America! Stop Gawking!

In a two-week span I’ve seen what I call human train wrecks on the small screen making outbursts that would embarrass people if they were made by their family members. I’m not sure what bothers me most – that the media is taking advantage of these people or that we’re watching and won’t look away.

I must start with Ashley Sullivan, a 26-year-old “American Idol” contestant who drew viewers into her roller coaster life. She would go into an emotional high when she performed well and would dive into an abyss of insecurity when the pressure proved too much. She got the boot before the top 24 semifinalists were chosen.

An “Idol” cameraman followed Sullivan when she tied the knot with her boyfriend Paul Suraiva during the Las Vegas auditions. A writer for the Entertainment Weekly website made snide remarks about the singer possibly killing her groom. I believe she may be bipolar and not taking medication. I felt sheepish for watching her story and feeling pity for her.

Another train wreck who is more famous (or infamous, take your pick) than Ashley Sullivan is Charlie Sheen, the star of the highly rated CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men.” Sheen, who had checked himself into a rehab facility after a violent hotel room incident with a porn star, left the facility, went to the Bahamas with two blond “goddesses,” and bit the hand that fed him, “Men” creator and producer Chuck Lorre. Then Sheen made the rounds of the news shows and spewed nonsense about “winning” and “tiger blood” and “Adonis DNA.” Luckily, his estranged wife Brooke Mueller had enough common sense to have her 2-year-old twin sons removed from Sheen’s home.

So far, Sheen has been on ABC, NBC, and CNN. (I’ve lost count.) He’s also been the butt of late-night talk show hosts. I worry about the two women living with him because Sheen is still a drug addict with a violent temper. I don’t see his situation ending well unless he gets help, which I don’t see him doing in the near future.

I’m going to do my part by turning off my TV whenever I see such nonsense. I don’t have the schadenfreude or the stomach for any of this.

Writing Diva