It’s clear that there’s something wrong with Charlie Sheen. I’m not sure whether he’s just suffering from the effects of addiction or if he also has a mental illness like bi-polar disorder. But the truth of the matter is that we, as an audience, and the media, are not helping him overcome whatever problems he is currently facing. In fact, we’re making it worse.
I know what you’re going to say. ‘It’s not our job to make Charlie Sheen better’. In some respects you’re right. It’s not our responsibility to ensure that he gets the help he so clearly needs. And right now his incredibly crazy and manic antics is news. But ‘news’is really only defined by the attention that we pay it, and we need to stop paying attention to Charlie Sheen.
I don’t know what it is about watching a human being essentially crumble before our very eyes that delights us so much. Do we watch his rambling during interviews because we’re concerned about him? Or are we laughing at him behind his back? Do we enjoy watching ‘celebrities’laid bare before us and having proof that they really are no different from the rest of us?
The truth of the matter is that the media and the networks are giving him a platform for his continued and prolonged embarrassment. They’re actively recruiting him to appear on television and radio shows because he’s the hot topic of the moment. And if they’re not recruiting him, then they’re certainly not saying ‘no’when he calls. What kind of effect does this constant, never-ending exposure have on Charlie? I don’t know for sure, but I’m certain it’s not helping him face his problems. Constant attention will likely only reinforce his belief that he’s right, that he doesn’t have a problem, that he shouldn’t hide himself away and receive treatment from qualified professionals. Why should he, when we’re all hanging on every word? Yes, perhaps the exposure is technically tarnishing his public image, but is that really the truth? Even re-run ratings of his show are doing well. His Twitter account already has over a million followers.
Then there’s places like The Viper Room that tweeted an offer to throw him a party at their bar, which is probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard. Why would you offer to throw a party – which could very likely be the scene of alcohol and even drugs – for an addict? Why don’t you just hand a gun to a four year old child and see how well that turns out? It’s a disaster in the making and it’s a horrible taunt to throw at someone who needs to focus all of his energy into healing himself, not spending another night plying himself with booze and cocaine.
I admire the fact that CBS and Warner Bros. enforced a hiatus on his show. I feel bad for the now out-of-work crew, but that blame lies on Sheen and his behavior. The fact that the network and the studio refused to allow him to continue work in this state is probably the only smart decision that has been made concerning Sheen thus far.
As an audience, we’re not helping by lapping up every bit of Sheen news out there, turning his quotes into the butt of jokes and watching his interviews. Aside from writing one article about the enforced hiatus of Two and a Half Men I haven’t written a single word about Charlie Sheen. I think it’s terrible that many of us are enjoying watching him go crazy. I’ll admit, in the past, I absorbed news about celebrities in downward spirals. When Britney Spears went through her manic phase a few years ago I was reading all the tabloids and blog posts and peeking at all of the photographs. Now, I just feel ashamed.
Nothing about this situation – or any similar situation – is funny or amusing.
I don’t know what a lack of attention might prompt Charlie to do. I don’t know if he’ll come to any realizations about the need for treatment or if he’ll just continue to degrade in private. But at least we can all stop participating in the public spectacle that is essentially equal to the spectacles in the ancient Roman forums. We should feel no pleasure from watching someone destroy their life.
Here’s the bottom line: I don’t know Charlie Sheen. None of us really do. But I don’t want him to die. Not because he’s a celebrity, but because he’s a person who clearly has a problem. We shouldn’t laugh at someone in a downward spiral. We shouldn’t obsess over them, even in our celebrity-obsessive culture. Even if we don’t have a responsibility to help them, we should at least refrain from making the problem worse. This man has children and those poor kids are going through enough without having to witness millions of people degrading their father.
We need to stop paying attention to Charlie and hope that someone out there can help him. By the way, I am well aware of the irony of publishing this article, telling us to stop paying attention to Sheen when I am, in fact, just contributing to the problem. But if even one person chooses to stop paying attention after reading this, then I’ll consider it a win.
That’s my final word on the matter. You may disagree with me, and that’s fine, but this is how I feel.
O my god .. is it anymore obvious that this blog has CBS written all over it trying to cover their azz. They were so sure he was in a drug induced state but when charlies drug test was negative there left writing blogs like this.
O my god .. is it anymore obvious that this blog has CBS written all over it trying to cover their azz. They were so sure he was in a drug induced state but when charlies drug test was negative there left writing blogs like this.
O my god .. is it anymore obvious that this blog has CBS written all over it trying to cover their azz. They were so sure he was in a drug induced state but when charlies drug test was negative there left writing blogs like this.
Well, I stopped paying any attention to Charlie Sheen… actually, I never started paying any attention to Charlie Sheen, and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything he was in, so there's that. Oh wait, no, he showed up in Being John Malkovich, didn't he? And he was in Disney's Three Musketeers, upstaged by basically everyone. Well, still.
Anyway, I largely agree with what you say… up until the point that you said nothing about this is remotely funny. Sorry, but that's clearly not the case. Indeed, often in life there are in fact very funny things about situations that are otherwise grave indeed. That's life, really, and very possibly we wouldn't survive as long as we do if it weren't that way.
But yes. A guy talking about his fire-breathing fists is just funny. The reasons why he's doing it might not be funny. But it's not the same thing.
Having said that, I expect it will get old fast, as most such things do, and we'll move on to something else and he can get back to winning or whatever.
I guess I meant funny in a more mean-spirited way of laughing at someone who's crumbling (ie. the broader context). Yes, some of his comments are humorous, but it seems like you agree that the entire situation should not be fodder for our amusement.
O my god .. is it anymore obvious that this blog has CBS written all over it trying to cover their azz. They were so sure he was in a drug induced state but when charlies drug test was negative there left writing blogs like this.
We are in no way affiliated with CBS (other than writing about their shows as we do with other networks), so I'm afraid your comment in inaccurate.
I had a long rant thought out on this topic, but I will moderate myself, and just say that I agree with the point you are making. I am sure that to Sheen, a lot of the attention he receives now seems like idol worship and support, which will only reinforce whatever perspective he currently holds. A perspective which is clearly unhealthy.
I thought to ignore Martin's son too but now I think he's become a real symptom of our society http://bit.ly/eds7Ah
I agree w/one thing Charlie has said, and it is the only reason I have been paying attention to all of this: he can't understand why CBS and his bosses are upset about him living his life the way the character he plays on screen does. I watched this show once, enough to see the premise of it and see where it was headed. It has saddened me to think that THIS is what America wants most to watch. And Charlie got paid more & more money to do it. He was their cash cow. Now they've put their foot down & he's spiralling out of control. What has really concerned me the most is those 2 precious little boys living w/their strung-out dad & his goddesses. There is NOTHING healthy about that. Now that the situation w/the children has been addressed I will not be looking for the next update on Charlie Sheen. I pray that somehow he comes to his senses before it is too late.
I feel so sad about people watching this program, I'm from Central America and its not only in the us, people watch this crap over there too. It's just disappointing watching people enjoy this crappy show, how stupid must you be?
I couldn't have said it better myself. The spectacle the media is making out of a very serious problem is getting downright ridiculous. They should be encouraging him to get help, not fueling the fire.
I absolutely agree with you. He's spending every free moment in front of a camera or with a microphone in front of his face, and has absolutely no down time. The more attention that's paid to him – even leading the network news – it seems to glorify him. I don't want to see any more about it – it scares me to see someone falling down the rabbit hole the way he is.
craig ferguson said something similar on monday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WigGPO6EJ20
I completely agree. CNN was reporting news about him and honestly who cares? And if there are people out there who care about this movie star, they should be watching E! not CNN. Why are the news wasting their on air time on this? Is it just me, or is this incredibly ridiculous?
Charlie Sheen should just shut up and go away. He is annoying.
Clarissa, I'm a little late to this party, so I'm not sure if you'll see my comments, but I wanted to leave them anyway.
There are three possibilities:
1) He has something mentally wrong with him, due to no action of his own. This is the only possible situation where I would say that making fun of him and laughing, even in a mean-spirited way, would be wrong. If he had nothing to do with his condition, then it's really just sad and he needs to get help. In this case, I would feel bad for him, but something tells me this isn't the case.
