Don't Network with Paris

I'm sure you've all heard of the latest Paris Hilton debacle, though I'd have to begrudge the fact that she has no real fault in this affair: her T-Mobile Sidekick II's contact list was spread to the public by hackers who infiltrated T-Mobile's online database server. As a debutante notorious for mingling amongst the flavor-of-the-week crowd despite the fact that she has no meritable skills or achievements of her own -- even her infamous amateur sex tape has hardly managed to turn her into any sort of a perverse flesh goddess -- nearly every MTV-demographic celebrity has been inundated with phone calls in the past days thanks to this internet gaffe.

I loathe such celebrities as Fred Durst, Carson Daly, and Ashley Olsen who themselves carry little more credibility than Hilton; you'll find them and plenty more bozos in her virtual rolodex. But here's where I draw the line: You don't invade their privacy even if they are no-talent idiots who deserve to be told so. You don't invade their privacy even if you are a big fan and want to tell them that you love them and want to have their babies or whatever.

Thousands of people seem to think that the release of this contact list actually gives them a bizarre right to call any of these celebrity listees. Sure, these contacts probably aren't home phone numbers, but regardless, they are personal information and were obtained illicitly. Are you Paris? Were these numbers given to you personally? No. Calling and annoying people you don't know is a despicable and desperate act, not to mention an overall pathetic waste of time. Stop it.