Knock, knock? Who's there? Not the people behind Charlie Sheen

Buenos dias!

I have to say that this post probably took me the longest to figure out based solely on the fact there are so many different areas of public relations to choose from, which makes the indecisive person go a little crazy. But after really thinking about it, this was easier than I thought. Regardless of if you pay attention or care about pop culture and/or celebrity gossip, how can anyone have not at least have heard about the train wreck that Charlie Sheen has left behind him as he moves on from one interview to the next and possibly making Tom Cruise's couch-jumping interview with Oprah look slightly more sane.

Now I'm not the type of person who sits around all day watching E! news or Hollywood Access, or the many, many other shows dedicated to who's famous and what they're up to; nor do I go out of my way to read article upon article. However, I admit to taking the occasional interest in people who are thrown into the spotlight and honestly, when Charlie Sheen and his tiger blood and apparent Adonis genes are the topic of discussion everywhere, it's difficult to miss.

But this isn't about the actor himself and his clear fall off the wagon, it's about something interesting I learned shortly after the whole thing began: Stan Rosenfeld, the man in charge of Sheen's public image, resigned right in the middle of Sheen's radio and TV interview extravaganza. At first I thought, I honestly don't blame him, there was no way to bounce back from something like what was happening, and though it might have seemed like an easy out, I can't say I wouldn't do the same. But after our guest speaker in Case Studies with Dr. I, I saw Rosenfeld's move from a different perspective. She asked the class if we would be able to continue working for a company, or in this case a person, if we didn't believe in their cause or ideals? The majority of us said no way, myself included, but a couple said it would depend on the situation. A point was also brought up about being able to separate your own image and reputation from work and how the public image of who you work for doesn't necessarily reflect on you. However, I believe that it is and I fully believe that if you don't agree or believe in the cause, you cannot properly perform your tasks as a PR practitioner.

In some ways, I can see how Rosenfeld's resignation as Sheen's publicist could be seen as a face-saving move, which in a sense it was. When your client goes on public radio and clearly negates a statement you have put out clarifying recent allegations (for example last October when it was suspected Sheen was taken to the hospital after a reported drunken tirade through a Plaza Hotel in New York), it threatens your own image and reputation as well as that of your client, even if said client cares less and less about his own image as the incident continues. It was reported as well that Rosenfeld handed in his resignation after Sheen slammed him for the way he seemingly covered up what really happened in October, by saying he would have come up with something better than Rosenfeld. Shortly before this was when Sheen publicly attacked Chuck Lorre, the producer of Two and a Half Men, which ultimately gave cancellation to production of the current season.

Once everything is said and done and the public only occasionally reminisces about the last month or so by going "Remember when Charlie Sheen went crazy on national TV?" I think that the thing that will stick with me the most was that his publicist quit. I also think that had Stan Rosenfeld stuck by Sheen and tried to create something positive out of something so clearly disastrous, he would have later been seen as "the public relations guy who failed to make Sheen's situation better" and ultimately label himself, which could potentially ruin his reputation as a respectable person.

So I ask, when faced with an ethical dilemma similar to this or any situation where you no longer feel comfortable or believe in someone's cause, what would you do? Do you stick it out until the end and see if the payoff is worth it? Do you stick to your guns and leave because to you it isn't right?