He who must not be paid attention

All that Perez Hilton shit nauseated my Monday. Forget about his turning assault into a plea for attention -- that's to be expected from someone who comes off like a Garbage Pail Kid translation of Madonna (as if there weren't one already). It's the "faggot" thing that bothers me. For all his complaining about being socked in the face, he shot himself in the foot before that even could happen. This fool, who's given a national platform for no particular reason beyond serendipity, goes and hurls that word at another person as if it's something to be ashamed of. This, coming from someone who turned Carrie Prejean's worth-ignoring ignorance into would-be crusade for gay rights. This, coming after that crusade resulted in a showcase for his inarticulation and inability to win an argument with even a complete idiot who equated not welcoming girls to the Boy Scouts with not allowing gays to marry. That shit drove me crazy because he seemed oblivious to the obvious points (like something as basic as, hey, our values can change as a society as we learn more, particularly about the nature of homosexuality). I didn't write about it, nor have I written much about him in general (despite the very pronounced feeling of bile flooding into my mouth that he regularly produces), because if you say something disparaging about someone who has the same job as you and who's infinitely more successful (numbers-wise, I mean), you end up looking jealous, or at least of dubious motivation.

But I don't care about that at this point, because I couldn't be less jealous of him especially given the current circumstances. I just kind of want to throw up my hands (or in my hands) and call out this character, this persona, this online half-person for what it is: bad for the Internet, bad for gay people, bad for the world. I can't help but feel like everything would be better off without him. I know that's a harsh and extreme point of view and believe me that I paused before typing that to actually consider him and his contribution to society. I'd go as far as to say I racked my brain and I've still come up with absolutely nothing positive or pro-social that he has brought to the world, at least on a public level (and keep in mind that I'm not following his every move, so I could have missed an act of philanthropy or two). But not even the "entertainment" he provides is to be commended, as it ultimately lowers the very low standards of the Internet. Forget the rich and famous, if you are a human being, Perez Hilton makes you look bad, no MS Paint necessary.

And yesterday, that got me down. It's just like, what's it going to take to break this damaging enchantment people have with him? Does he have to hurt someone? Kill them? Actually ejaculate on them? Like, what? But as the day unfolded, it seemed like the overwhelming majority of people who gave a fuck to say anything about this nonsense were calling him on his bullshit. Certainly this was so at Gawker and ONTD (but that's to be expected) but also on Twitter (where Perez's look-at-me's made their debut this time). Kelly Clarkson, that little pop cherub, spoke out against his shit. And then GLADD issued a demand for an apology that summed up his error as succinctly as accurately as possible. It reads, in part: "These are vulgar antigay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community. For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person by saying that it is 'The worst possible thing that thug would ever want to hear,' is incredibly dangerous. It legitimizes use of a slur that is often linked to violence against our community. And it sends a message that it is OK to attempt to dehumanize people by exploiting antigay attitudes."

All this backlash gives me hope. We're doing the right thing. We're making ourselves look good. Way to go, everyone. Take back the Paint!

Comments

[p. potter]

i've been over perez for a long time now--his website smacks of self righteousness.

he's no kind of poster-boy for the gay movement/equal rights agenda because he's an idiot. plain and simple. just because you pander to the lowest common denominator, and succeed, doesn't mean you're qualified for anything.

i don't think you're bitter, rich. i think you're right.

[Darren]

I really hope this is the beginning of the end for Perez. In a perfect world, all of his credibility (of which I can't believe he's considered to have, but whatever) would disappear after this disgusting event.

Unfortunately, I have this sickening feeling that this will only be a bump in the road for him. He makes me ashamed to lump myself in with the gay community. Because we don't have a clear poster boy for our civil rights struggles, dirtbags like Perez end up taking up so much of our spotlight. He does nothing to further our cause, nor does he contribute anything to humanity as a whole.

Please, Perez, just go away.

[tinyhands10]

i have offically taken his site off my "favorites"...
in the trash where he belongs!!!!

well written, rich... took the words right out of my mouth!

[yggie]

I agree with you, Rich, and even sad to admit, with the guy who popped him one. He's a self-loathing, sad person who somehow become famous and will eventually, one day, crash and burn. He contributes little to nothing to this world (positive at any rate) and he has A LOT to answer for. It's amazing he hasn't been sued a thousand times over but maybe that's coming?

Rich, no one could accuse you of being jealous of this idiot. You give us food for thought, laughs, Winston and so much more. I'm also certain you are respected in your field and not laughed at behind your back which I'm sure the other guy is on a daily basis. His day is coming and I frankly feel sorry for him because it ain't gonna be purty.

[Noel]

It has been over a year now since I last visited that fat nasty fucks website. I despise his cheap and witless humor. It's always bothered me that anyone even laughs at this bullshit, like how can he be so popular but such a piece of shit. I can not agree with you more on the topic. He offers nothing but hurts and tears down everything. I've taken dumps after Chipotle that look better than his red faced fugliness.

[Allison]

Perez Hilton is the only person who ever made me ashamed to be an active homosexual. To be in the same category as him makes my skin crawl. Ugh.

[Lucien Valdermore]

Please people, don't give Perez any hits if you want him to go away.
Stop visiting his website, don't click on any links that leads to his website, and start writing letters to his blog's sponsors to cut him off. Stop talking about him, don't even mention his name. Just call him 'he-who-must-not-be-named'.
That is the only way he'll ever go away.
We need to get Perez off the internet.

[Kccody]

Never quite got the public's fascination with Perez. I will stop my occassional visits to his site and visit Rich much more often. Hate is hate whether you are gay or straight and Perez is hate.

