Monday, September 07, 2009

Celebrity Schadenfreude: Drawing the Line

You know there are times when there is a personality that is so annoying and over exposed that when something bad happens to them, for a second, it makes you feel a little good inside, despite the fact that you find the act reprehensible.

I had one of those moments this weekend.

The catalyst for that brief, sick moment of celebrity-based pleasure? Reading that Tila Tequila got choked a little bit by her boyfriend, Shawne Merriman.

I knew deep down, that was wrong and messed up on my part, but yeah... total schadenfreude for me for a second or so because she is so annoying and overexposed.

It was that same feeling I got when I read that Jon Lovitz beat up Andy Dick. But the fact that it was a man abusing a woman in this case (a much stronger athlete no less) makes that feeling wrong though. But would it have been right if another female celebrity did that to her... like if she was dating a gal or happened to insult a fellow reality star and received physical retribution for it. Or let's say Courtney Love punched Paris Hilton in the face. Is it wrong of me to like the sound of that in the same way I'd like hearing that Samuel L. Jackson punched Uwe Boll in the face.

I mean, I was totally incensed by Chris Brown beating Rihanna, and I know that I shouldn't have gotten any pleasure from hearing another female personality had been beaten by a man. I could probably rationalize it by saying that my reaction was post-sexist, but I don't think that would be fair.

I am just so confused sometimes.

4 comments:

Lee Sargent said...

Bill Murray headbutted McG - I'm completely OK with that.

MC said...

As am I.

Maven said...

When my husband first told me about the Tia beatdown, I had to laugh. I cackled in fact. For precisely the same reason you stated.

MC said...

Cackled? You? Nah. I would have expected a light lilting laugh.

Your friend in perversion.