The interest in Paris represents our worst compulsion, when people read about her they dream about money, fashion, wretched excess, the blindingly superficial.
Paris Hilton is, an amalgamation of American culture in precipitous decline. When money is all that matters then Paris is what you get and money is everything that matters in America.
Our country is run and governed by people waiting on paychecks, kickbacks, extravagent lunches and front row seats at professional sports games.
The less fortunate of us, sit back and complain while those hoping to make it rich one day call them haters and communists for speaking out against the atrocities of the wealthy that rule this country.
There may be an element of jealousy for some but that only underscores the political and socioeconomic divide that money does afford one in this country.
Paris had sex on tape. Lots of people do that. Paris gets drunk all the time in public. Lots of people do that. Maybe the reason we hate Paris so much, besides the fact that she doesn't deserve our attention, is because she is a reflection of us collectively and we don't like what we see.
We have a terrible time in this country separating our emotions from the facts. The media is resposible for this Paris obsession because people watch it and because they have to keep our minds off important issues you actually have to think about.
Seriously, she's big business - don't for a second buy into the fact that she's just out having fun. Forbes listed her most recent year's earnings at greater than $10M, which is probably much more than those a rung higher in the family tree make on their Hilton legacy dividends in a year.
Every move is scripted by her and her handlers, her PR guy knows exactly where she'll be every night and smooths the sailing. She needs to remain front and center to continue getting contracts and paid exhorbitant sums to simply show up.
Many of us would probably applaud her aplomb had she invented the slinky, yoyo or Rubik's cube - each socially useless items that engrossed some people's time more than it should and heaped millions upon their creators.
She's got it, and flaunts it, would you rather she does what she does, or have her confined behind a burkha, along with everyone else? Freedom is a great thing, and Paris exploits it in spades.
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