Julia Allison: I want to believe

[Shelton Bumgarner]

One thing about being a long term expat is you often find yourself
reduced to an idea of yourself. Too many potential characters from
novels are floating around my little part of Expat Nation for there
not to be something strange going on.

In some ways, it's really cool. In other ways, it's batshit insane.

When Paris Hilton first burst forth onto the public stage, I really
liked her. She was someone who one thought they might be able to
believe in. Then, I realized, she was just a dumb, skanky ho that no
one should care about at all.

My experiences in the Expat Nation have shown me the power of giving
someone something to believe in. People want to believe in this or
that "idea" that happens to show up in human form. I have believed in
someone so much that they became an "idea." This led to disasterous
results. What I'm afraid of is I, too, may become an "idea" to others
and who knows what horrible things that could lead to.

With that in mind, I find myself thinking about Julia Allison a lot.

Julia Allison has the potential to become America's Sweetheart if she
just plays her cards right and doesn't insult 300 million people with
her obvious disregard for what we want to believe in about her.

Given what I know about human nature, however, I'm sure I will be
disappointed.