The Rant

The paparazzi are truly invading celebrities' lives. I think they should just leave them alone already. I mean they didn't ask to be stalked like this. All they wanted to do was find fame. I'm going to be honest I love reading about celebrity gossip and looking at all of the pictures in the magazines, but they just shouldn't harass them so much. There are ways to get pictures without being so creepy, and they don't need to get a picture of EVERY moment of their lives. It stinks for celebs that they have to keep changing their lives to get around this. And who I really feel bad for is their families. I think one of the things that irritates the celebs the most is when they get their families involved. Little children shouldn't be followed and constantly be photographed. That is no way for them to grow up. I'm not saying paparazzi have to stop all together because I get that that is their job, but they just need to slow down a bit and think about what they are really doing.

Just the Facts

Top 10 worst things about the paparazzi:

10. California had to pass a law because the paparazzi would not stop harassing and trespassing on celebrities' property.
9. A paparazzi purposely crashed into Lindsay Lohan's car just so they could get a picture of her and a dramatic story.
8. Stars have to avoid places they love just so they don't have to come in contact with the paparazzi.
7. The paparazzi will often fight each other so that they can get the best shot.
6. After taking the picture, 41% of the time they make up the story to go with it.
5. They don't care if pedestrians and/or celebrities get hurt in the process, as long as they get their picture.
4. They will go as far as climbing roofs, hiding in bushes, and scaling buildings to get a single picture.
3. The paparazzi may have been the reason for Princess Diana's death, but they continued to use the tragedy as a good media story.
2. They are drawn to celebrities with children and aren't afraid to scare the children or harass them as well.
1. Celebrities have had to move houses, towns, and schools just to try and escape the paparazzi.

What the experts say

For this post on what the experts say I'm going to show when the law gets involved. Many times, the paparazzi act in such a bad manner that they may need to get arrested, sued, etc.

One time a paparazzi purposely rammed into Lindsay Lohan's car so that they could get a picture of her. The police were called and investigated the situation before arresting the man because they believed that he broke the law.

In other instances, the police have recognized the harassment from the paparazzi, and given some celebs restraining orders against them. Certain things they do are just considered to be too extreme.

Reese Witherspoon and her kids were at a theme park one time, and once again the paparazzi were non-stop following them. One guy got charged with child endangerment for disrupting them so much.

In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger passed a bill that made it easier for celebs to collect major damages from agencies that employ aggressive paparazzi. Countless numbers of paparazzi have been convicted of trespassing. California legislators are planning to introduce a law that requires paparazzi to stay a certain distance away from celebrities. A new California law was passed that prohibits photographers from trespassing on private property, to take pictures of them while they are on private property, or persistently chasing or following celebs.

So although this paparazzi deal is a big issue, the police are trying to control it. They can't do everything but these small things are trying to slow the paparazzi down. When the law is broken, the police can step in.

The paparazzi themselves are getting really sick of all of this. After Lindsay Lohan's car accident Sandra Bullock said, "Maybe she's the one who can make a difference. Maybe because of that, they'll stop."

Liv Tyler complained, "When I'm going to an event, I'm fine with it. But every time you leave the house and you're trying to go for a walk as a family, your privacy is being invade. It's creepy."

The paparazzi are being harmful to the celebs. "He was charged October 7th with battery and child endangerment for allegedly disrupting a summer outing to a theme park by actress Reese Witherspoon and her children." -Richard Winton

Even the police are saying, "Looking back at how this had evolved over the last 12 years, we've gone from guys who sit outside the home of the mother-to-be of Michael Jackson's children to the paparazzi willing to force celebrities off the road for a photo and public safety be damned." -LA police detective Jeff Dunn.

Families also get involved and Gwyneth Paltrow says, "It's just unacceptable, especially when there's the life of a small baby in your hands."

Kate Hudson agrees, "I think it's so disrespectful. When it comes to your son, he didn't choose this."

Richard Winton writes, "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill this month making it easier for celebrities to collect major damages from agencies that employ aggressive paparazzi."

William Hodgman also says, "Prosecutors in LA threatened to file felony conspiracy charges against photographers engaging in dangerous tactics, and started monitoring them more closely, complaints of egregious illegal conduct, like assault, trespassing and reckless driving by paparazzi."

Second Argument

For my second argument in this essay I am discussing the topic of family life. It is one thing that the celebs' lives are being invaded, but it is another when they get their families involved.

Many celebrities have young children. It is very big these days to have a baby and when a celebrity finally does, the paparazzi become obsessed with them. All they want to do is get pictures of this child, and will do anything to get them. They will resort to jumping out at them, which can really scare a child.

Another big thing in magazines with the paparazzi is tracking the "baby bump." They will stalk out a celebrity if they have an indication that leads them to believe that someone might be pregnant. They try to find them in baggy clothes so they can make things up.

When a celebrity has to change their life to avoid the paparazzi, their family has to change their life as well. Any moves of houses or schools impacts the family and especially the kids. The paparazzi are even more attracted to a celeb when they have a kid with them. They are always looking to questions are they a good parent? Do they have a good family life? Just leave them alone.

Strongest Point

The strongest point that I am using in my argument is the issue of safety. Because of the aggressive tactics of the paparazzi, the safety of celebrities is very much in danger. These people will do anything to get the shot and don't care if it harms anyone. There have been numerous cases in which the celebrity's car has been hit, or they have crashed because they are being chased.

When the paparazzi are going crazy it is not only the lives of the celebrities that are in harm's way. Local pedestrians and anyone walking on the roads could get hurt by these people. They drive so fast and so carelessly, that they are bound to hurt people.

Also, the paparazzi often fight with one another. If they are near each other and both trying to get the shot, then they may become aggressive. This is dangerous to anyone who is exposed to behavior like that.

Pros and Cons

For my research paper I am taking the side that the paparazzi are a bad factor in celebrities' lives. From my studies I have seen that they do more harm then good for these stars. Therefore, any information that I found against the paparazzi is a pro for my argument, and any information that is for the paparazzi is a con in my argument.

On the pro side of the argument, I am trying to prove that the paparazzi are interfering with the lives of celebrities. Because of these constant hounding photographers, these stars have to change their lives. They cannot leave their homes without being harassed, and they are sometimes even violated with pictures when they are at their homes. It is not even just them some of the times. Many of the paparazzi become obsessed with their family life as well, and are therefore getting the families and children involved. Some of these celebs even have to avoid going to certain places that they love just so that people won't be following them. Also, it is now possible that a photographer may do illegal things just to get a shot. It has come to the point that the law is starting to have to get involved.

On the con side, paparazzi that think they are doing nothing wrong say that celebrities are fair game. They should be able to take pictures of them just like any person can take a picture of anything. They also argue that a celebrity would not have a career if they were not photographed, because then no one would know of them. The paparazzi claim that celebs want their picture taken when they are trying to become successful, but once they are there, they think the picture taking should automatically stop. A celebrity also doesn't mind when the pictures are advocating a good side of their life. Any law that forbids the paparazzi, they are now claiming to violate their right to the first amendment. Their job is to take picture, and they should be able to do this no matter what it takes.

Based on the research I have done I am choosing to support the pro side, that paparazzi are harming these celebrities. Everything I have found has clearly led to the ideas that the lives of stars are being effected in a negative way.

Overview

The life of a person in Hollywood used to be all about glamour and glitz. It now comes with a lot more then that. Stars are not only in the spotlight on the red carpet, but rather ALL of the time. The paparazzi constantly follow these celebrities so they can get a shot of every thing they do. In the eyes of a photographer, it is necessary to track these stars' every move. But this tracking has turned into a much bigger issue, to the point of harassment. These famous people have trouble having a private life because they are constantly being stalked by these people with cameras. At times, the paparazzi may even do extravagant things just so that they can get a good picture to sell. A single photo can bring them up to $100,000.

All a paparazzi person is worried about is following these people so that they can make some money. But what they don't think about is how the lives of the celebrities are effected. They are afterall, just trying to be like normal people, and don't always want to be in the spotlight. The picture taking is now interfering with these peoples' lives. Are the paparazzi simply doing their jobs? Or has it gotten to a point of crossing the line?