Rubber-necking a Hollywood wreck

We have a propensity to do this, to get caught up in the speedy downward spiral of some overly hyped, rich and pampered star, to revel in his or her disgusting behavior — as entertainment, as a way of proving we are better than these rich lowlifes, as a sop to our voyeuristic urges.

We slow down on the highway when we see a car wreck, not because we think we can help, but because we are curious, because we want to see. Police stories are the most popular on news web sites, often not because we are concerned that crime is encroaching but because we want to see, we want to oggle.

So, Charlie Sheen gets to ride the media merry-go-round and we all watch — and, yes, I did watch last night — and hope that his drug-addled mind will snap, that his mania will be on full display for our entertainment.

It was sordid, painful and completely unnecessary, as Dan Watson on Neon Tommy points out:

Charlie Sheen, the star of “Two and a Half Men” — who thinks he can live the same fantasy as his character — is sick. And I don’t mean in some “funny uncle” way.
Sick, as in less than a month ago he began in-home rehab. Sick, as in he admitted to doing enough cocaine — “7-gram rocks” — to send him into mania at that time. And sick, as in a score of doctors are saying he is bi-polar.

He is not a “winner.” He is not a hero raging against the corporate machine. He is not playing a joke on us. He is not a serious interview subject.

He is sick.

Tonight was an abomination.

The executives at ABC should be tried in court for enabling a drug user.

They are preying on a sick man. And all the while, laughing at rival CBS — host of Sheen’s wildly successful show.

Sheen, of course, is responsible for his plot in life. He diagnosed himself perfectly in one interview:

“I’m on a drug: It’s called Charliesheen.”

“Tiger blood,” runs through his veins, he said.

Today, he loves himself. Tomorrow, he will hate himself.

Tonight, was, to put it lightly, the most devastating interview I have ever seen. It was also one of the more disgusting things I have ever seen.

And it is not likely to be the last time we see it, and I’m not talking about Sheen and his sordid, tawdry life. Yes, Sheen is engaged in a high-profile battle with his network and a very public battle with his ex-wife,  so the Sheen narrative is likely to be a part of our lives for as long as we wish it to be.

Sheen’s story is his own, but it also is part of a larger narrative of American obsession with famous meltdowns. Last night, it was Sheen blathering on, while in the recent past it has been Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, Mel Gibson, Anna Nicole Smith and far too many other unstable, out-of-control celebs. When Sheen’s public meltdown ceases to be interesting, we will move on to someone else.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet