Perez Hilton is, in my opinion, a waste of space. His life is essentially the gossip column in a tabloid newspaper. It’s no secret that celebrity culture is not my thing; yes, there are public figures who I admire, but I have no interest in knowing what’s in their rubbish bins and I believe that we all have a right to a little privacy.

Because of my disinterest, I don’t really know what’s going on in the world of celebrity gossip, however I have been unable to escape this story. Recently Perez has made claims about an attack by someone associated with the ‘Black Eyed Peas’. Here’s a summary from Wikipedia, where you’ll also find references to back up any claims made:

In June 2009 Hilton alleged in a video blog that he was assaulted by the Black Eye Peas' operation manager Polo Molina. Hilton claims the incident occured outside the Ultra club at a 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards after-party where the Black Eyed Peas' frontman will.i.am was DJing. Hilton reported in his video that he was "clocked" in the eye by Molina. Will.i.am also released a video statement in which he claimed he had approached Hilton regarding derogatory comments made by the blogger concerning bandmate Fergie and the group's latest release The E.N.D.. At this point Hilton was allegedly approached from behind and punched in the eye. Will.i.am claimed the attacking party was a fan, although Molina has been detained and will appear in court in Toronto concerning the incident.

This ‘incident’ led him to post a video blog in which he makes teary statements about his treatment as a human being; how nobody deserves to be hit and how violence isn’t the answer. It’s almost as if he’s trying to assert that his human rights were infringed or something. I have some advice: grow some. You were hit, that’s it. I’m not saying it’s right, but people get into fights all of the time. They get over it. Look at the treatment of other people around the world; the violence in places like Afghanistan, the suppression of freedom in China, the exploitation of child workers in India . That’s a true violation of human rights.

In that video, which is worth a watch if you need a laugh, he himself asserts that

I’m a big boy. I dish it. I can take it. I know that I say things that really upset people. That’s never a reason to hit someone.

Actually, I think it is a reason to hit someone. Whilst I don’t support violence, he’s essentially saying there “this attack was provoked”. If you defame someone, then you can expect repercussions. Again, I’m not supporting violence but if you “dish it” don’t expect to not to get anything back. In an ideal world violence wouldn’t be the answer, yet in the real world people do act violently.

His comeuppance?

As a Christian, I know I am compelled not to be vengeful, and I do feel terrible for admitting this, but a part of me can’t help but think that he deserved it. Some of his actions are, in my opinion, despicable. On his blog, Perez is open about his homosexuality and has in the past attempted to ‘out’ celebrities who he claims are ‘in the closet’. Human sexuality isn’t some media spectacle, it is a gift from God to an individual with the intrinsic end of love. It is private in nature and a very sensitive issue. The Catechism states that

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfil God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

What he does is, arguably, unjust discrimination. He is not being sensitive or compassionate, he’s attempting to reveal a very personal part of a person in a very public way. If people don’t feel comfortable enough to ‘come out’ of their own accord then there is no way he can justify ‘outing’ them. It’s not his place to say. Moreover, he’s making claims not truth statements – there is a chance he could be wrong. Spreading rumours is never right, just as violence is never right.

 
Just a few celebrities who Perez claims are ‘closeted’.

Final thoughts

Returning to my opening statement “Perez Hilton is a waste of space”, it probably seems that it’s a bit unfair. I don’t mean that we should just go ahead of lock him away from public view because he serves no purpose at all for society, I mean that his life seems to lack direction. He spends all of his time blogging about other people, but has he spent any time thinking about what God wants for him? At the moment, he’s a man who would rather tweet that he’s being attacked than phone the police to sort out that attack – this is not a life with meaning. It’s clear that he needs to do some serious discernment in order to discover his vocation.

Labels: celebrity, commentary, homosexuality, multimedia