Charlie Sheen Is the Man

Charlie Sheen is a confusing man to understand. He exists in a realm of Hollywood that is vulnerable to media ridicule, but has the ability to swiftly rise above it. It is the class of celebrity that is perpetually forgiven by the public and gets away with things like "accidentally" shooting fianceés in the arm (look it up—Charlie Sheen actually shot Kelly Preston in the arm in 1990). To get away with something like that and live on to be a big Hollywood star takes a certain type of persona that is just all-around likable.

It takes a lot to be considered "the man," and it is a character trait I have been dissecting for most of my life. Charlie Sheen has that extra layer of laid-back coolness that radiates from a small number of people. That laid-back coolness comes from something I like to call the "Fonz effect."

The "Fonz effect" is easy to understand but very hard to pull off.  To best understand this effect, we must look to the television series Two and Half Men, the first show ever to make proper use of the bowling shirt.  The bowling shirt for Charlie Sheen's character has become the definition of cool, comparable to the level reached by Fonzie's famous brown leather jacket.  The "Fonz effect" turns something ordinary into a symbol unique to that individual and carries a message that will be synonymous with their name until the day they die.  When you see Charlie Sheen in a bowling shirt, the first thing you think is that this dude is classy, but at the same time, he really likes to party.  He is the type of guy that you go golfing with and spend more time with at the bar than at the course—a legend.

Perhaps the most notable step in becoming "the man" is by playing yourself in a mainstream television series. Charlie Sheen plays Charlie Harper on Two and Half Men, and before that played Charlie Crawford on Spin City. Both characters are basically the same: They drink excessively, sleep around, make a lot of money, and generally do not take life too seriously.  Charlie Sheen's real-life problems play out every week in a 22-minute, joke-infused version of itself for America to laugh at.

This reinforces Sheen's carefree attitude and allows for all of his widely known altercations to be more easily brushed off by the public. While Sheen may very well be "the man," he is certainly not all-powerful. He is at the start of a messy divorce from Brooke Muller, stemming from a violent dispute this past winter. It also appears that he will be leaving his hit sitcom Two and Half Men. But mark my words: Sheen will return. 

Charlie Sheen may be going through some rough times right now, but that will not stop him from continuing to be "the man."  Within three years, Sheen will be back on television playing another alcoholic womanizer named Charlie, and people will once again love it.