America has a Charlie Sheen problem

[Initech]

Charlie Sheen said in an interview "What's bi-polar? I'm bi-winning.". In America, the working class is taking huge blows - whether it's Scott Walker trying to take away bargaining rights and declaring himself Caesar, Ohio also banning collective bargaining rights, or Rick Scott denying $2 billion in funding for high speed rail? That's what would create jobs.

We don't hate the "job creators" because we'd like it if they'd actually create jobs instead of making us fight for what's left of the scraps. In El Segundo - here in Los Angeles, there was a 2-mile long line for like 10 jobs at a fucking 99 Cent Store. And this was just yesterday! We deserve better than this. Instead, they just hoard money, like Charlie Sheen (allegedly) hoards blow, and they convince the rest of us that we're "winning". This is what Charlie Sheen does. He's hit rock bottom - literally, just as we've done here in America. But unlike the rest of the world, where Charlie Sheen should be pulling himself back up by his bootstraps, he's so dead-on fucking convinced that he's "winning" despite the fact that he's become a punchline in and of himself.

America needs to be less like Charlie Sheen and more like Robert Downey Jr. - another coke head celebrity who's done some serious damage to his reputation. But unlike Sheen, Robert Downey Jr. learned from his past mistakes and became a better person and actor because of it. And he's Iron Man, who the fuck can compete with that? And that's what needs to happen in America. Instead of this whole "I'm a winner, fuck you" attitude that we've developed, we need to stop listening to what one news network with a truly bizarre, distorted point of view is telling us, and drop the "I'm winning" attitude. Because we haven't won. We're losing. And losing fast.

America is just another dead-horse celebrity who's become an international punchline. Our millionaires and billionaires became so drunk with power that the only way to get this country back on track is to put them into rehab - for cash addiction - or we'll suffer the consequences. But Charlie Sheen has already pointed out that rehab doesn't work. So we need to come up with a new solution. And no, we cant cure ourselves in a nanosecond.

[underseasurveyor]

1. If it's not Charlie it's Lindsay

:eyes:

[Initech]

3. Or *insert insane celebrity of the moment* here.

[RKP5637]

2. Exactly!!! America is just another dead-horse celebrity who's become an international punchline. n/t

[customerserviceguy]

4. There are a lot of folks out there

who need to feel better about themselves by knowing that rich celebrities have more screwed up lives than they do. It's the theory that's sold "People" magazine for decades now.

[Morning Dew]

5. Rebranding the Brett Favre problem.

That would be aging infrastructure, diminished skills and giant ego.

[Initech]

6. America's being crushed under the weight of its ego, yes.

[reformist2]

7. I don't like this metaphor of life as a "race" that has to be "won".

The whole language of competition, races, winning... it's got to stop. Or at least be ratcheted way down.

[Initech]

8. I don't think of it that way.

But we're not "winning" if people have to fight for jobs at a 99 cent store, that's flat-out wrong.

[reformist2]

9. But we can't all win. In fact, in any race most people lose!

[RKP5637]

16. And that's the foundation of capitalism, win/lose, and why we have such a F'en mess

with unbridled capitalism. If well regulated it could work, but people want no regulation and no taxes to speak of ... it is a combination of disaster for the majority.

[Journeyman]

10. Turn such metaphors about. As Ian Anderson observed. . .

Nights of winter turn me cold --
fears of dying, getting old.
We run the race, the race was won
by running slowly.

~ Jethro Tull, "We Used to Know"

[SharonAnn]

13. See the book "The Case Against Competition" by Alfie Kohn. It really opened my eyes

to what damage that kind of thinking does in our society. It really got me thinking about the competitive structure.

That, and a crossword puzzle clue whose description was "Comes in second" and the word turned out to be "Loser". I kept struggling to fit "Places" into it but it didn't fit and didn't work. I was astounded that the definition of "comes in second" would be "loser". That means that eveyone in the competition loses, except the one winner.

Ever since then, I am aware that systems that set up a "Winner" also set up many, many "Losers".

It's a dysfunctional structure.

There are far better ways to structure organizations and society.

[Hannah Bell]

14. +100

[ejpoeta]

11. charlie sheen needs to sit in a jail cell to get some damned perspective.

he'll be feeling it when he is doing celebrity rehab just to get attention or TRYING to get on dancing with the 'stars'. he'll be wishing he had listened then.

but yes, we need to learn the lessons of our past. unfortunately people seem to refuse to see anything. they aren't interested in the past or the future.... just i've got mine fuck you. unfortunately it will be like charlie sheen, these folks will be begging just like everyone else at some point. they refuse to believe that. they refuse to see the plot line hasn't changed.... like that girl who insists on going out to check out that mysterious noise in the dark back yard fully knowing what is out there and what it means..... she still goes out and puts herself in the path of the serial killer. an no amount of telling them not to do it will stop them. they seem destined to walk that road.

[Kingofalldems]

12. XM gave him his own channel for the weekend

[ellenfl]

15. considering the competition, right now cs is the best

entertainment tv has to offer! he beats the crap out of all those horrid reality shows that pass for entertainment.

ellen fl

[Initech]

17. I'm not gonna argue with that one, his meltdown has been incredibly fun to watch!

:popcorn: