You been drinkin'?

Yes, I am writing an entire blog entry on the whole Paris Hilton thing. No, I have no idea why I feel compelled to do this. But honestly, it's not just her - this whole situation embodies a myriad of issues that affect most of my generation (and probably yours too).

Let me start by saying I am not a big drinker but that I have had to socialize with plenty of people who are and bail them out from time to time. And while I neither support nor agree with the stupid things that drunk people do, I know I do not have a right to judge these people. I have never been drunk in my life, and I am not planning on getting plastered anytime soon, but I will say that I do understand many of the circumstances that serve as the excuse to start drinking. Sometimes it's stress. Sometimes it's loneliness. Sometimes it's anger. Sometimes it's a way to escape from life. Although I deal with these emotions using other solutions outside of alcohol, for many others alcohol is the only solution. And until we address this problem head on, problems due to drinking and hard partying will continue to plague us as a society. It could ruin an entire generation.

People like Paris Hilton continue to fuel the partying and drinking trend. What she did was dumb and wrong, and I do not disagree with the rulings that the judge involved with her case has made. She has yet to realize the seriousness of her actions. Is she spoiled? Yes. Is she privileged? Yes. Was she given preferential treatment? Most likely. But does the media have the right to hound her like this, hovering around the cop car that is transporting her to the courthouse and taking pictures of her when she is distraught? Now that is something I can't condone. Two wrongs do not make a right.

Perhaps it is the price of fame - but the media certainly isn't helping anything. And while people are saying things like "she's a total brat, she deserves it", perhaps it is deeper than that. Think about yourself for a minute. (Yeah, like that's hard...) Are you without fault? Have you ever made a poor decision in your lifetime? How would you like it if TV cameras were hounding you every time you did something stupid?

I will say that I believe Paris invited the attention that she has generated over the past few years; however, this situation is where it completely BACKFIRED. So for those of you chasing fame and fortune, let this be a lesson for you: sometimes it is better to take a low profile. Sometimes it is much easier to have a private life. Sometimes I think the comments made about Paris stem from jealousy. But after this situation, why should ANYONE be jealous of her? Sure, she was born to privilege and she can have anything her heart desires, but look at the price she has to pay: a very public life, good AND bad. I think she really did make a mistake to wave that glamorous lifestyle in front of people's faces.

Which brings me to my next point: she doesn't have any real friends. All of her friends are hanging around her because she has money. But now, in her darkest hour, who is stepping out to support her? Nobody really, because all of her friends are leaches. True friends are there for you no matter what stupid things you do; leaches take off once you are no longer able to serve their needs. And that's the other price she has to pay: not having real friends (or at least not knowing who they are). The other thing is this: all the people who usually party with her are all in various degrees of trouble right now, either with the law or with their personal lives. Lindsay Lohan. Nicole Richie. Britney Spears. Does anyone else find this odd? If Paris can have such a high level of influence on people, couldn't she use those powers for good influence?

I'm not saying I support Paris; at the same time, I am not judging her for her poor decision making. I think we should all be able to look at this objectively (after all, how many of us know her personally?) and learn from the consequences she has to face. It's very easy to point at Paris and laugh at her situation, but honestly, making fun of her is just a way for people to feel better about themselves, which really doesn't make it right.