What kind of culture would embrace Paris Hilton?

Creators Syndicate ^ | June 1, 2005 | Ben Shapiro

[UltraConservative]

Paris Hilton is at it again. The 24-year-old hotel heiress is the feature attraction in Carl's Jr.'s new Spicy Burger ad campaign, aimed at the horny male TV-watching population. Scantily clad in a one-piece leather outfit plunging down to below her navel, Hilton struts into an empty warehouse, licks her finger, then suds up herself and a Bentley automobile, as a stripper-styled "I Love Paris" rendition slowly plays in the background. At the end of the spot, Hilton bites the burger and sucks her finger clean. The commercial closes with Hilton's tagline flashing across the screen: "That's Hot."

The spot is pure, soft-core pornography, beginning to end. The website for the commercial, spicyparis.com, touts the "too-hot-for-TV spot." And while Carl's Jr. CEO Andy Puzder defends the ad as "a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car," it is clearly designed to capitalize on Hilton's target audience -- porn watchers.

As I explain in my upcoming book, "Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future," the plain truth of the situation is that Paris Hilton would be a relative nobody today were she not incredibly rich and profligate with her favors. Hilton made perhaps the most infamous porn video outside of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. That hard-core work, starring then-boyfriend Rick Solomon, brought her international fame. At least nine other sex tapes are said to be floating around somewhere, including a lesbian sex tape with Playboy playmate Nicole Lenz. The sexually uninhibited Hilton became a target for Larry Flynt of Hustler fame, who released pictures of Hilton sharing some lesbian tongue at a nightclub. As Conan O'Brien observed, "Hustler magazine announced that it will feature photos of Paris Hilton making out with another woman, while the woman fondles Paris' breasts. So the search continues for a photo of Paris Hilton not having sex."

Because of her pornographic involvement, Hilton has grabbed an endorsement deal as the Guess? Jeans girl (the New York Observer reported that "her bad-girl image jibes with the clothing company's porn-lite ad campaigns"), endless tabloid headlines, and now, this deal with Carl's Jr. As Brad Haley, marketing chief for Carl's Jr., stated, "Paris was chosen to star in the ad because she is an intriguing cultural icon and the 'it girl' of the moment."

Here's the big question: How, as a society, did we allow Paris Hilton to become a cultural icon? Clearly, no one likes her very much. Liberals and conservatives alike agree that she is vacuous and silly. Media commentators all over the map label her "spoiled" and "stupid." Maureen Dowd, hardly a cultural right-winger, lumps Hilton together with "vacuous, slutty girls on TV sitcoms."

No, Hilton is today's "it girl" for one reason and one reason alone: Individual scorn, though that opinion may be shared by a vast majority, does not control the river of a culture. It is those who push the envelope who do. Over the past few decades, we have implemented a "live and let live" culture whereby abhorrence for immorality is seen as illegitimate if promoted through governmental means. Instead, we are supposed to let our culture be poisoned slowly -- and if we protest, we are told that as long as we turn off our own TV's, all will be well.

That's why it should come as no surprise that Hilton's spicy ad has ardent defenders, who proclaim that just because you don't like pornography doesn't mean that it can't make someone else very happy. One man's pornography is another man's means to happiness. And so Keith Olbermann of MSNBC ripped the ad's detractors: "I'm reminded tonight of H.L. Mencken's definition of Puritanism: the haunting fear someone somewhere may be happy. Is that at the bottom line here, I mean, that the people who have to protest crap like this ad -- and it's crap -- but are they afraid it will corrupt somebody, or are they afraid somebody will enjoy it?" Paul Begala labeled the offended "the sanctimonious Republican right." And Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times simultaneously condemned the commercial as "a new high (or low) in television crassness" and slammed the ad's opponents as members of the "manufactured outrage industry."

This is the new pattern: individual condemnation and societal acceptance. The moral among us have been forced into tolerance of immorality. Paris Hilton is a cultural icon because of it. As long as the moral majority is impotent, the lowest common denominator will continue to define us.

©2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

[najida]

The old adage that I learned (from my Southern Belle Primer ;) ) is never let anything be recorded that you wouldn't want the whole wide world to see. Because the world will see it, it's just a matter of time.

That and don't go to orgies cuz there's too many Thank You notes to write.

[mugs99]

"Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future,"

Nonsense!
Our culture of today and the future was shaped by economics. When both parents are required to join the rat race the family bond is broken. Kids now are influenced by outsiders instead of parent and family.
...

[Modernman]

The appeals ran up to the state supreme courts and because comminity standards could not be defined or quantified, the community lost.

Obscenity cases are still tried today. The DOJ does a good number of prosecutions every year.

The Supreme Court has upheld zoning restrictions that prevent adult businesses from opening in something like 98% of a community's jurisdiction (in one case). The bottom line is, communities have the legal power to write zoning laws that will banish adult businesses to the periphery of the community.

[sofaman]

Got a chuckle out of the "(shaking head)"....

Maybe I'm as naive as she is! It's her boyfriend..she trusts him (stupidly I admit). He says that it would be "fun" to videotape themselves...that's the extent of it as far as she is concerned.

Somehow, I can't imagine that someone in her position would want a sex video to hit the internet...her parents, I imagine, must have had a cow! At least I hope that they did..

I seem to remember the parents had attorneys all over this, trying to stop it from being made available...they soon realized that they had no hope of being able to stop it and dropped it, hoping that it would eventually just go away.

[JeffAtlanta]

You can have your subscription channels, but on my public channels, I should have the absolute freedom to watch without being offensive.

Others may find what you like to watch offensive to their tastes. When I see a "christian" minister on tv robbing senior citizens of their money I get offended.

[sofaman]

rofl...good one

[Zionist Conspirator]

On a handful of issues I am not.

That's small comfort.

You can call me "Oliver Cromwell," btw!

[Modernman]

The old adage that I learned (from my Southern Belle Primer ;) ) is never let anything be recorded that you wouldn't want the whole wide world to see. Because the world will see it, it's just a matter of time.

Of course. Paris Hilton is a bottomless pit of neediness and the desire for attention. That naughty video was the perfect way for her to get the attention she craved. She has an $80 million trust fund. If the release of this video really was unauthorized, she could have sued her ex-boyfriend back into the stone age.

That and don't go to orgies cuz there's too many Thank You notes to write.

They cover orgy etiquette in the Southern Bell Primer?

[Freebird Forever]

but if you ask many regular guys, they'll say, "Yeah, but it's **Britney**! (Or it's **Paris**)"

Only those with inferior taste.

Real men say, Yeah, but it's **ANNA**

[Melas]

I'll bite, what liberties did you enjoy in the 1950's that you no longer enjoy. Please don't respond with some lame diatribe about being free from porn, that's a bad play on word, not a serious answer at all. However, if you can truly show me where you had more liberty then, than you have now, I'd love to hear it.

[najida]

They cover orgy etiquette in the Southern Bell Primer?

Nah,
It's an old southern girl joke about "Why don't you ever see a Southern Belle at a orgy?"
Too many thank you notes to write :)

[Modernman]

It's an old southern girl joke about "Why don't you ever see a Southern Belle at a orgy?"

Hmmmm.... Guess I'll have to take a census at the next orgy I go to to find out if this saying is true :-)

[najida]

Well,
You won't see me there,
I'm still writing notes from Mardi Gras.;)

[TheBigB]

I heard the same joke years ago. But it was about Junior Leaguers. :)

[Melas]

The question isn't if laws are based on morality. Of course they are, there is really no argument otherwise. The question is: Which morals should become law? Obviously, some morals should become law. It should be equally obvious that not all laws can be, and certainly not all morals should be law. The question is where the line is drawn.

[Melas]

You have no right not to be offended.

[Melas]

Dude, how can you not be able to tell the difference between Bianca Perez Morena De Macias Jagger, who looks every bit the latina her name suggests, and Jerri Hall, a tall blonde Texan?

[myrabach]

Very simply, I didn't have to be "politically correct". I could give umteen examples of this, but I'm sure you really don't need me to. Amos and Andy could actually be shown on TV.

People actually could go an purchase firearms, as someone on this thread mentioned earlier. I do remember pistols for sale in the local KMart.

Business could hire who they wanted without the civil liberties union being involved in that decision. You could actually quaranteen someone with a contagious disease and keep them separate from the rest of the population.

If you were fired from a job, you couldn't collect unemployment! Is that a freedom? Yes, actually it is because employers paid lower unemployment taxes.

Ahhh... and car insurance was OPTIONAL!! Not to mention, CHEAP! You didn't need medical insurance to go to the doctors or to the dentist, you could actually afford it.

You didn't need to be drug tested to participate in extra curricular activities in school.

You could smoke where you wanted.

[fatnotlazy]

Do you know whether she went to college? Yes, I wonder what she would do without the money. Also, what is she going to do as she ages and her looks start to change. How will she handle that?

***

I don't know if she did go to college -- if so, I doubt much of it sank in. She does seem that she has little interest in the world around her. All she seems to want to do is shop and, prior to her recent engagement, fool around with the guys. Well, maybe she's still fooling around - how would I know? LOL

A number of wealthy types insist that their offspring get an education and even work for a living...teaches them responsibility and also gives them some practical life experience they can draw upon when the looks fade and the money runs out.

[Melas]

Fair enough, good examples, although you left me even more confused than ever. On the one hand you're supporting the right to be downright offensive and parody black people for amusement, but you're somehow taking the moral high ground with sexuality? Yah...ok.