrid Bergman, and "probably" will not be writing the fabled Great American Novel, and so forth, she must turn her own life into a sideshow attraction befitting her unique genius.

In days and ways gone by, we had self-destructive people who were talented and truly beloved (if only arguably). Fans of everyone from James Dean and Marilyn Monroe to Jimi Hendrix and Janice Joplin, grieved for them when they died. Their fans wouldn't cheer them on to their self-destruction (even in the selfish mayhem of the 60s), nor support them in the light of whatever outrage or offense they committed. If anything, the media (from production companies to news agencies) would've left them high and dry within the ruins of their own self-destruction (as it somewhat did in the case of Monroe and Judy Garland).

Today, Hollywood in league with what passes for the news, has reversed this sensible arrangement. The more outrageous, the more defiant and punk-like the celebrity, the better. Michael Jackson (who at least was talented) gained more publicity as a "professional freak" than he had as a professional singer. Anna Nicole Smith, who went from gracing Playboy with her feminine sensuality to disgracing the tabloids with the "sensuality" of a beached whale, is yet another case study. Her fame reached its heights when she married an old man with not only one foot in the grave but with his entire carcass strewn througout the cemetery; the resulting and eternal trial for the his millions (or billions or trillions, whatever it was) was her virtuoso performance.

These are the ever too frequent misfits and oddities the media creates, then as quickly disposes of, when their "act" has closed. Why should a young person go through the drudgery of acquiring real talent (to play piano, dance, sing,...or merely live a rational and worthwhile life) when being a screwball (even better, of course, if you're good-looking) is considered "cool."? A young person could decide that even though he or she can't afford a Mercedes to drive drunk down the boulevard, why can't he do it with a Toyota Tercel. Why not laugh and joke your way through life in mirthful disregard and craziness to the grave?...it's all a game, played out for everyone's amusement. I'm sure that Paris Hilton would be as deeply concerned over her fans' thrills and spills as they are over hers.