There Are, After All, Sad Clowns?

Charlie Sheen is being lectured by "Dr. Drew" Pinsky - that's right, the guy who profits from a "celebrity rehab" show - that he needs to take rehab seriously. Would that mean going on Dr. Drew's show, so his private disclosures and embarrassing moments, as well as what seems to be a considerable amount of contrived drama, gets broadcast to the nation? ("We have Heidi Fleiss coming on the show... Hey, who's her ex-boyfriend who was convicted of domestic violence - Tom Sizemore. Let's get him, also. Oh, and he has a drug-using girlfriend - can we sign her up, mid-season?")

My initial reaction was, "That's like being lectured on seriousness by a clown," but then (as the subject indicates) I remembered that there are sad clowns.

It's not that I don't think Dr. Pinsky could run a decent drug rehab clinic. It's that I see him as instead choosing to create a public spectacle that puts him in the role of savior, involves stirring up drama for the benefit of the cameras in a context in which turbulence should be minimized and people should feel safe, and using what is ostensibly the medical treatment of patients in his clinic as an opportunity to build his own public image. It's great that Dr. Pinsky admits his own narcissistic tendencies, but not so great to see them play out like this.