Violence makes me sick. When I see real violence, it turns my stomach. Sure, I can watch a movie with violence, even some of the old “ultraviolence” in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange is OK with me. It’s fake, I remind myself. Nonetheless, I have always had a morbid curiosity for violence and the Internet did a good job satiating that curiosity until, in 2003, those horrible videos of terrorists executing people with knives did me in. I had a full-blown panic attack when I saw the Nicholas Berg video, and never bothered to look at such horror again. There is nothing fake about it.
On a much smaller scale, I was horrified when I saw gossip maven Perez Hilton get jumped, in a clip posted on gossip sites this week. For those not in the know, Perez Hilton, born Mario Armando Lavandeira, is the most recognized name in the world of celebrity gossip. His blog, www.perezhilton.com, is a daily Internet stop for millions, myself included. It started out as a little project, but has become a vehicle for some of the most mean-spirited celeb dishing this side of “Page Six.”
Anyway, Perez is arguing with will.i.am, a member of the music group Black Eyed Peas. By the end of the argument, Perez has been punched. Hours later, he posted a tearful explanation of the attack on his site. Since then, he has been vilified and mocked, with many news organizations and anchors using the old “Not that we think it’s OK, but Perez Hilton finally got his” mentality in their delivery. In other words, he got what he deserved. I don’t agree.
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The most disturbing part of the video, though, is not Perez getting hit, which you can barely see. It is Perez, a champion of the gay community and also a member of same, calling his adversary “faggot.”
Wow. You hypocrite, Perez. Close down shop now. You lost your credibility instantly with that one.
Not long ago, when Miss California Carrie Prejean answered Perez Hilton’s question about gay marriage that he, as a celebrity judge at the pageant, was asking, Prejean did something horrible. She told the truth, which is: She believes a marriage should be between a man and a woman. And Hilton waged war. He blasted her, cajoled her, laughed at her when nude pics of her popped up on the Net. It is his way. He is someone who used to be bullied, but is now exacting his revenge on the world.
When he posts things about people, he feels free to draw offensive doodles on their faces, over their heads, writes hideous captions and calls them awful names. Perez skewers these people, especially those who utter anti-gay sentiments. Except, of course, himself.
His site featured a lame, poorly written and hypocritical apology for uttering the word “faggot.” We, the readers, are told that he is really sorry. He never meant to hurt anyone. But he was upset, people!
I am one of those idiots who, when asked if I think if gay marriage is OK, I answer “If they want the fun and enjoyment of divorce, why the hell not?” I have been accused of being a simpleton and insensitive because of that sentiment, but it is mine. And I believe it. Let’s not confuse the legal right to marry with God and the Church, both of whom are on my list, too. Marriage is a legal deal more than an emotional one, at least when it comes to the divorce part. The court couldn’t care less if your heart is broken.
But Perez, those are fighting words. You cannot fight for a cause, only to undermine it with your own sense of entitlement and ignorance.
I hate violence, and I think I hate it most because it is born of ignorance. For that, there is no excuse.
Follow DryMartino on Twitter at twitter.com/drymartino.
