By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email
Charlie Sheen. Not so long ago the utterance of the name would have elicited images of a slumming womanizer in bad bowling shirts, but now all the mind can imagine is a raving celeb whose fall from grace has become increasingly riddled with manic behaviours. As with any degenerating celebrity, the question remains: should the fans support him?
Tiger blood was not always running through Mr. Sheen’s veins, nor was he always on the drug of himself alongside his “goddesses.” Winning was once merely another verb, but now it falls under one of his many Sheenisms soon to be printed on t-shirts and mugs for every fan, both sincere and ironic.
There are some celebs that, though they continue to dig themselves a hole, have the support of their fans. Britney Spears, as bald as she became, still received praise when she made her comeback. Robert Downey Jr., despite all his transgressions, has now become a major superhero franchise star. Since the rise of Twitter and social media networks that have allowed contact between stars and their fans, the audience has crossed a line into the private world of the celeb and vice versa.
No longer are fans plagued with the question of whether or not to watch Charlie’s many tirades; now the question is whether or not to follow, whether or not to comment, or whether or not to apply for his job opening for a social media director with tiger blood running through their veins.
Charlie’s string of interviews caught the attention of every conscious person in the 21st century, and his personal webcast, Sheen’s Korner, has brought misspelled titles to new heights of certifiably insane rants. His behaviour has not only been self-destructive, but it has targeted everyone from his wife and ex-wife and even his own children, to whom he has exposed his disjointed world. His goddess, too, cannot be exempt from the poor treatment of people in his life, and it’s only imagined what goes on when Sheen’s Korner is turned off. There are also the notable backlashes to one time co-stars and friends of Two and a Half Men, and more significantly, his verbal treatment of the execs who decided his terminated fate.
This is a man who is obviously in a tumultuous state and should not be supported by upwards of two million followers on Twitter since it only fuels his madness. However, the obsession with his demise speaks strongly to human nature. When there’s an accident or a train wreck or a ferry heading for the docks, we cannot help but watch. There is a reason traffic slows to see the flipped car in the ditch and our morbid curiosity is only invigorated when we see the rotting of stardom. There is something selfishly satisfying about watching someone who has the potential to have everything and someone who was the highest paid TV actor take such a turn as he dives into the corners of his own mind, fighting with warlocks and a bi-winning attitude.
With over two million followers, Charlie has all the support he needs to avoid getting any help. He’s made a pop culture milestone, and whether his fans are following him out of sincerity or out of mockery, it doesn’t matter to him. All he sees is the number of Twitter followers and Sheen’s Korner hits. The more destructive he gets, though, the less support he’ll have. It’s a common celebrity trend. Case in point: Mel Gibson. Too much foul behaviour and the harmful targeting of other people ends up leaving the celeb abandoned with only a machete and tiger blood to get him through it.
