When it comes to the right or wrong of slinging insults at innocent youths, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is blunt. "I don’t feel bad at all," he says of posts on PerezHilton.com that poke fun at the prominent chin of Rumer Willis (daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis). Or his physical criticism of Christie Brinkley and Bill Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel ("no supermodel"). In fact, his ribbing of her prompted the 22-year-old singer to strike back on her MySpace page by calling him "dangerous."
The blogger sees celebrity kids as fair game because they’re out in public. So do other celebrity gossip websites, such as A Socialite’s Life (socialitelife.buzznet.com) and the Evil Beet (evilbeetgossip.com), that mock celebrity kids on their physical appearances.
…And their parents, no matter how high up the celebrity ladder they are, probably don’t have much legal recourse. According to Sandra Baron, executive director of the Media Law Resource Center, the coverage of kids is a breach of good taste rather than the law. "It’s the Faustian bargain that these celebrities make for fame," she says. "Part of that pact is paid for by their families — their children and their spouses."
That pact never expires either. At the moment, perezhilton.com finds Suri Cruise "adorable." But when she grows into an awkward adolescent?
"I’ll say, ‘What happened to Suri,’ " Hilton says, "if she’s ugly."
I don’t believe I’ve ever mocked someone for his physical appearance (certainly not on my blogs). It’s below the belt.
This Times story makes me cringe.
On the other hand, I love the Fox News show "Red Eye," which does mock people for their appearance. So yes, I can enjoy cruel humor even when I won’t allow myself to dish it out.
Jim Jones emails:
It’s fair-dinkum below the belt, mate!
"I don’t believe I’ve ever mocked someone for his physical appearance (certainly not on my blogs)."
Need you be reminded of but one example?
“Mark [Kernes] is old and ugly. He loves porn and hates its critics. Fond of wearing suspenders and thinking of himself as a lawyer [he was once a court reporter], he looks at the world through beady, suspicious, pig-like eyes, squinting between jowls of fat.”
No, certainly not you…you hypocritical ponce.
