Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Charlie Sheen: Don't Feed The Frenzy!


Photo Credit:  David Zellaby
Today, we are addressing a serious situation.  The star of the long-running Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen, has taken to the airwaves and he has a lot to say.  We have all read and heard the outrageous statements that he's making.  By now we all know his history and the lifestyle choices which have contributed to the cancellation of his show, and today's media frenzy.  It may be considered entertaining until you realize that it has gone too far.

His recent actions have led those close to him to fear for his sanity, his safety, and know that he cannot continue on this path.  The focus now should be on the seriousness of his situation rather than to snicker, point fingers and eagerly watch as the events unfold.  This is a man's life we are talking about. 

The more technologically advanced we become, the quicker we get the latest news on the event of the moment, be it a kidnapping, civil unrest, or natural disaster.  Yes, it can bring about a call to help, but do we need the most minute details of someone's life unraveling? If this hadn't all suddenly "hit the fan" I would not know what has transpired.  We are all human and call it curiosity, or just plain nosiness, we feed on the details.  Media involvement to this degree is not helping.

So today I am making a plea to the media to please back off of the sensationalism.  At the end of the day, he is simply a man who needs help, so let's stop adding fuel to the fire.  



I am participating in the Tribal Blog's Blog Carnival.

21 comments:

  1. Good point, Linda. But the media won't lay off as long as, again, it produces ratings (or in our case, blog hits). After today, my blog will be Sheen free. I really don't want to be writing about his actual demise as oppose to just that of his career.

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  2. The media won't back off and more importantly, Charlie won't back off. He is on a mission, and I don't say that in jest. He has goals that he wants to attain and the media is probably the only way he knows how to reach them. While I think he certainly has issues I don't know that he has done anything to warrant his hospitalization or even the loss of his children. I'm beginning to think several things a) this might all be staged and b) he might not be crazy.

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  3. I think he thinks he's more popular than ever. I wonder if he ever gets tired carrying all that delusion around with him all the time. I know he's got me pretty worn out.

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  4. Jayne- Oh, I know. Once the media gets a hold of something, it's like a dog with a bone. I am not entirely comfortable with this type of story. I did want to try, though.

    Jen- Like I said to Jayne, I am aware that they won't back off, but I see so much over-coverage these days, when less shared would be better.
    Yes, I did consider that it might be for publicity, but say it's not, and he truly needs help, all this blitz won't help.

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  5. nonamedufus- Nothing like a scandal,right? ;)

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  6. It's terribly sad. I can't imagine what it must be like to watch for his family and friends.

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  7. Talon- It is indeed sad. I think too much information is put out there for the public. I guess that's the price for being a celebrity, but sometimes that goes too far.

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  8. I know you're right, Linda, but I really feel like I cannot tear my eyes away from this spectacle. It would be an interesting experiment, however, if the media banned *him.*

    That is to say, no news organization or website of any kind reprinted or aired any of his rants. Too bad we couldn't test that theory for just 24 hours.

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  9. I touched on this subject in my post today too. i can't watch him and don't want to see anyone "self destruct". It's just too depressing. It is a human life we are watching fall apart. That's not entertainment to me. Great post.

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  10. What a great take on the whole situation - very very wise. And I completely agree. I was appalled at TV tonight - video shown over and over and OVER of the boys being taken away from him - of a private, sad horrible moment... it is NOT their business to put that on tv. I was SICK.

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  11. I'm pretty much in line with Jayne on this one. Greed is what enabled Sheen to continue his bad behavior, just like greed is what is fueling the media frenzy now.

    Your point is well taken, however, and he doesn't seem to need nearly as much help with his drug addiction as he does with his narcissism personality disorder.

