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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Charlie Sheen coverage by US media is disgraceful--- treating as a circus the tragedy of a person falling apart

Posted on Wednesday, March 02, 2011 at 11:12 PM
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The U.S. media has been disgraceful in its treatment of Charlie Sheen.

The fact is that this is a man in deep psychiatric distress who needs help not a nation gawking at him as some kind of freak show.

It is clear from his television interviews that he is being goaded on by the media looking for the latest manic sound bite.

In fact the Irish American actor is in deep pain and desperately in need of help. He is a richly talented man who has profoundly lost his way.

It reminds me of the circus around Michael Jackson, but the laughing stopped when he essentially killed himself with an overdose with some help from others.

There are those who love the freak show and a million people have signed up for his latest manic twitter messages in just over a day.

Like vultures to a carcass the media and public gather round

But what about his little twins who were removed from his custody yesterday? That is a profound tragedy

What about his father Martin, a true humanitarian in so many ways who is now witnessing his son self-destruct?

Charlie Sheen is actually going through hell as any person addicted to a substance eventually does.

The media is aiding and abetting his path towards a catastrophic breakdown which could end up in suicide like Jackson, Monroe and so many others.

The media needs to back off, his family needs to intervene, he needs to be safe in a psychiatric facility until someone can figure out what really ails him.

That is the sad reality of Charlie Sheen, not the freak show the media is putting on now.

His family, his kids, Sheen himself, deserves better.



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82 comments

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Niamhaine | Mar 04, 2011, 04:00 AM EST
H-m-m, people who live in glass houses?? You are on here prattling about other's misfortunes all of the time, what makes them different from Mr. Sheen? They all should be left alone, so maybe you will remember that the next time you are hunting for a story.

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Dublinjas | Mar 04, 2011, 03:54 AM EST
The Sheens have and are great friends of Ireland and things Irish, So to say the least I agree with you 100%.

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haikued2 | Mar 04, 2011, 02:21 AM EST
Niall you are giving this guy a pass. If we all have some odd responsibility to him because a. he has some Irish heritage; and b. he is an actor, then he has responsibility to us and the kids in the world to not be a self indulgent schmuck. Kids see these folks as role models...what the heck kind of role model is he? No sympathy for a self indulgent rich kid who, if his dad hadn't been famous and rich, would probably be living on the streets snorting coke.

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Mike7571 | Mar 03, 2011, 10:11 PM EST
Niall, I couldn't agree more!

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shell517nj | Mar 03, 2011, 09:21 PM EST
Michael Jackson did his best to stay out of the media, he even left the country, that is the difference between Charlie and MJ.

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seamusmoore | Mar 03, 2011, 09:13 PM EST
Niall, I find your take on le affair Sheen(ie)to be a bit rich, given this website preoccupation with celebrity (Robert Pattison, for one, whoever the useless cnut[sic]is I do not know, and much more importantly, I DO NOT CARE, as is the case with most people with a penis over the age of 16). Your must active blogger on IC is the "Gossip girl", whose picture looks like something my maternal cousins in northwest Mayo would pull out of Broadhaven Bay with a hook in its gullet. Interesting that you say nothing of the dog and pony show carries on with the perpetually inebbriated Shane McGowan. To quote Judy Collins from "Send in the Clowns": "It isn't rich, don't you agree".

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mnelis1 | Mar 03, 2011, 07:43 PM EST
Well stated, Niall. I couldn't agree more. It's an absolute disgrace the way in which the media has handled this. Vultures wouldn't get a look in....it must be terrible for his parents to witness this on such a massive scale.

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cillowen | Mar 03, 2011, 07:32 PM EST
they closed all the asylums and let the disturbed be our tele contents. Media and Hollywood oligarchs are having the time of their lives thanks due to a fearing scared obama who's merely their ar.... boy.

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KathyCallahan | Mar 03, 2011, 06:43 PM EST
I meant to say that I am a HUGE fan of this man...who is falling apart right before our eyes. I will not be twittered by him at this time. I really hope that the son of Martinb Sheen finds counselors/healers who will very specifically help and guide him to develop a deep and abiding relationship with TIME that includes the past -10 min ago, 10 hrs ago, last Christmas Eve...the interview he gave in 1999 after a long stint in recovery facility (20/20 the night before last). Charlie Sheen is a walking and talking example of living too much stuck in a moment and he can't get out of it...Living with out perspective and blind sided by every intoxicating moment -No past or future matters to him...It's all about NOW...(the antithesis of Irish Zen at it's very best when you are in flow but in total control, THINKING and fully appreciative of the past and where your gorgeous toddlers are headed...) He may as well be a prisoner...(and I sincerely hope he is still walking, talking, ranting and running with the best of them next year and 50 years from now. and Charlie...Give your da Martin a break . He loved you the way you loved and worried for your toddlers Bob and Max as they were being taken by police/family services out of your home in the middle of the night (never again)

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IrishJets47 | Mar 03, 2011, 06:32 PM EST
Dead man walking that what this idoits is. Mark my word won't be long till he get in trouble again with a Ho or the Ho's he have lving with him. Put this bum in jail next time.

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labadugh | Mar 03, 2011, 06:18 PM EST
I strongly agree..Charlie needs to take a step-back and look at himself and situation from third person perspective and he needs good true friends and professional to help. His father Charlie and family must be so distressed....

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LinLinisme | Mar 03, 2011, 05:45 PM EST
I agree they should leave him alone.

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Gearoid4 | Mar 03, 2011, 04:55 PM EST
It would be best for Charlie Sheen to get out of the public limelight for a while. His life has been turned into a real-life version of the film 'The Truman Show'. The downside of fame has come become plain for all to see. It might be best for his family to taken matters in hand and arrange expert treatment in a rehabilitation center. Kipling advised in his famous poem 'IF' that ''If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same'' that you can live up to your full potential. Unfortunately showbiz often does not work out like that with all it's inherent pitfalls and temptations.

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IrishLass127 | Mar 03, 2011, 04:38 PM EST
I agree totally. The media just gets worse and worse in its ploy to sell papers and get people to watch TV without any care about the person being used so shamefully. It was apparent from the the first interview that sadly, Mr. Sheen is losing it and parade him around like he is in a freak show is absolutely disgusting. Again I totally agree that as a human being he deserves far better and just used to sell more papers and shows.

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ciarrai | Mar 03, 2011, 03:47 PM EST
My wife and I met his father, Martin, at Heathrow about 3 years ago and he treated us as if we were old friends. We spoke for 10-15 minutes. He must be nuts with what has befallen Charlie. Charlie does need help.

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