The Reluctant Whore

Because Paris Hilton is the unwitting zeitgeisty embodiment of all that is wrong with America, she’s often not talked about here. It just seems toxic to keep facilitating such disease but recent news about how she is facing 45 days in jail are an interesting cultural plot twist. It is being reported that Paris has to appear in court tomorrow on charges of allegedly driving with a suspended license (remember that? When she was driving the car with her freaking lawyer in the passenger seat?!). and for failing to enroll in an adult education program within 21 days of being ordered to do so.

For starters, a large component of Paris’ appeal is her unapologetic tendency to be completely irresponsible. Or at least, without responsibilities – the kind that weigh everyone else down like work days, cost of things, body weight etc. She’s not analytical enough to know the full extent to which she embodies the totally self negating American escapist dream which is a primary reason she can live it so fully. It’s interesting also that the poll connected to the story, a poll where 61,000 votes were counted showed that a staggering 96% of people want to see her go to jail. She clearly broke the rules and this time the public want to see their corn syrup, sugared up white bread, reality TV muse rot in jail. The values she represents are centered in having the money to let her live above the drudgery of every day life. Money is the central component here too - she's not a spiritual Buddhist or anything that manages that through meditation or whatever.

So, consequently, if she were to lose her money the public interest would dissipate. No one who bought the magazines with her on the cover who would offer her human support at all. She'd be tossed out to work in the field and scoffed at en masse.

Well, maybe 4% of people would offer her a sandwich but that’s a far cry from the unending cultural influence she seems to have had so far.

It’s interesting too how the Republican party that managed to win the White House on a platform of poor people voting against their best interests for tax cuts for the rich and no socialized health care, irrational terror based fear and mind numbing religious beliefs three and a half years ago is losing favour with the American public to the tune of approval ratings that rank between 25 and 40% for the president and vice president.

Just as the popularity of Republican values are falling Paris Hilton too has really no case supporting the argument that she should be spared jail time. She didn’t act responsibly and this time it’s biting her in the ass. In both cases the public seem far far less permissive of imperious self absorbed profiteering than they have been in the past. And, let's face it, at the end of the day, if Paris had no public she would just be another rich kid on coke on a Wednesday night just as the Republican party would be a group of red meat fed investment bankers, religious opportunists and self hating repressed poor and gay people sitting in the corner with low self esteem.

Paris is just lucky that if she did go to jail she would be gone for a short enough time that people would still basically care when she came out, she could milk it like Martha Stewart did and she will probably spend time in an low security, resort prison for women. Hell, maybe it would buy her some visceral depth based credibility. Paris Hilton with visceral, depth based credibility would be something. Hell, it would probably just implode. [source]