Physical violence towards women is ok, but dissing the guys isn’t.
Read Time:2 Minute, 44 Second
Martin Bashir started his new show on MSNBC this afternoon. He ended it with an Editorial on the Charlie Sheen vs CBS cage match currently taking place in a very public forum by the delusional and extremely egotistical Mr. Sheen. It was spot-friggin-on. He brought to the forefront of the discussion how CBS has been willing, for years now, to tolerate Sheen’s violent speech and behavior towards the women in his life. It was only after Charlie verbally abused Chuck Lorre, the writer and the creator of Two and a half men, and other male executives that CBS finally pulled the plug on old Charlie.
Evidently Warner Bros and CBS have had no problem tolerating years of misogynistic behavior from their highest paid star..they just will not tolerate a public, verbal bitchslapping of the men involved with creating and producing the ‘hit’ show. What does that say about CBS and Warner Brothers?
Nothing good. But it does say volumes about how women are still viewed by men in the entertainment industry. For a short history lesson of Sheen’s violence towards women, an excerpt from a MS. magazine article in January of this year:
Currently the highest paid actor on television at an astounding $1.8 millionper episode, Sheen has a history of abusing women, usually coupled with substance abuse. In 1990, he shot then-fiancee Kelly Preston in the arm—an accident, but a frightening and weird one that seemed to only foretell the future. In 1997, he pleaded no contest after hitting then-girlfriend Brittany Ashland. His now-ex-wife, actress Denise Richards, left him in 2006 after claiming he’d threatened and abused her and their two young children. For allegedly threatening to kill his now-estranged wife Brooke Mueller last year, he plead guiltyto misdemeanor assault; he went to court-ordered rehab and a few months later, he was back to his usual repertoire: trashing a hotel room and frightening a woman companion so badly that she locked herself in the bathroom until the police arrived. And this week, Sheen landed in rehab…again.
I realize that it’s also up to the women in his life to get away from such a disgusting individual like Charlie Sheen, its not a one-way street. Battered women’s syndrome is a complicated and sometimes controversial concept. I am also not implying that BWS applies to all of Charlie’s relationships, but it should be considered a possible rationale for why former wives Denise Richards and Brooke Muller would tolerate this man and his behavior on numerous occasions before they finally left.
In any case, Charlie Sheen’s bosses only tossed in the towel when the verbal attacks and threats were aimed at male executives. It’s a sad commentary on our society and how far we haven’t come with respect to how women are treated and/or valued. Misogyny is never pretty and should never be tolerated, no matter how much money the individual has or how highly valued his talents are. Charlie Sheen has been basically terrorizing women for years and received little more than a slap on the wrist. Hopefully this terrorist will get a clue, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
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He made an unannounced call to The Howard Stern Show this morning. Stern, although caught off guard, did a brilliant interview. I came away from it with a different perspective on Charlie Sheen. I like him.
Good post, Dusty. However, I think the fundamental distinction here isn’t gender. It’s vis a vis workplace.
The suits were willing to overlook goings-on in Sheen’s private life so long as those activities didn’t affect ratings (and they largely didn’t – Men was CBS’s top-rated sitcom). That stuff was outside the workplace.
But when he started dissing his bosses, he faced repercussions. Nothing especially remarkable about that, as any of us who attacked the boss on a radio show would get flak for it.
I guess being cute is no guarantee that you are a decent human being which Charlie definitely isn’t.
Charlie Sheen just has to go on that long list of celebrities that I used to think were cute, until I discovered what douchebags they are. I put him in the slot below Mel Gibson, but above Tiger Woods and John Mayer.
Good post Dusty. However, until we start treat Charlie Sheen like what he really is, that is an egotistical, mentally unstable, out of control addict, and stop treating like what he is not, someone who is special and newsworthy, he will continue this behavior. The idolatry with which the media and the showbiz people show toward him only fuels his engine of desperation for attention to continue to act out. If the spotlight were off and he was treated like any other man who committed the acts he did he would be at, or close to, his bottom and soon reaching out for help. But right now he can get interviews with just about anyone and rant and rave, and the more he acts out the more attention he gets which snowballs. Ignore him and he will eventually roll into a ball and give up or die. It is his choice and with an addict, whether it is booze, drugs, gambling, or sex, he has to make that choice.