PeregrinaMom

With a curious mix of fascination and morbidity, I watched as the segment on television started having a difficult time turning the set off.

We, in the United States, have been bombarded with the "Sheen campaign blitz", in television, radio and magazines lining up the checkout line at the supermarkets. What is the main goal of this blitz, I am not sure. Hard to escape the man. My wake up call happened as I was reading the online news on my laptop over a cup of coffee as one Hollywood celebrity (stated the headline) supported Charlie for having the party of a lifetime or having the party he always dreamed of... something to that effect.

Charlie Sheen is a wonderful actor, with an uncanny ability to make us laugh through many of his roles, including "Two and a Half Men", his latest. What is Charlie doing? His job. That´s right, his job, he is an actor who gets paid a salary to do his job so he can support his family. Is he any different than the rest of us? No. If we had a neighbor who behaved like Charlie Sheen Would we befriend him? Invite him over for a Sunday bbq?... Probably not and many of us probably would even call the police. If we knew there were children in the midst many of us would probably call Child Protective Services as well. So what makes Charlie Sheen different?

The young women in the news video on television, seemed to be around my daughter´s age. Probably mid twenties. I do recall one of them saying "yes" when asked if she would like to marry Charlie. If that were to happen, my guess is that children would soon follow. I wonder whether and if that happened, she would cradle her child in her arms and say to her child "baby when you grow up, I want you to do drugs, be promiscuous, drink until you are passed out, I want you to make a silly ass out of yourself on television and socialize with people that will strip you of your dignity, integrity and self respect, I love you so much baby that I will do everything I can to make it happen". I can only wonder. If the allegations of Charlie´s violent behavior are true and if this young woman were to have a daughter, would she also add "baby and when you marry, make sure you marry a man that makes you fear for your safety as well".

As far as this "celebrity" goes, I wonder whether he would face the cameras with his children in tow, leaving the protective shield of Twitter behind and say to his children while the world watched "baby, when you grow up, have the party of a lifetime and proceed to tell his children how Charlie did it and how envious he is and how he wants his children to do that when they grow up. Will it happen? Probably not, his PR people would not allow him to. It would not look good.

Personally, as much as I like Charlie Sheen as an actor, I cannot help to think that he is a son, a very beloved son, a brother, a father, a friend... I can only imagine what his parents are going through. Does it make it easier because he is Charlie Sheen? I do not think so, to them he is not an actor, but their beautiful boy, their beautiful son and I am sure their heart is breaking. In this instant, it is not about the "acting", it is about the boy they have loved, continue to love, a boy that I am sure his mother still remembers as running around the house filled with glee and one who used a sippy cup like the one Charlie has turned into a shrine. Which brings me to my next point.... Can Charlie the actor, separate his job from his role as Charlie, the Dad?

Hollywood. I love movies don´t take me wrong but I also believe Hollywood needs tragic figures like Charlie in their midst. We cannot forget people like Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and recently Michael Jackson. In Hollywood nowadays, there seems to be this "we worry about Charlie" attitude. Worrying does not help Charlie, but doing does. Would it be funny if what some TV hosts are saying about Charlie was said about a member of our own family that was having the same problem? What makes Charlie different? Would we like to have a family tragedy turned into comedic material for their ratings?..... Going back to Charlie Sheen (the actor) doing his "job".. If any of us behaved at work -the way Charlie does- and did not follow the rules, would we get fired? In an instant. What makes Charlie different? Nothing. Charlie deserves to get fired.... but Charlie also deserves a second chance, like the rest of us.

I find it highly doubtful that anyone in his "inner circle" will take a tough stand with Charlie. There is too much to gain for them. Charlie is easy money. Hollywood? I doubt it. I even wonder if some people in the business are not already working on a script about the tragic times of Charlie Sheen recording his every move and waiting for his demise to turn it into a mini series or a movie. Tragedy pays but it is us, the fans who are responsible. We have to assume responsibility for part of this problem.... because we love it, we can´t get enough of the gossip, the insanity, and so many other things.... and it is up to us, the fans of this wonderful comedic actor to take a stand.

Mine? I will not buy, read or watch anything with Charlie Sheen in it. I will not contribute to this tragedy by putting my hard earned money into this insanity. I challenge people out there to do the same. Unfollow Charlie on Twitter, unfollow him on everything he is on, do not even watch reruns of his shows. I challenge the media to do the same, do a blackout on Charlie, no news, nothing. Strip him away from the power our morbid curiosity contributes to...

.......... It is perhaps the only chance a family has to regain their beautiful son. It is perhaps the only chance those beautiful children of his will have to have their father returned to take them on picnics, on trips, to drop them off at school, to be watched proudly at their first school play... and for us fans, a chance to have a talented actor continue to entertain us for many years to come.

I wish Charlie the beautiful life his parents wished for him when he was born.... I am taking my stand, I would not tolerate this behavior in a neighbor, a friend or a family member....I would have to let them hit bottom that they may have a chance at living....Charlie Sheen is no different, except for a famous name... So my gift to him is a Charlie blackout, I will not contribute to his destruction by feeding into the news machine.... I am pulling the cord on this morbid gossip machine...