Paris/Moakler Smackdown

By Jeremy Chau, staff writer
Monday, November 6, 2006

Fight! Fight! Fight! Seen on T.V. and placed in movie plots, these words have become the innate chants of spectators and are heard almost 9 out of 10 times when a brawl breaks out.

The media today are the most common sources of spreading violence. Television shows, the Internet, and literary sources can be credited as a very large influence on how kids act today.

Senior Julie Dinh agrees, "I think today's media doesn't promote civility and respect - and that reflects onto students.  Violence becomes less of a last resort, and fights aren't always seen as negative anymore."

A recent fight between Paris Hilton and Shanna Moakler inside the Hyde, the exclusive Los Angeles nightclub, possibly encouraged more teenage girls to “put up their dukes.”

The reason for a fight could be anything from what someone said to a wrong look. With all the fuss going on during the quarrel, the story is not exactly clear; the alleged cause of it was over the well known ex-drummer of the band Blink 182, Travis Barker.

Although Travis is Shanna's husband, the two have been reported to be separated. Travis has been seen with Paris during his free time, and it has been reported that they have been spending quite an amount of time together.

Both stars have filed reports with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Paris has accused Shanna of punching her in the face with a closed fist, while Shanna has claimed that one of the members in Paris's pushed her down the stairs.

Watching and observing the behavior of their idols, children and teenagers unconsciously retain such actions and believe that it is okay for them to act in such a manner. Fights in school are not a commonplace thing, but neither are they extremely rare.

"Schools fights are just an embarassment to us as students," comments senior Justin Tang. "The only thing they reveal is just how immature we are as adolescents."