Charlie Sheen - the pundits say - is one witty guy.
And apparently many of us agree given the fact he has 2 million people plus following his every rant and rave on social media.
Make no doubt about it. The guy is interesting. But he is no Will Rogers.
Vulgarity, venom, and dripping sarcasm do not constitute wit. They are the tools of someone who believes vicious personal attacks are the new civility.
Sheen certainly wasn’t the creator of the proverbial potty mouth. Nor is he the first prima donna in Hollywood to throw a tantrum in public. But he certainly has elevated the national fixation with holding on to the every word and following every action of celebrities who believe effective communication and entertainment is emulating Sam Kinison.
The worst part about it is that we don’t even collectively flinch anymore as a society.
Madonna’s antics are almost prudish by today’s standards where entertainment has slipped into crudeness. If you doubt that, the highest rated comedy show in the country is “Two and a Half Men.”
The days when television stations were prohibited from airing shows where folks uttered the original seven words you couldn’t say on TV seem quaint today even on non-cable shows? Flip through the Bay Area TV stations at 2 a.m. and you may be surprised about rap videos that make those original seven words seem almost as tame as a nursery rhyme.
The big question is what has all of this gotten us?
We have become numb when it comes to shock words.
We find nothing wrong as a society with males from 8 years of age to those pushing 40 walking around deliberately displaying two to four inches of their underwear.
We shrug off bumper stickers that are obscene.
No longer do with blush at vulgarities. Instead we spice conversations with them in such a manner that they are no longer just nouns or verbs but adverbs, conjunctions and salutations.
How did we get to such a point where the Charlie Sheens of the world are setting society’s standards?
It is no longer about “we” or “us” as a community or society. Instead it is about “me.”
It is referenced in the coarseness of political debate where it is becoming the norm to view inflexibility as a virtue regardless of your philosophical or political persuasion. It seems no one one wants to give - or help.
After all, we’re entitled and we shouldn’t have to look out for anyone else but ourselves. And we wonder why politicians can’t seem to govern anymore.
There are those who believe Charlie Sheen needs help.
On the contrary, we’re the ones who need help as a nation.
Charlie Sheen - and others who resort to pushing the limits of decency - will continue to do so as long as they have our undivided attention.
How many of us shake our heads at how pathetic the entire affair is but then we sit glued to our TV sets or eagerly wait for the next Sheen-plosion via Twitter or Facebook?
We are the ones who made Charlie Sheen what he is today. He couldn’t have been the big star that he became or the social media sensation he is today if people weren’t hanging on to his every utterance.
In a way, we’re like the Romans. We relish watching as celebrities implode and devour each other. And we run the risk of being bored unless the stakes are raised.
The only problem is that the decadent behavior that “one upping” ultimately helped topple the Roman Empire as it lost its moral compass
It is what happens when we are ruled by anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony whether we are Charlie Seen or those watching his latest rant via You Tube
It is why they call them the Seven Deadly Sins.
And apparently many of us agree given the fact he has 2 million people plus following his every rant and rave on social media.
Make no doubt about it. The guy is interesting. But he is no Will Rogers.
Vulgarity, venom, and dripping sarcasm do not constitute wit. They are the tools of someone who believes vicious personal attacks are the new civility.
Sheen certainly wasn’t the creator of the proverbial potty mouth. Nor is he the first prima donna in Hollywood to throw a tantrum in public. But he certainly has elevated the national fixation with holding on to the every word and following every action of celebrities who believe effective communication and entertainment is emulating Sam Kinison.
The worst part about it is that we don’t even collectively flinch anymore as a society.
Madonna’s antics are almost prudish by today’s standards where entertainment has slipped into crudeness. If you doubt that, the highest rated comedy show in the country is “Two and a Half Men.”
The days when television stations were prohibited from airing shows where folks uttered the original seven words you couldn’t say on TV seem quaint today even on non-cable shows? Flip through the Bay Area TV stations at 2 a.m. and you may be surprised about rap videos that make those original seven words seem almost as tame as a nursery rhyme.
The big question is what has all of this gotten us?
We have become numb when it comes to shock words.
We find nothing wrong as a society with males from 8 years of age to those pushing 40 walking around deliberately displaying two to four inches of their underwear.
We shrug off bumper stickers that are obscene.
No longer do with blush at vulgarities. Instead we spice conversations with them in such a manner that they are no longer just nouns or verbs but adverbs, conjunctions and salutations.
How did we get to such a point where the Charlie Sheens of the world are setting society’s standards?
It is no longer about “we” or “us” as a community or society. Instead it is about “me.”
It is referenced in the coarseness of political debate where it is becoming the norm to view inflexibility as a virtue regardless of your philosophical or political persuasion. It seems no one one wants to give - or help.
After all, we’re entitled and we shouldn’t have to look out for anyone else but ourselves. And we wonder why politicians can’t seem to govern anymore.
There are those who believe Charlie Sheen needs help.
On the contrary, we’re the ones who need help as a nation.
Charlie Sheen - and others who resort to pushing the limits of decency - will continue to do so as long as they have our undivided attention.
How many of us shake our heads at how pathetic the entire affair is but then we sit glued to our TV sets or eagerly wait for the next Sheen-plosion via Twitter or Facebook?
We are the ones who made Charlie Sheen what he is today. He couldn’t have been the big star that he became or the social media sensation he is today if people weren’t hanging on to his every utterance.
In a way, we’re like the Romans. We relish watching as celebrities implode and devour each other. And we run the risk of being bored unless the stakes are raised.
The only problem is that the decadent behavior that “one upping” ultimately helped topple the Roman Empire as it lost its moral compass
It is what happens when we are ruled by anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony whether we are Charlie Seen or those watching his latest rant via You Tube
It is why they call them the Seven Deadly Sins.
