Zsa Zsa not a has-been

ZSA ZSA with love-and-life partner Dolphy FILE PHOTO

One of the many things we like about Zsa Zsa Padilla is her being an emotionally forthright person – transparent, even. In the plastic world of show business, she feels – and tells – it like it is.

These past few years however, her personal challenges, many involving her love and life partner, Dolphy – who appears to be going from one medical crisis to another – have taken their toll on her emotionally accessible nature: There are things simply too sensitive and raw to burden other people with.

Recently however, nasty tweets seem to have made it difficult for her to hold her equanimity. She surprised even herself by lashing out at her faceless tormentors, who dissed her for her age and “mature” looks, which they cruelly said made her a has-been.

That, by the way, is not just a cruel assertion, it is also utter nonsense, because Zsa Zsa is at the prime of her performing skills, not just as a singer but also as an actress.

People in the know have the highest regard for her, and believe that she has much more to share with viewers in terms of superlative performances. So, to scoff that she is a has-been is the height of cluelessness, a snide and vicious comment from people resentful of her staying power.

In any case, they did get to Zsa Zsa in her vulnerable state, and her emotional dam burst and spilled over. Now that Zsa Zsa is her family’s breadwinner, it was particularly galling to hear complaints about how badly she was doing in her performances.

Zsa Zsa’s recent outburst on TV got to us not just emotionally but also thematically, when she cried out, “How can people be so cruel? Why is there so much hatred?!”

It made us search for an answer, and this is what we came up with, not just for Zsa Zsa but also for the many other people who are appalled at how vile the conversation on the Net can often get, particularly when it comes to faceless, guiltless, and repercussion-less celebrity-bashing.

It is a complicated issue, but let us start with the lack of responsibility and accountability that the Twitter wars engender: It regularly brings out the worst in people who are a particularly nasty combination of bullies and cowards.

Their objective is to bash celebrities, because if they were to aim for nobodies, their tweets would languish unread. So targeting celebrities is their way of getting noticed and savoring their 15 nanoseconds of – ironically – anonymous fame.

In addition, the relationship between star and viewer is further complicated by the potentially damning “inggit factor” involved. The viewing public is supposed to admire stars, but some viewers also envy their fame and fortune, and diss them for it.

If a “tweeter” legitimately feels that a star deserves to be criticized, the responsible critic focuses on the star’s work, never on his or her persona. And the critic should couch their critique in an objective manner. Honesty does not mean the freedom to be uncouth and insulting.

It is obvious that the people who diss Zsa Zsa get failing marks in these areas, so the beleaguered star should not allow herself to get affected by their foul diatribes.

Finally, people who do not agree that Zsa Zsa is a has-been should not remain silent, but proactively speak up in her defense. Silence on their part allows the nasty naysayers to seize control (by default) of the Net, bringing grief to Zsa Zsa and other helpless victims like her.