Jour 4460 Blog 9: Since When is House Arrest Fun?

The story behind Charlie Sheen’s sanity evaporating should be at least somewhat known by anyone with a television and/or Twitter account. Sheen’s excessive drug use and irradical behavior led to the CBS studio putting “the top-rated CBS show on hiatus so that [Sheen] could undergo rehab,” according to an article on the NYDailyNews.com that was posted in February of 2011.

Sheen’s behavior never improved. In an article published in May 2011 on USAToday.com, the news that Ashton Kutcher would replace Sheen on the Two and A Half Men show was released.

Sheen then went through a series of media antics with the trending topic “#tigerblood” after he told “the Today show's Jeff Rossen that he's got "tiger blood" and that it makes him impervious to the dangers of addiction,” according to an article by Paul Schrodt from esquire.com. He also attempted a comedy tour, but that business venture wasn’t as lucrative or successful as Sheen had hoped. 

Sheen’s deterioration was recorded through both traditional and social media. In my opinion, the characteristics this man publicly displayed is nothing to celebrate. What can you do though in a world when Lindsey Lohan’s latest police citation is bigger news than whose ahead in the presidential election?

Fiat, however, decided to play into the celebration of a known drug abuser by airing a commercial that features Sheen hosting an elaborate house party, complete with alcohol, party girls and a new 500 Abarth by fiat. Sheen closes the commercial with his only line, “I love being under house arrest. What am I getting for good behavior?” The second sentence in the quote is directed toward a woman who cuddles up next to Sheen

If I’m not mistaken, house arrest is a form of punishment, not a reward. I’m not sure if Fiat is sending the right message. Then again, I first saw the commercial on VH1 which is known for it’s not so serious programming.

Sheen has also been off the media scene for some time now and for his return to replicate his previous behavior with no remorse at all, it really makes me questions the values of the Fiat brand.

The end of the commercial states “not all bad boys are created equal.” The conclusion I draw from this is that Sheen is considered to be on an elevated level of being a bad boy. That statement also leads me to believe that Fiat is celebrating Sheen’s status.

The Fiat brand initially felt hesitant airing this commercial. They decided to post in on YouTube first to test the response from the public. In an article by Brent Snavley on USAToday.com, the head of the Fiat brand in North America, Timothy Kuniskis, is quoted saying, "We thought we'd be killed for showing it," Kuniskis said. "We've gotten no heat on this ad. None…. When we have something we are not positive of, this is a good way to reconfirm what we are thinking."

In my opinon if you weren’t sure of something that cost a pretty penny to produce your best bet would be to scrap the idea. The conclusion could be drawn that the commercial worked in Fiat’s favor in the view of the public. It failed in mine. The media mess that is Charlie Sheen should not be celebrated or endorsed, it should be taken to get help.