Whoa...world collide! Newsweek article about Perez Hilton & domestic violence (?!)

For a long time I thought Perez Hilton was the same person as Paris Hilton.
I think that was probably the whole point, as Perez’s real name is Mario something or other.

At some point I figured out the difference and started perusing the sit.
I even admit that I occasionally (ok, daily) still peruse Perez.
It’s shallow and I probably need help, but I enjoy my daily dose of pop culture.

While he writes mean things about a lot of celebrities, Perez seems to really hate Fergie. I think she’s OK mostly because she managed to look reasonably scared in her small role in the remake of Poseidon..but that’s neither here nor there.

Perez is pretty vicious when he writes about her, and frequently refers to some sort of peeing incident that occurred several years ago (?) while she was performing with the Black Eyed Peas.

Apparently he had the misfortune to run into Fergie’s manager sometime recently..and emerged from the encounter with enough bruises/injuries to warrant a call to police.

None of this is would normally be worth blogging about, except that Newsweek blogger Kate Dailey wrote a really interesting article comparing this situation to relationship/domestic violence situations.

Seems like a stretch. Perez Hilton getting beat up=domestic violence?
But the article makes a really interesting point.

Namely, that violence is simply not an acceptable reaction.

While women are often blamed for ‘provoking’ their partner or for being complicit in the abuse, we do not pay nearly enough attention to the people (usually their male partners) who believe that hitting, kicking, or physically attacking someone is a justifiable response to frustration, anger or any other reactive emotion.

Dailey writes:
“Many victims of violence—and especially domestic violence—will tell you that the slaps, punches, and shoves perpetrated upon them didn't happen when they were just sitting their minding their own business. It came during some sort of disagreement. Maybe she snapped at him out of frustration. Maybe she hit on a particularly sore subject. These are all things that happen during the course of an argument—we're never at our best when tempers are inflamed. But that doesn't make it right, ever, to take the fight from cutting remarks to physical violence.”

The Perez connection?
Sure he’s kind of smarmy, and says mean things about a lot of celebrities.
Dailey points out that his claim to fame is publishing gossip and photoshopping pictures of genitalia onto photos.

Sounds pretty provoking if it happens to be your outfit he’s making fun of in a very public forum, or your picture that has a penis superimposed rather graphically near your face.
But ultimately, being annoying, or graphic or provoking does not make a violent reaction acceptable.


So really, a rather creative example and a very important message..

And I feel much better now that Perez has been used to send a legit message about intimate partner violence.