The city council of Los Angeles looking at how they can deal with the paparazzi in Hollywood. Their main concerns being the stars moving out of Hollywood or maybe even injuries due to paparazzi behavior. The LAPD nor the general public really see a point in changing the laws to deal with the paparazzi.
Something should be done about the paparazzi though, don’t get me wrong I think they do serve a purpose and should be able to do their jobs. People want pictures of celebrities and there should be a way to get them. There just should be a limit to what’s acceptable. Right now there are some celebrities that are being chased around town and are even limited in their movements.
There aren’t any real rules as far as paparazzi go, anyone with a camera can shoot pictures. Sites like X17 even give homeless people a camera to take pictures of celebrities. This might seem noble but also is a problem; nobody knows what kind of people they are. One thing I know is that they already have a lower moral threshold than most people (just to clarify before people start complaining; I did not say homeless people have a lower moral threshold). I mean you have to wonder about someone making a comment on video about that Selena Gomez should take her clothes off.
The head of the LAPD said there isn’t a problem, as long as the celebrities behave they wouldn’t be chased. Using Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan as examples though he already got some heat about that statement though. Calling Lindsay Lohan turning gay a factor in the paparazzi not being interested anymore. He quickly corrected that statement by saying that he meant that Samantha Ronson is a stable factor in her life. Whatever it is it doesn’t really matter, he should pick up a tabloid once in a while. Not that I would suggest anyone should read those but he would see what kind of pictures are in there and what kind of people are being harassed by the paparazzi.
Fact is that Britney and Paris aren’t even the prime paparazzi targets anymore; basically everyone is fair game these days. Though some have more interest in them than others, it also depends on current events. Lindsay is still a prime paparazzi target looking at the number of pictures on her, now especially seeing she always hangs out with Samantha Ronson.
A younger generation is taking over though, Miley Cyrus can’t move around town without being followed by paparazzi. I once heard the statement on a TV show that a good paparazzi is basically a stalker. You have to wonder about people stalking underage girls. No one can convince me that it’s normal for a fifteen year old girl to be surrounded by thirty or more photographers while she goes shopping. If someone that age can’t even go out quietly what kind of social life is she supposed to have? I can imagine that Miley and other girls her age being followed actually go out less because of it.
The younger generation taking over in that makes me wonder about something else. Girls like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez are at an age where they’re going to learn to drive. Where are they supposed to learn that? Miley already is a prime target and Selena is starting to turn into one but once they themselves get behind the wheel of a car they’ll also have to deal with the paparazzi chasing them. That’s supposed to be a good way to learn to drive? Constantly having to look in your rear view mirror (something everyone should do though) and seeing how paparazzi break traffic rule after traffic rule to try and catch up. I can’t imagine that’s the best way to learn to drive. Learning to drive is stressful enough as it is.
I would actually suggest that’s the one thing that should be banned which would make the biggest difference. Forbid the paparazzi to chase after a celebrity though that would probably be a law that’s impossible to enforce. It just has become to easy to become a paparazzi, with digital photography anyone can shoot an image and have it online within an hour. The internet itself also created a far bigger market for paparazzi pictures, in the past they could only be found in magazines. Now with the thousands of websites out there it’s a completely different market.
In all reality I don’t think there is much that can be done about the paparazzi. Though paparazzi aren’t registered so that would actually already solve some issues. If they all had to get a sort of license to be allowed to be a paparazzi it might help filter out the bad seeds. They would have control over what kind of people are taking the pictures. That’s something the police can at least regulate, if someone doesn’t have a license they can be dealt with. It might even lead to benefits for the paparazzi, who knows. If they have to deal with new rules giving them something in return might help them follow those rules.
Right now I think it’s just talk though, if the police and the people aren’t willing to deal with it no one will. Would be hard to sell new laws to cops if they aren’t exactly motivated to enforce them. Even if something is done it will take time, so in the near future nothing will change. The change probably has to happen with the paparazzi themselves, putting some moral rules on themselves. That however is just wishful thinking. So that’s what I think about the whole deal, not that it’s of any influence on the LA city council.
Tags: lindsay lohan, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez
