Open letter to Charlie Sheen and the Media

Dear Charlie Sheen and the American Media Outlets:

Millions of people in Japan have seen their lives torn apart forever by the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Their homes, their livelihoods, their family members -- all swept away in the space of a few moments. Not to mention the continuing and future threat of radiation poisoning that could affect the entire region if not the entire globe.

Millions of young children around the world will go hungry today and every day. Many, many will die today from hunger and/or the diseases that result from undrinkable water. Some of those kids are right here in America, believe it or not.

Millions of responsible American adults will work twelve to fourteen hours today for less than $10.00 an hour in order to try to provide food, a home, and medical expenses for their families.  And those same responsible adults will pay in excess of $3.50 per gallon for the gasoline necessary to get to and from those jobs.

And you, Mr. Sheen?  All you seem capable of doing is whining to the public about how mistreated you have been by the cancellation of your multi-million dollar TV contract.

Multi. Million. Dollars.
 
While ordinary (read: never-seen-a-million-dollars-in-my-life) people struggle, you cultivate the media to help you flaunt to the world your extravagant, drug-addled lifestyle complete with porn-industry girlfriends.

I'm sure you've heard this piece of advice often from each one of your ex-wives and from your family, but likely never from the people who are making gigantic amounts of money off your personal circus:

Grow-the-hell-up, little boy.

And as for you, oh multi-billion dollar media outlets of the United States?

The same advice holds.

Grow Up. 

Your rabid pursuit of, and slavish devotion to any story that sells advertising dollars -- no matter how reprehensible the subject -- makes a mockery of our country's priceless and precious "freedom of the press." How about a breath of fresh air for a change? How about just one of you finally and publicly refuses to participate in the Great Melt-Down of a Public Figure?

Don't run the stupid story. It's nothing new or news-worthy. It is -- once again in our history -- nothing more than the irrational rantings of an immature, ego-maniacal personality.

Let it go.

Let the rest of us, who have real and serious problems to deal with, real and deep joys to celebrate, have a breather from the crud of Sheen's cess-pool lifestyle.

I don't watch TV news and I don't listen to the radio. I read the print/online news stories very selectively and I realize I have a choice about what I do read. 

But every day the headlines absolutely scream with Sheen.

Enough already.

Put real life in perspective for a change.

Grow up and shut up.

- Catherine