In the Iliad, the princess Cassandra of Troy was cursed with the power of foresight. She was put away by her father because she warned her people of the impending war that would become the mass murdering of her people. During the end of the Trojan War, she was raped by Ajax the Lesser and later captured by the Greek hero Agamemnon to become a concubine. Agamemnon’s wife Clytemnestra (unbeknownst to him) had begun an affair with Aegisthus (a king of a neighboring country) and together they beheaded Cassandra and Agamemnon. Cassandra has appeared as one of the earliest examples of tragic female figures in history.
Skip to a few thousands years later to 2011, an actress of the age of urgency (twitter, gossip blogs, etc.) emerges as one of the most prominent figures who is currently dumbing-down the struggles and sacrifices that many women have endured: think Antigone, Joan of Arc, and the women, over the centuries, who were treated unjustly.
With badly done make-up, collagen injected lips, bloated cheeks, hidden self-inflicted scars, Lindsay Lohan (actress and Twitterer) sat in an L.A. County courtroom waiting to hear her jail time sentence due to a violation of probation. Lindsay blankly stared at the judge whose words went into one freckled ear and out the other.
In an essay about Marilyn Monroe, Lohan wrote that she doesn’t want to be known as someone who just wants to be photographed, who goes out at night, and gets in trouble. Although there are similar attributes between Marilyn and Lindsay, Marilyn is often remembered for her alluring onscreen presence, but she also had many inner demons and it seemed there was no real counseling to help her extinguish her demons. In these modern times, is it possible for Lindsay to get the help that wasn’t offered to Marilyn Monroe? Does Lindsay want this help?
After getting arrested for stealing a necklace from a jewelry store in 2010, Lohan tweeted: It is clearly stated in Article 5 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights that, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” She also included a link to a Newsweek article about an Iranian woman who was stoned to death for committing adultery. Many people believe Lohan was comparing her situation with that of the Iranian woman. Lohan also said in interviews that she believes she hasn’t done anything wrong, that she was being attacked by the system.
The saga of Lindsay Lohan’s life include numerous DUIs, three (unsuccessful) stints in rehab, a series of tumultuous personal relationships, an ongoing feud with her estranged father, and a few straight-to-DVD (or just TV) movies.
Most recently, she violated her probation, which is rooted from a DUI way back in 2007. According to TMZ, she was sentenced to 300 days in the L.A. County jail, however her sentence was reduced to 30 days, then that was reduced to six days, and then that was reduced to just several minutes of jail time. Because of new laws (in Los Angeles) and overcrowding, the jails can’t house people convicted of misdemeanors.
If Lindsay continues this downward spiral, what does that say to the easily influenced people in the world? We know that Lohan disgustingly compares herself to Marilyn Monroe, but does she know that Marilyn’s suicide resulted in the a 12% raise of suicide right after her death?
1225views
