"Lingering Cultural Sanity"

In this piece about Paris Hilton, Kay Hymowitz astutely points out that America's dislike for the heiress is a sign of "lingering cultural sanity."

The problem is that the contempt for Hilton isn't universal. According to this survey from Teenage Research Unlimited, Paris Hilton is one of the top-five most envied Americans by teen girls. That's unfortunate, as the teen-girl demographic is one that Hilton' most likely to influence.

Either this means that girls increasingly believe that it's fame (notoriety) itself that matters -- however it's gained -- or that they don't share the rest of the culture's disgust with Paris Hilton. Either way, it's something of a sad sign of the times.