What Charlie Sheen's antics say about society

Having never watched "Two and a Half Men," I'm in no position to judge the television show or its star, Charlie Sheen. But from a couple of scenes caught in channel-flipping and from the excessive news coverage of Sheen's criminal activities and firing from the popular show, I can safely say Sheen, the network and the television-watching public are all getting what they deserve.

In the comedy, Sheen plays a misogynistic, crude, rude womanizer — a character that apparently is not too distant from his actual personality. What surprises me, but shouldn't, is that the American television audience finds this sort of misbehavior entertaining. "Two and a Half Men" was the country's top-rated show, even though I'm not sure it contains a sympathetic or admirable character.

Television has come a long way from the era when its male characters were admirable, respectful, helpful, kind, even heroic. "Father Knows Best," "My Three Sons," "Gunsmoke," "Daniel Boone," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "The Donna Reed Show," "Leave It to Beaver" and others all had "good" leading men who respected other people and did not spout sarcasm each time they opened their mouths. Not everyone of my generation grew up trying to be like Ozzie Nelson or Jim Anderson, but we weren't copying the crudeness and snarky self-centeredness of Sheen's character.

My hope is that the network's experience in seeing its well-paid star crumble into rants against his employer, his audience and people in general will lead to a return to situation comedies that are not overflowing with sarcasm, one-upmanship and verbal venom. But that's probably hoping too much. There are plenty of Charlie Sheen types around for the networks to hire. We've raised a generation of them.