Attacking the Sharks
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Tabloid television and news is a fact of life. There is no escape. There should, however, be certain parts of any individual’s life that remain untouched.
Such is the case with the ongoing spectacle, that should never have been, concerning Charlie Sheen and his relationship with his children. The reporters have sunk to new lows on this one.
The ostensibly high minded and factual Entertainment Tonight and The Insider both ran snippets that cast ridiculous aspersions rather than shed light on the situation. Although nothing was done that could be legally actionable, it is sad that someone on the editorial staff felt the need to bring any part of this onto the television screens of the rabid ‘news’ fans.
The report on Entertainment Tonight touched upon the never identified and recently discharged nanny who felt it was ‘inappropriate’ for the star to have his 3 year old daughter in bed with him. Barely touched upon was the possible reason for the testimony, which is likely the retaliation of a disgruntled ex-wife. I’m sure nothing stated was incorrect, but the tone was accusatory and unnecessarily strident.
The self proclaimed ‘defenders of decency’ cannot have it both ways, with acknowledgement that children need closeness to parents in their formative years, and proclaiming on one hand that the ‘family bed’ is a wonderful tool to promote familial bonds, while in this case reviling the actions of this parent who does exactly what they claim beneficial.
At the same time, small references to Charlie Sheen’s pre-parental lifestyle are there to encourage illogical jumps in thought, as many know that Mr. Sheen was certainly no angel in younger years.
Not only are these unproven accusations un-newsworthy, they are as salacious as anything posted about Mr. Sheen’s previous life. The stories have no redeeming value, show no benefit to the audience, and have no outcome as yet. What they do is feed the insane need of some to comparatively raise their own level of existence.
For the reporters, and the news hounds, another path should be immediately taken.
Tags: news, what is news?, the fourth estate, tabloid journalism
2 Comments
Mike
September 27th, 2007
at 7:39am
Obviously, those who think having your OWN child in bed with you either have no children of their own, are prudes to the point of being cold to their own children or are just clueless about how healthy families interact with each other.
Here’s a thought…all men aren’t perverts!!! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!! How do they know what the situation was and who are these jerks who think they can pontificate to us about values…gimme a break.
For those of you who seem to be clueless about raising children here are some thoughts on this specific issue: children get scared in their rooms and may need to stay with their parents once in a while, children get sick and may need watching or don’t want to stay alone in their own crib/bed, and sometimes children just like being close to their parents.
Having your OWN child in your bed is hardly inappropriate. Personally, I would not make it a habit as I think allowing your children to sleep the bed with you all the time doesn’t help them grow emotionally and gives them a false sense of security that you will always be there. They need to be able to stay alone and know things will be O.K.
Of course, I am making a huge assumption that nothing illegal or perverted was going on and, of course, that would change everything. People who hurt children deserve far more than jail time and I will leave it at that…
peace…
the oracle
September 27th, 2007
at 3:38pm
Mike - thanks for the thoughts - I obviously agree - I have children 12 and 17, well adjusted, and still don’t mind getting into bed with dad at times to watch television or perhaps they are not feeling so well - nurturing is not the bailiwick of mothers alone.