2) He has something mentally wrong with him, due to all the drugs he's taken. I have a bit of a personal history in this matter, as my ex-wife destroyed our family because she decided that taking meth was more important. She made me a single father and has never helped me with our child. But Charlie Sheen, just like my ex, made a CHOICE … so if that choice of drugs and the overall lifestyle is what has destroyed him, then I refuse to have even an ounce of pity, because I know first-hand what a person like that is capable of. They are selfish individuals who don't care who they hurt as long as they get their next fix, and the fact that Charlie almost killed himself years ago and was only saved because his father and brother basically kidnapped him and forced him into rehab … well, then he's a selfish jerk who doesn't deserve our pity and, in fact, deserves every bit of our ridicule because he did it to himself. I simply cannot feel bad for a man who has had every opportunity in life and has treated people in such a way.
3) There is nothing wrong with him, except he's just a little nutty. This is entirely possible. He might be saying these things just because he wants to say them and he's having a little fun at our expense. I don't think this is the case, but there ARE eccentric celebrities out there. Just look at Michael Jackson and Prince. Jackson might not be the best example, but Prince is just weird … he says weird stuff and does weird stuff just because he's Prince. And there are definitely egomaniacs out there and what we're seeing might be a culmination of years of him being worshipped by CBS and his fans. He has been accused of so much wrongdoing in the past, that this is clearly an ongoing pattern with this guy. Sure, he's saying crazy things now, but years ago, he was linked to a shooting and, I believe, a hooker's death. Yet nothing happened to him because he's Charlie Sheen, so we might just be seeing what happens to an egomaniac after being treated like a god for more than a decade, because if he's truly gotten away with some of the stuff he's been accused of, then wouldn't YOU feel indestructible, too?
please people slow down please. lol. like who cares? i have nothing invested in any of this so i cant say that charlie sheen is not somewhat of a nut because i dont know him in a personal lev. though he does deter and can still make a comeback, is verry possible. so i dont mind and better than dookie, oops i meant poop, ah snookie. girls behaving bad. teen mom fever! and all that other crap tv. along the way. what annoying to me is people that cry bout everything like all of you here. dont bother with a come back no disrespect intend. then again if the shoe fits?
Howdy do, Clarissa. As you probably have noticed (I doubt that you've actually stop paying “attention” unless you have some kind of selective ADD, since Charlie Sheen, much like Einstein and the historical Jesus of Nazareth is a totally fascinating personality), the target of your hatchet job is doing just super duper without your “attention.” In fact, he and anyone else are much better off without the kind of “attention” you and the rest of the mainstream propaganda machine parrots offer to anyone who dares mock the phony normalcy that's meant to protect the powers who think they are. This whole character assassination operation is all about the fact that Charlie Sheen called Obama “a coward in a cheap suit” and questioned the official story concerning 9/11. The bigwigs at CBS, including Les Moonvie, Chuck Lorre, Sumner Redstone, et al love Obama and have given him and other Democrats thousands of dollars. That's why they have to shut him up whatever the cost financially and otherwise. The really insane people, the sociopathic criminally insane warmongers are running the government and the international conglomerates like Time Warner, but I guess you think they're A-OK! They have to shut Charlie up because he's famous and is waking up a lot a people to the truth. It's not about Charlie Sheen being crazy–Hollywood and D.C. are full of crazy and criminal people–it's about covering up crimes committed by the global criminal elite who control the mainstream propaganda machine.
Well where do I start? I really enjoyed watching 2.5 Men and I have watched all of the reruns over and over and have bought all of the 2.5 Men CD s But after Charlie went off the deep end I think he has become rediculus and childish. I also have done masss quantitys of alcohol at one time but it was time to grow up. Note to Charlie; Its time to grow up and get yourself dried up from the alcohol and drug abuse and get your butt back to work at 2.5 Men .
hey sam you start by not writing a long drawn out article about the guy explaining how we shouldn't talk, write, or air news about the guy. that may be shooting yourself in the foot while attempting to teach others how to NOT shoot yourself in the foot.
or maybe this was meant for clarissa.