Every week it seems like a new celebrity is throwing down with the paparazzi. Britney Spears has smacked a camera man. Matthew McConaughey’s surf buddies were quick to pick a fight with his picture-snapping stalkers. Even notoriously mild-mannered celebrities like actor Tobey Maguire have been pushed to their limit by the paparazzi. Many of the celebrities that have managed to avoid physical altercations with the paparazzi still feel the urge to express their dislike for them with foul language and gestures that can’t be shown on public television.

Why can’t these two groups seem to get along? If you believe the paparazzi’s side of the story, then you think they’re just everyday people trying to cut their own paychecks with candid pictures of celebs. It’s the hot-headed, self-righteous and frequently inebriated stars that are to blame.

On the other hand, if you’re batting for Team Celebrity then you likely think that paparazzi are unethical opportunists. They’ll scale a wall to get a picture of a celebrity’s children at play in their backyard or strap on a zoom lens so they can take a picture of a new celebrity mother breastfeeding her baby in her own living room. It’s hard to argue that at least some paparazzi have personal space issues.

To be fair, in some situations both parties are at fault. The paparazzi are endangering their targets by making it hard for them to see while they drive, and they’re invading moments that should be personal. Alternately, sometimes they just happen to be in the right place at the right time, standing on a public sidewalk outside a club, but they’ve captured a moment that a belligerent celebrity is not readily going to have published.