This will be about Charlie Sheen. Yes, I know I've missed the window of coolness, I know the only people who still say "winning" are probably also talking about how funny Family Guy is while listening to Vampire Weekend. We're all sick of Charlie Sheen and want him to go away.
But he won't. In fact, he just kicked off his live tour. His first show was in Detroit, where a rowdy crowd booed him for the majority of the show. And was anybody surprised?
It was cool to like Sheen for a few days, but even as we were liking him, we were hating him. We thought we were watching a former drug addict spiral out of control into self-delusion. It was only after we realized that he might be in on the joke that we lost interest.
Sheen's sense of entitlement makes everyone eager to see him fail. It was fun for awhile to repeat his self-aggrandizing quotes, but we've moved on. Whether or not he was in on the joke, the joke's over and we're sick of him.
As I'm writing this, the Cincinnati Reds are wrapping up another come-from-behind victory to sit at a 5-0 record. Yes, it's baseball season. And, although I'm an avowed Reds fan, I have to admit a guilty pleasure of listening to Milwaukee Brewers games on the Internet.
No, it's not because I enjoy the suffering of other fans (they are currently 1-4), it's because of their announcer and Sheen's former Major League co-star, Bob Uecker.
Nationally, Uecker is a surprisingly well-known personality. Instead of achieving fame for his play-calling skills, Uecker's main draw is his sense of humor, primarily his self-deprecating sense of humor. He's constantly joking about his unremarkable days as a major league catcher, always making sure he's the punch line to his own jokes.
Another person known for self-depreciation is Conan O'Brien. The talk show host has been gleefully mocking himself and his own show(s) for years. This sense of humor has endeared both of them to an adoring audience. Remember back when O'Brien was being removed as The Tonight Show host?
Fervently loyal fans started Internet protests and even stood outside in pouring rain to show him support. They filled theaters across the country and roared as he went on a live tour. Finally, they followed him to his new show on basic cable.
Compare this to Charlie Sheen, or even that of the average celebrity. As everybody seems to point out whenever a celebrity fails; we are a culture that enjoys watching a celebrity fail. We encourage it, even.
We loved watching Michael Jackson turn inhuman. We cheered when Britney Spears was committed to a psych hospital.
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We turned Charlie Sheen's mental breakdown into a lucrative money-making opportunity. Why did we stand behind Conan O'Brien so strongly? Why do we want him to succeed?
The difference between is the self-deprecating sense of humor. Even if Sheen's rants are carefully scripted, he truly wants people to know that he deserves everything he has, that he's special.
Any time anyone's interviewed O'Brien, among the jokes about his pale skin, he always stresses how lucky he is, that he doesn't believe he deserves his current status. Even when he was removed from The Tonight Show, he never ranted, he acted with dignity.
People won't accept criticism, but, instead will tear down the critic. Maybe a little more self-deprecation would help bring more adoring fans our way when we go on tour.
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