By Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter.
I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable laughing at Two and A Half Men. Hey, It’s not real life…until it is. I grew up surrounded by bad, sad alcoholics (luckily, my parent weren’t….but uncles lived with us and my grandmom off and on, for months at a time.)
Charlie Sheen reminds me of my Uncle Forrest. Oh, dear Lord, the teeth, the teeth…He even resembles him physically. Forrest wasn’t famous and didn’t make a gazillion dollars. He did, however, father two children and suffer from extreme, fall in the gutter, drink rubbing alcohol alcoholism. One of my earliest memories is of him passing out face down in the mashed potatoes.
When my mother and I lived with my grandmom, I did my homework to the tragic soundtrack of the “wet brain” monologues of a once kind, handsome, intelligent man. Difficult enough to memorize Beowulf lines…almost impossible with a sad, broken man ranting incoherently in the chair next to you. (He went to rehab several times through the years but he never stayed sober for long.)
So, no, I don’t laugh at Sheen. I do, however, have an issue with how he reportedly treats women. Apparently, because the women involved are actresses and – ahem – professionals, they somehow don’t really count and the charges aren’t taken seriously. Trying to strangle someone is never acceptable, regardless of how she earns her living. Seems it’s just Charlie and his ‘hos. Funny! Not.
He should have been fired (or least put on leave of absence, pending investigation) because of his conduct with women – not his insults to his boss. And, please spare me the company’s PR spin about his appearance and inability to work. If he hadn’t mouthed off so much and so loudly, they’d have propped him up, layered on make-up with trowel and rolled him onto the set. It’s money, honey!
P.S. Oddly enough, Forrest outlived his four brothers (who were also alcoholics, some high functioning. Gee, Uncles aren’t supposed to smell that way in the morning?) But, it wasn’t a good life…sad and bad, for everyone involved.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
