Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Thursday, December 07, 2006
"I’m Paris Hilton and I can do whatever I want"
She can go on doing what the HELL she likes ! I for one wont be paying a damn bit of notice. Love x23
Posted by twennytree on from Sin Francisco 12/07 at 06:12 AMI have a hard time feeling sorry for violent criminals. I’m sorry if that makes me a bad person. I do feel bad for non violent drug addicts who get locked away for life. I feel they would be better served through rehabilitation.
Posted by David on from Louisville KY 12/07 at 06:22 AMJust a comment-
Some years ago I worked at the airport in Orlando, Florida. Like you, Mickey, I often found myself face to face with various celebrities just passing through.
One day I found myself face to face with Margaux Hemingway - a “beautiful person.” She wanted to know which baggage claim to go to.
And she was beautiful-- in spite of the sadness and pain that was so evident in her eyes. I wanted to reach out and say, “There, there. Nothing can be so bad that should give you such a look.”
Impossible. (Or so I thought.)
Some years later I saw a recent Biography television program about her. It detailed the turbulence she was going through which soon led her to take her own life.
How indeed can one reach out as a human to these people who inhabit such a different world-- without being suspected of harboring some ambition of one’s own?
I can still see those eyes, and her hesitation-- why was my help so “professional?”
Who or what had built the wall that kept me responding naturally to another person in obvious distress?
I am still troubled by that brief experience, and have no easy answers.
Maybe I more compulsive today-- to “make a difference.” What little thing can we do, or do differently, to change the world into a better place?
Speaking out, and telling the truth may be a beginning.
Maybe Paris will read this post-- and consider advancing one of our social causes--
just don’t forget that she is no better or worse than any other human being-- she is equal-- and must think for herself as we all must do.
Posted by Robert B. Livingston on from San Francisco, California 12/07 at 09:06 AMNever met Paris Hilton. Don’t really know who she is. No offense to Ms. Hilton, but don’t really care.
I met Bob Seger. He used to come into our local restaurant/bar on occasion. I actually mowed his lawn once. He has a little cabin up in our neck of the woods (in MI).
Edward Herman came into the place on two occasions. I met and talked with him a bit. I told him I loved “The Lost Boys”. He was very friendly.
I think those are the only famous people I’ve ever met.
Posted by Jeremy on from Taipei, Taiwan 12/07 at 09:31 AMHello Expendables. It’s a pretty warm December day here in Astoria.
I must say, today’s post has provoked four very diverse reactions above. Thanks, all. I’ll try to get back here soon to reply.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/07 at 10:20 AMI just got out of a long term relationship with a member of the uber-rich-elite. Why was a guy like me with someone like her? That is one of many questions I have yet to sort out (and I’ll save it for the therapist). I guess I thought I could “change” her, but at the same time she was trying to “change” me.
I have seen, and in many ways lived, that life. I can’t tell you how happy I am not to be in that world now. While I know that there are at least a billion people in this world who are physically miserable, the rich suffer from an extreme case of existential misery. They seem to live with a terror, an absolute TERROR, that someone will come and take their wealth, and, when it comes down to it, they are really not any better than anybody else in this world.
So, these people that are running this world are totally miserable human beings. The more they get, the more they think they need. Greed is fear, and their lives are horror shows. That being said, I don’t feel sorry for them. Even though I still have some tender feelings for my ex, and the end of the day, as Derrick Jensen says, “#### ‘em.”Captcha says: hotel, which is interesting...I’ll leave it at that.
Posted by Brian on from Belly of the Beast 12/07 at 10:44 AM‘Morning, Expendables. The sun is shining this AM, though maybe that’s deceptive: http://tinyurl.com/ymkwuf
Re: US prisons: the standard imperial pattern is much harsher punishment for crossing the greatly expanded power of the state. None of this BBC report surprises me, as even in “liberal” Massachusetts the police state is thriving. The corruption and brutality of the cops in my hometown was astonishing 25 years ago. I couldn’t imagine what’s happening there now.
And David, not feeling sorry for violent criminals doesn’t make you a bad person at all. The only thing I’d ask is that we include violent people in all social strata. Action to break the cycle is also called for, but varies from case to case.
Re: Paris Hilton: celebrity culture is a video game for semi-literate adults. Bloop. Beep. Someone pull the plug.
Captcha sez “stage,” as in election.
Posted by Zenprole on from Urth 12/07 at 10:52 AMCaptcha has a sense of humor and says “french”.
MZ: one quick correction: the woman you write about in today’s post was not born attractive (any more than all hairless great apes are born “attractive"). What about Paris Hilton is anything but repulsive? She is Not. My. Type.
Hey Jeremy, you mentioned meeting someone famous person named “Edward Herman”, and I thought that’s so cool until I realized you weren’t referring to this guy.
Posted by Keir on from The Gray Hague 12/07 at 12:17 PMHey everyone, just a second at work now to provide another quote of the day:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6213644.stm
“It was determined that she was trying to conceal body odour.”
Posted by James in Hell's Kitchen on from work 12/07 at 12:48 PMHello again…
Man, it’s about 60 degrees here now but tomorrow will be below freezing. Gotta love that climate change. It keeps you guessing.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/07 at 01:19 PMHey Mickey + everyone, off topic but
check this out. As far as I know The NewStandard normally doesn’t cover this sort of thing.Posted by Keir on from The Gray Hague 12/07 at 05:44 PMHi everyone...in keeping with today’s topic, last night on one of the major media channels (possibly ABC) there was a program about human reactions. They did an experiment. A very old and frail man in his 90s was in a wheel chair being cared for by an attendant. The setting was a public park. The attendant was extremely abusive and physically violent to the old man. Many people saw this and just walked by as the old man was being abused. Only 2 out of the many who witnessed this stopped to help the old man. One called 911. I believe that they said that 75% of the people just ignored the abuse and did nothing to help. I believe that we are doomed because we have allowed empathy to die.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 12/07 at 06:18 PMHello again, my friends. Thanks for that link, Keir. It’s always a kick to see lefty sites talk about such issues.
RMJ: It’s sad that your comment elicited no surprise on my part. And you’re right: It ties in with everything discussed here today...even the prison issue.
Speaking of which, David, I believe I read where something like 80-85% of prisoners are there from non-violent crimes. It’s a huge topic, I know, but we we must re-visit it.
Btw, welcome to twennytree. First time here?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/07 at 07:27 PMShe can go on doing what the HELL she likes ! I for one wont be paying a damn bit of notice.
My thoughts exactly, twennytree! Too bad so many people do pay notice whenever Paris Hilton is mentioned/written about.
‘Hi’ to David, Robert B. Livingston, Jeremy, Brian, Zenprole, Keir, James, Rosemarie and Cool Observer from a very warm Daylesford (around 95 today and 100 tomorrow) - the drought continues and some water reservoirs might be empty in a few months if it doesn’t rain ..
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 12/07 at 07:56 PM100 degrees, Helga? We could use a few of those degrees here tomorrow.
Also, to get back to some earlier comments. As someone who has long interacted with the “elite,” I can certainly relate to Brian and Robert. People like Paris Hilton are just humans...no better, no worse. However, I find it utterly frustrating that so few of the people with money are doign much more than charity.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/07 at 07:59 PMAlso in the news, The great Red Dress Fiasco at the White House. Several women showed up wearing the same red dress as Laura Bush, who was then forced to make a last minute change in her wardrobe. It has been reported that the dress cost almost $10,000. Spending $10,000 on a dress while there are hungry people is a prime example of man’s inhumanity to man, or in this case women’s inhumanity to women.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 12/07 at 08:34 PMAnd we have a society filled with people who’d much rather talk about Laura’s dress than anything about poverty. As Springsteen sings: “Poor man wanna be rich/rich man wanna be king/and the king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything.”
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/07 at 08:41 PMHi Keir. LOL! No, I wasn’t referring to that Edward Herman. How stupid of me not to realize that Expendables would think of that Herman first. Actually, I guess I spelled his name wrong. I was speaking of this Edward Hermann: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001346/
Posted by Jeremy on from Taipei, Taiwan 12/07 at 11:35 PMI just hope she runs for office of some sort. If she wore a t-shirt that said she was running for president, she would get at least 20% of the vote probably. 60% of the under 25 crowd perhaps.
Posted by naoko on from 12/08 at 06:06 PM
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