The Media's Negative Obsessive War With Bi-Polar Disorder Part 2: Charlie Sheen Example

Last year Charlie Sheen was being diagnosed with bipolar disorder on every TV network, often by anchor-persons, sports analysts, meteorologists, and any other goofball that likely never opened a intro to psych book. Even Dr Drew labelled him, without ever personally meeting him. He also said that Charlie was in a hypo-manic state and pleaded that someone intervene before he did something really bad. Maybe he is BP, but that can't be determined by an act or a 3 minute call on your cells. Blackberries are smart-phones, but damn, are they that smart?

Bipolar isn't an action.

Bipolar isn't a person.

Bipolar is a specific disorder with a multitude of characteristics and symptoms that can't off-handedly be stamped on people's foreheads on the evening news and by celebrity gossip smut peddlers. If it was that simple then I should be in essence and action like every other BP. I therefore should be a time-tested-successful-millionaire-actor with multiple pornstar groupies. If that is what bipolar means, sign me the hell up! A little over the top there maybe. But to be honest Charlie Sheen has been in the limelight his entire life due to his father and then more on his own starting in the 80's. Therefore there is a large database documenting his personal and emotional background and he has really filled the file. But if it isn't official, no one ethically should blatantly state it as fact.

In summation of this rant, I'd like to reiterate that the media doesn't have to fact-check anymore. They have paid subject experts that spew WOW-factor bullshit for ratings. The bought experts speak eloquently, in formal tones, in a way ambiguous enough to not get sewed when saying slanderous, erroneous, unfounded, unresearched, or down-right lies, because they were only implied and not stated as fact.

And if bipolar was merely some uncontrollable, hedonistic, violent, hate machine, I wouldn't be writing this, I'd be on my way to TMZ Studios to kick in the door to say "Here's Johnny!" or better yet, "I'm a lawyer!"

To be continued...