Friday, June 08, 2007

The Not-So-Simple Life

I've declined commenting on the whole Paris Hilton media frenzy until today. I read an interesting article today by a former roommate of hers. It changed my opinion of Ms. Hilton, but I still think she should go to jail and serve out her sentence. I certainly wish I could brand myself and have it be worth the amount she earns each year. Then again, I don't think the brand of Diane and what she endorses are necessarily as appetizing to those with money.

We'll Always Have Paris

If Ms. Hilton is playing a facade to the world, she should know that there are some consequences to having that sort of public image. It can't be all fun and games.

Hilton Sent Back to Jail in Hysterics

In some ways, I feel sad for her. In other ways, I don't. She really lost her cool today in the courtroom. Or maybe she was just playing her part.

Sometimes I wish I had been given the opportunity to live a life of privilege, because it would enable me to spend my life in intellectual and cultural pursuit. I would be free to travel and see the world. I would have the luxury to be truly gracious and ladylike. It would not render my heart and pocketbook to go to the gas station and fill the gas tank to "F".

I think if I had the opportunity to have that life, and it would come by me honestly - if there were no ethical qualms - , I would take it.

On the other hand, I already have a fairly cushy lifestyle, and I'm not hurting for money. I'm not starving on the streets of Darfur.

2 comments:

don said...

I watched a documentary on TV last week about an airline who's CEO got a bonus of $26m while all of the employees, pilots, attendants, and the rest took around a 40% cut. Attendants were getting around $37k per year. I guess we could say that $37k isn't bad in comparison to someone living in Africa.

Then this morning on the TV show Sunday Morning, they had examples of people spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a party that lasted one day. Weddings and such. One guy had a 54th birthday party that was in 7 figures.

I think at some point it becomes a morality issue while people around the world are starving. The guy who had the 54th party costing so much said it was worth it. How greedy.

All I can say about Paris is that I don't want to get hit by her when she is driving drunk. She can't buy me a new life.

Diane Lowe said...

I don't want to get hit by her when she's driving drunk, or when she's just driving at night without her lights on.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about so-called privileged children, and how unfair it is that they can literally get away with acting poorly and ungraciously. When I was growing up my mother always stressed the importance of acting "ladylike". While I know I don't act ladylike all the time, it really bothers me that there are so many examples of ungracious rich kids - precisely the people who should be gracious.