Mar 2, 2011 9
Two and a Half Thoughts on Charlie Sheen
I’ve recently become obsessed with Charlie Sheen.
This obsession—which is far from mine alone—must be understood against the backdrop of current events.
On the one hand, there is the spectacular political turmoil in the “Arab World,” whereby the successful regime change in Tunisia and Egypt has been followed by increasingly violent responses from the state in Algeria, Bahrain, Oman, and, of course, Libya.
On the other hand, here in the United States, we’re seeing exactly what Republican majorities and Republican executives are focused on: pressing their advantage to take on both the socio-economic programs of the Obama administration as well as organized labor (particularly in the form of public employee unions—the second to last bastion of unionism in the United States) and, apparently, women.
In other words, millions rising up against autocratic rulers in the face of mounting violence on the one hand, and “revolution from above” as the wealthy move to eviscerate the only real obstacles to their dominance here at home: unions and the democratic state apparatus.
So what does Charlie Sheen have to do with this and why, for example, would anyone compare him to Colonel Ghaddafi?