06.13.07
Schadenfreude, Pt. 2
I supposed it was bound to happen. The criminal justice system (in California!) finally sends a rich, white celebrity to jail for a crime they committed, and pundits and columnists weep for the criminal.
Of course, I am speaking of Paris Hilton.
Do these talking heads actually believe what they are saying? Are they so out of touch with America that they really can’t grasp why the public is largely ecstatic to see Ms. Hilton serving time? Christopher Hitchens condemns us by labeling our glee as “reek[ing] of whatever horrible, buried, vicarious impulse underlies kiddie porn and child abuse.”
Mr. Hitchens: Suck it.
How dare you label America as a nation of pedophiles because for ONCE, the criminal justice system has sent a drunk, unrepentant, law-breaking, racist celebrity to jail!
I, for one, am sick and tired of seeing celebrities repeatedly break the law for everything from DUIs to double-murders and get away with it because they can afford slick lawyers. Meanwhile, thousands of ordinary citizens are sentenced to prisons for crimes they didn’t commit because they can not afford a competant attorney.
That is why America is celebrating Paris’ downfall. It is not just schadenfreude. It is rejoicing at the lone example in recent memory that maybe, just maybe, our country does deliver “justice for all.”