[BabylonSista]

I've always felt a little guilty browsing his site; there's something sort of dirty about watching a grown man ridicule people who've done nothing to him. His preoccupation with tweens is also sort of squicky--he's like a 13-year-old girl with ADHD and a mean streak, trapped in a gay man's body.

And I can't believe anyone would think you'd be jealous of him! You're a hell of a writer, you're witty, and you're sorta hot. I can respect a guy who can write a blog post without drawing drool trails on someone's face.

[Seeldee]

Agreed with all of the above. After leaving this comment I'm deleting he-who-must-not-be-named's website from my bookmarks. I've been disgusted with his postings for some time and this incident is the straw that's broken this camel's back. And I can't even watch the video as the sound of his voice is too grating. That they played a bit of it on the news here in Toronto last night drove me crazy. I couldn't change the channel quickly enough. From what I saw, he looked and sounded like he has Down's Syndrome (and I do NOT mean that as a dig against people with DS - they are uniformly lovely, kind and inspiring human beings). It's just that in video, that turd's inarticulate manner is always so obvious. He's a boil on the ass of the internet and it's time to lance it.

[Brad]

Rich, you articulated your opinions way more eloquently than I ever could. I agree with every word you wrote.

[birdgal]

I could not BELIEVE that Perez Hilton used 'faggot' as an epithet, I just could not wrap my brain around it.

You nailed this post Rich, nailed it! A to the MEN!

[trick please]

Yeah. He just needs to go away.

I thought this whole Will.I.Am. thing was hypocritical and then asking ppl on Twitter to call the cops? Really?!

Just unbelievable..

[LittleBee]

couldn't agree with you more, rich. we all know that money doesn't follow sense, nor do page hits apparently. i can't imagine that perez' inevitable downfall won't be as glorious and extreme as his success. it's sad that his own self-hate has manifested in such a way, and that he has no caring souls around him to steer him away from this madness - yet another reason you should be thankful. you've got the right people around you.

i thought it was telling that he remarked about wanting to gossip about people's lives, not wanting to *be* gossiped about. glass houses come to mind...

keep up the excellent work, rich. no salt necessary.

[Chris]

I wrote him off long ago when he blogged on Britney Spears (or someone) having a GED and he said something along the lines of "way to be white trash." In what way is getting a GED white trash? Stuff happens and you can't or don't go to "normal" school. At least she has it, not that she's gonna use it or anything. Sure Britney deserves some shit for her wackadoo actions, but not that.

I feel like talking about him, albeit against him, is giving him what he and all the other fame-whores want: attention. He's back in the spotlight, bringing revenue and page hits. He's a tool and a douchebag and needs to be ignored. I long for the day when the word "Who?" immediately follows his name. I close the iron door on him.

[sleazy skeezy beautiful]

It seems a little wrong to kick someone while they're down, but when else are you supposed to kick a gutter-dweller like Perez? I think the moment I realised he was a total scumbag was when Perez called Adam Sandler's daughter fat and ugly. She was two years old! http://jezebel.com/5010728/im-surprised-a-whale-didnt-bite-her-ankle--pull-her-into-the-ocean-to-be-its-mate

[Jim]

I confess to having spent way too much time over the past years on Perez's site. He's despicable, but I read him anyway because he always had some dishy gossip. But yesterday, he just went too far. It's almost a pleasure to have an excuse not to go anymore. Ah...sweet release.

[sarah]

very well said, rich. so nuts to me he pleaded w/ millions of people to call the police when he couldve (& did) just do it himself. you know, without millioins of people clogging phone lines and thereby probably preventing REAL crimes from being addressed.

[fashion your seatbelts]

You know, I really hate to be "this person", but I couldn't help but think while watching his video (and yes, I watched all eleven hilarious minutes), that it was only a matter of time before someone beat his ass. And with the whole "faggot" thing? He EVEN SAID that he KNEW it was going to set will.i.am off, so ... you know. He really can't complain. Do I think it was acceptable for Pogo to punch him? No. Of course not. Not only is hitting people usually wrong, but all it did was give him what he wanted, which was a huge scandal, and attention.

[RP]

No one with any sense at all would accuse you of being jealous of him. You are 100% correct Rich.

@birdgal: We're talking about a guy who goes around outing people. That he doesn't respect that it's their own decision as to if, when, and how they come out speaks volumes.

[Cheryl]

Yes, yes, yes. I've heard many people rant about Perez, but this post hits the nail on the head in every way. He is a walking stereotype, every bad image of a gay man. He is ridiculous, inarticulate, frankly not too bright, and it's a true shame that he has the platform that he does - and that he's wasting it the way he is. I have a feeling his 15 minutes may be up soon. The more he opens his mouth, the more he wears out his welcome.

[trix]

Ugghh, Perez has always bugged me. I never quite got the allure of his posts. Yeah making fun of celebrities is fun, but he was just nasty for no particular reason.

What I really hate is that ever since the Ms. California shit went down, we've been having to make the point that while we all want gay marriage not all of us who want gay marriage are like Perez Hilton! His rant against her and subsequent poster child for gay marriage status hurt our cause way more than it helped us!

[yeah]

Another insightful and well-written post I stand fully behind! Fourfour makes me love the internet. Keep doing what you're doing Rich -- the world needs your voice!

As for "him," screw that shit. Hate speech is hate speech is hate speech.
I will choose from one of the many other awesome and hilarious gossip sites out there.

[ChrisP]

Perez Hilton is just an self ritious fool who thinks he can preech love and equality and then spread enough hate to cover the whole of Japan. Hypocrite who deserved to slap. If anyone of us started calling someone in a club, then expect a reaction. Be a man and take responsibilty for your actions yeah.

[Raignn]

Amen!!