Paris Hilton: The Death of America

[Baron Kurtz]

After hearing Dickens give a reading of A Christmas Carol, one American manufacturer turned to wife and said "Next year, we shall not keep the factory open on Christmas Day."

Man of the people, he was!

One mans morality is the next mans debtors prison.

bk

 

[BellyTank]

... I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m seeing many young girls, in the neighborhood of 12-16......

=WR=

Ya big hypocrite!

Just kidding Mister...

Yes, the public-private lives of the 'teen role model' is an abomination!

Mary Christmas!!!

B
T

 

[Section10]

J. C., is human misery none of our business? If a blindfolded man is stepping toward a cliff is it not our business to warn him? In Genesis Cain asked God if he was his brother's keeper. God didn't say; instead he wrote the rest of the Bible to answer the question. There is a difference between condemnation and concern.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

J. C., is human misery none of our business? If a blindfolded man is stepping toward a cliff is it not our business to warn him? In Genesis Cain asked God if he was his brother's keeper. God didn't say; instead he wrote the rest of the Bible to answer the question. There is a difference between condemnation and concern.

Well, now, here is the crux of this thread. From the early posts i didn't get the impression that people were concerned for P.H. I'm certainly not concerned for her. There was an awful lot of condemnation going on (rightfully, or wrongly). God doesn't come into the argument. Morality was around long before we invented religions.

We are all responsible for ourselves. Not for others. The place of evangelical spouting about morality in our society is a contentious one. We're not here to judge people we don't know. Were P.H. a vegetarian she could easily say i would have to answer for my meat eating sins at the end of time (i see the arguments about sexual morality and the morality of eating meat as being equivalent).

bk

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Well, now, here is the crux of this thread. From the early posts i didn't get the impression that people were concerned for P.H. I'm certainly not concerned for her. There was an awful lot of condemnation going on (rightfully, or wrongly). God doesn't come into the argument. Morality was around long before we invented religions.

We are all responsible for ourselves. Not for others. The place of evangelical spouting about morality in our society is a contentious one. We're not here to judge people we don't know. Were P.H. a vegetarian she could easily say i would have to answer for my meat eating sins at the end of time (i see the arguments about sexual morality and the morality of eating meat as being equivalent).

bk

Personally I think it's great that we live in a country where someone is free to be a trust fund trollop. I love freedom, and our veterans paid and continue to pay for it dearly. She is an adult and I honestly don't care about what she does. I do care about the fact that our culture glorifies her behavior. We are free to make our choices, and with that comes responsibility. Back to what I said earlier in this thread, most kids aren't properly supervised and aren't yet able to make adult decisions. When our media and culture promotes bimbos and bad guys as the norm I think we all need to be concerned.

 

[jamespowers]

Back to what I said earlier in this thread, most kids aren't properly supervised and aren't yet able to make adult decisions. When our media and culture promotes bimbos and bad guys as the norm I think we all need to be concerned.

Exactly and that is what is missing for society as we live it today. Years ago children were watched at all stages of development and shaped to be young men and women. Parents checked out their friends and they probably knew your friend's parents. You were dead if you screwed up at their house just as much as if you screwed up at your own house. The same was true at school, the library and just about any place you went.
The lax conditions in which the next generations are raised is one of no supervision and a devil may care attitude when we are just letting the people who will next direct our country and be the next captains of industry run wild. Do you really think that will be good for us if we do not care? Crime will increase in general and the quality of life will decline as well. It is all about what will continue on and what will happen to us as senior citizens. I prefer to have responsible people in positions of power taught by responsible adult parents.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Bebop]

Well, Venereal diseases come to mind real quick. The list is long on that score. I believe that such activates should be held with in the sacred sanctity of marriage. Yes, I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m a Christian and her behavior she?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll have to answer for. If one man can believe in God (What ever form that may be) one can not condone her acts or other celebrity?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s promiscuous acts as being morally OK.

My point of views is toward a straight edge lifestyle but, that?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s me. I feel that people gain more respect if they respect their bodies and others. Being a slut or a whore isn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t a positive roll model for America. I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m seeing many young girls, in the neighborhood of 12-16 getting a sex life started. The woes it causes them down the road is many. Teen pregnancy?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s and abortions are just sad to me. Why take the creation of life so lightly? Just to fulfill a momentary erg?

I just find this as an abomination and feel sad when people look to her for what?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s popular.

=WR=

You certainly do not have to be a believer in God to know that P.H. should not be a positive role model for anyone. I am a devoute, born again Atheist and know that she has degraded herself and made it difficult for any rich, young, pretty girls to be taken seriously. I too believe that teen pregnancy and abortions are horrible and Paris Hilton has contributed to the lax attitude that teen girls have towards sex, abortions and morals. The fact is that not everyone is as intelligent as we would like. You can be born with alot of money and also with the lack of smarts to go with it.

 

[Solomon Kane]

The heathen have spoken.