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  12. I can't bear to watch Charile Sheen on T.V. It breaks my heart. It is like a video "replay" of the events that transpired in the last days of my ex-husband. He actually had episodes like the ones Charlie Sheen is displaying, where he was talking out of his head (although still being coherent). I had also questioned to whether my ex was "acting" like he was crazy (sadly he was not, it was the drugs/withdrawal from drugs). He finally had to be hospitalized... Less than a month later, HE WAS DEAD. He got hit by a car.
    I had to sit back and watch him self destruct. I tried to help, but couldn't:( No one else seemed to care, or at least not enough to step in...
    I really hope and pray that Charlie Sheen gets help! He is on a dangerous road. I wish someone, somewhere would take this seriously and HELP him (instead of feeding off of his sickness to get ratings!). Obviously he can not help himself, he is too far in.

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  13. *came here through Tribal Blogs*

    Yes, this is a very sad situation indeed. My heart goes out to his family, and those who have lost their jobs as a result of his actions.

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  14. But lets face it, he's loving the fuel!...probably stuffing it up his nose too...

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  15. Cardiogirl- That would be an interesting experiment. I can't say that I never watch these things but there is that side of me that knows this is none of my business, and I wouldn't want the world watching my meltdown. On the other hand, for now, he is eating this up! I expect the tide will turn.

    Linda- It is a credit to you that you can't watch this sort of thing. There are many people out there going through similar things, just not in the public eye. That isn't any of our business, so this shouldn't be either. Right now, though, he doesn't expect or want privacy.

    Katherine- It is indeed a very sad situation. Whatever his issues are, drugs, mental illness, etc., it shouldn't be plastered all over TV 24/7.

    Margaret- Greed is probably a factor, and he is craving the attention he is getting. I just hope in the end he gets help, and turns things around. I didn't watch the show, and can't remember what I may have last seen him in. I had no idea he had all this going on.

    Mama Gayle- That is a horrible experience you went through. I understand why you can't watch this - reliving the experience. I hope someone is able to help him before it's too late.

    meleah rebeccah- It is sad, and true that his actions are hurting other people. Thanks for the follow!

    Sandra- I expect he is....and I hope not!

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  16. It's fascinating to me that Charlie thinks we're all losers. It's his kids who are the real losers here. We can move on with our lives, but they're stuck with him.

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  17. I don't know much about Charlie Sheen, or his demise. He doesn't make our news, and I don't read the gossip tabloids, which may, or may not be covering his story.

    I refuse to line the already bulging pockets of the tabloid press, and I'm generally not interested in the private lives of anyone famous.

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  18. I sort of agree with you. I just have a real difficult time feeling sorry for anyone who was handed everything in life and pissed it away when so many are given nothing. I'll admit it is judgmental on my part. Does he need help? Absolutely! Do I feel bad for a grown man making bad decisions? No. Do I feel bad for those affected by the man's irresponsible actions? Yes.
    Kudos to you for posting even though you felt uncomfortable about it. Those are the types of post that always scare me to do death when I write them and then hit publish.

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  19. First of all, guilty as charged... I know I shouldn't have but I did talk about it, TOO MUCH, I'll admit. I agree with your take on what the Information highway is doing to how we receive and then distribute and even create news. Remember the crazy pastor in FL threatening to burn the Koran? Before the Internet, he'd just be some local crazy, nobody would have paid attention to him.

    "With great power comes great responsibility." The Internet has given us power, we should indeed use it responsibly.

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  20. Boom Boom Larew- Yeah, it is sad what he thinks is "winning" these days.

    Babs- Not having him in your news 24/7 is no great loss. It is a sad situation that doesn't need to be publicized.

    junebug- It was a difficult post to write because it's out of my comfort zone. That is the only way to expand as a writer, though.

    The Absence of Alternatives- It is human nature to be curious and talk about what's going on. We just shouldn't have the information to talk about in the first place. You are absolutely right, we should use it responsibly.

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  21. It's crazy, I barely mentioned Mr. Sheen in a post and I tripled my amount of Google hits.

    Of course I then had to write a whole post about him :)

    I agree with you, though, that we need to actually stop and think about these situations that we as bloggers seem to jump at.

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