 

[Section10]

Destructive behavior exists whether we acknowledge it or not. And people are free to pursue it whether we like it or not. It is a painful thing to know what these things lead to, though, for those who have already been there and can see the end of it. Sure, I care about her. Like I care about anyone who makes bad decisions that can cause themselves and others unnecessary harm. I think public figures have greater responsibility than the rest of us simply because they are public figures -- and potential role models. It is better to be no role model at all than to be a bad one. How many foolish young people will suffer because they chose to emulate the behavior of Ms. Hilton?

 

[jamespowers]

As I said, if there are parents, then I can tell you who is responsible. I was a teacher for many years, expected to act "in loco parentis" too much, without any of the real powers needed to do so.

You can't put it all on parents because the job is hard enough without society contramanding everything you try to instill in your children. You can filter it as much as possible but you can't keep the dreck away from them when they are not by your side. At a certain point what you have instilled in them takes them where they want to go but before that there is also the community that they live in. A permissive society breeds permissive members of it.
The problem is that many are unwilling to put the amount of work necessary into shaping the next generation. We can start with the parents but the culture in which they operate has an influence whether you want to admit it or not. If you discount that then I suppose we have to discount smog in the air or upbringing because we are all islands and none of what we do matters. If we could not all agree on a certain amount of restraint then there would be no laws. Laws are an acknowledgement of a need for responsible conduct. That does not mean that all laws are just; it means that there is a basic code of conduct that we can agree on or agree to change if it does not meet our needs. Beyond laws comes culture and upbringing. These are the things we are taught that are no necessarily in writing and are not necessarily agreed on by all. Within the general context though, most sentient people can agree that:
Staying in school and graduating
Not becoming pregnant until you are married
Not committing crimes
Obtaining a college degree
Not spending more than you make
and being reasonably responsible with your decision making processes
will likely keep you from being a drag on society and mostly likely will make you a success on either a small or large scale. Its really not that hard. In fact, it might be harder to do everything wrong because it ruins your life progressively worse all the time. I think I prefer to have my fellow man know this and do better. Consequently he may contribute to another generation of responsible adults, provide more jobs, invest more money in valuable industries and contribute to the economy in many other productive ways. All of these things benefit me whether I care to admit it or not. John Donne was right many centuries ago and nothing has changed:
"...No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee..."

Regards to all,

J

 

[Section10]

How many enemies, J.C., do you think you have? I know, I like to think that I have none.

 

[Solomon Kane]

Still celebrating Saturnalia! Io! Up next, Sol Invictus!:beer:

Have you no fear of Hell? What of your immortal soul?

 

[Sefton]

Have you no fear of Hell? What of your immortal soul?

...whouda' thunk that a spoiled tart could generate such hand wringing as this..?

 

[Bebop]

Nope. I have neither hope of reward nor fear of punishment. Dead is dead, friend.

Atta boy, Joseph. Everyone seeks proof for everything except that of immortal souls and such. Explanations morph into "faith" whacky magazine articles and "belief". This could be quite an interesting thread were it not for the title. When you start thinking about the Death of America, you realize that Paris Hilton is just a very small part of it.

 

[jamespowers]

Noble, indeed. And the primary responsibility of the parents. Aside from the possibility of lawsuits if you poke your nose in other people's affairs too deeply, such interference is likely as not going to turn out counterproductive. You know the routine, "Who does he think he is, telling me what to do ..." As I said, I was a teacher for too long not to know the drill. When the parents fail, we lose. When the parents do well, the trash the kids see in popular culture will hardly affect them. The rest of us have very little influence.

Not noble at all really. It is actually selfish because it all comes back to me one way or the other. Of course, you don't believe that but I do.
It is interesting that you as a teacher feel that way. My wife had several teachers that probably were more relevant to her in the way of making a difference than her parents. If it weren't for them the story would be different. One just passed on a few months ago and it was probably worse for her than her own mother's death. I suppose a litigious society ruined that hands on making a difference anymore but that is what I am talking about. Sometimes people need to be told they are wrong when they are wrong.
Gee, if I lived life thinking I didn't make a difference to the people around me that would be a shame. Fortunately, I know for a fact that individuals make a difference in the lives of children. You don't know when it happens but they get back to you eventually.
It reminds me of a friend of mine that was a teacher. He taught Steve Perry how to play the drums. A year or so ago, there was a knock at his door. There was Steve Perry at his door holding a Gold Record award he had received with an inscription to my friend regarding what his teaching him music meant to him. What's even more funny is that he asked me if I knew who Steve Perry was. He was pleased when he was presented with the award but I doubt even he knew what Steve accomplished based on what he helped him understand. Steve was raised in a single parent household by the way.
I suppose I might be overly sentimental too.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Section10]

The content of some of these posts supports my conviction that I am already far richer than Paris Hilton ever thought of being. You're right, J.C.; humans are indeed selfish, -- but not very discerning. Too bad they chase the dross and discard the gold. After all, 'Dead is dead, friend'.
Good night, all.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Who's Steve Perry?

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The heathen have spoken.

Worse than that: Proselyte

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Sorry, i'm the proselyte ...

bk

 

[Section10]

When I am contrite, however, I apologize only to the offended party, and when I am charitable, it is only for the recipient. No deity need apply.

Now, you're finally talking. I agree 100%!