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The belief of most of the Unites States used to be that alcoholics were mean spirited, good-for-nothing, lazy, wretched men who liked to fight frequently and swear in excess. With the stereotypical television drunkard being homeless, a gambler, or just a plain loser, this myth was perpetuated. The myth was perpetuated until Cheers came along. It gives unrealistic portrayals of alcoholics in politically correct and friendly ways. The alcoholics never hurt anyone or say anything offensive in the Cheers universe, and this is how the viewing audience is beginning to view alcoholism as a whole; not as a disease, but as a source of lighthearted humor. They are wrong, very wrong.
The audience sees the cast of Cheers drink their sorrows away on every episode. The bar patrons and servers do not react in a realistic way to the alcohol that they've been imbibing. They neither feel it's affects immediately nor do they ever exhibit the signs of either an alcoholic or even a lifetime drinker. All of the characters appeal to a certain part of the viewing audience and are easy to form a strong connection with, and thus influence the entranced viewer. Exposing the characters for what they would be like if they existed in the real world and not just a sitcom will lend valuable insight to the television viewers and allow them to see that even their cute alcoholic prime-time role-models should have problems too Problems that are conveniently never mentioned in the scripts or brought into a realistic perspective by the writers.
The above problem will be discussed mostly in the following format A brief description of the actual character should suffice to lend familiarity to the reader who knows little about Cheers. Examples of that characters behavior will be included with episode identification to show instances where the character exhibits those particular traits. After that there will a section explaining what problems and basic personality changes the character's alcoholism would cause him/her in the real would, and taking that into account the previously discussed examples of behavior and how the real-world problems caused by an addiction to alcohol would cause them to react differently.
Cheap Custom Essays on Alcoholism in Cheers
Heather L. Hundley wrote a critique concerning The Naturalization of Beer in Cheers. She discussed Cheers role in causing beer drinking to be considered a normal part of the day. Instances were cited where beer was treated as casually, if not more so, than water in this sitcom. She went a long way towards proving that a flippant attitude towards beer was the cause of the problem that will be discussed here. It will soon be seen that a casual attitude towards alcoholism in the entire show is the problem itself.
The show ran for eleven award-winning years and broke more than one record. It is set in a Boston bar named Cheers whose exterior is the Bull Finch, a real life Boston bar. The series began with five regular characters in the first season and ending with seven regulars in the last season. Only three of the characters made it thought the entire run of the series which makes a total of ten regulars in Cheers. Almost all of them can be viewed as having an addiction to alcohol for one reason or another. They may not always be seen with a drink on screen, but the complications arising from their problems are easy to find.
Nicholas Colasanto played 'Coach' Ernie Pantuso for Cheers first three seasons. He was a kindly old man who ran a tidy bar but was awful at giving advice. Coach always has a smile on his face, and is rather oblivious to all the problems going on around him while still managing to be a convincing father figure. He used to coach Sam when he was playing baseball, but is now happy to take orders from him. He isn't senile, but has a very childlike approach to most problems. He is too shy to confront his daughter about her sleazy fianc (October 8, 18) and needs an inspiring pep talk from the others to get the courage. In And Coachie Makes Three (January 1, 184) he doesn't let Sam and Diane have any time alone so they try, unsuccessfully, to set him up with a girl.
The character of Coach appeals to older men, mostly those who are retired, by being well liked and capable in a job. In the real world he would probably be bitter because Sam is now his boss. The series never deals with anything concerning the coach's drinking. He is seen with drinks, but no mention is ever made of the obvious damage that it is doing his liver and kidneys.
If he was a true to form ex-baseball manager his drunk side would have more dominance over his personality. In the Coach's Daughter (October 8, 18) he wouldn't have needed a pep talk to confront the fianc, he would have hopped over the bar and punched him the moment that his daughter was insulted. During the January 1, 184 episode he would have been spending too much time with Sam and Diane for a different reason, be it inability to cope with the world or being to drunk to function, and would have been much more angry when he found out that they were trying to get him off if their backs.
Woody, played by Woody Harrelson, was the character with childlike innocence who replaced coach. A naive farmboy, Woody was unaware of all the complexities of life in the city including female roommates and the home shopping channel. He wasn't an alcoholic, but had problems with alcohol. In one episode he was staggering around drunkenly after a few woman problems when Norm began a conversation
Norm Geesh Woody, how many have you had?
Woody Four I guess.
Norm Wow, four beers and you're this drunk?
Woody No, four sips.
Woody appeals to all the viewers are either children or aren't heavy drinkers. His exploits teach the lesson that it's perfectly acceptable to have a low tolerance for alcohol as long as one occasionally overindulges. This encourages binge drinking and drinking to ease depression. Both of these are signs of alcoholism. Woody exhibits them both.
Kelsey Grammer is the character of Dr. Frasier w. Crane, a psychiatrist who was in the bar a great deal between the fifth and last seasons. He drinks to numb his feelings about his job, and sometimes out of depression. Both in the fourth season and when his wife leaves him he drinks himself into a liquor induced stupor (November 5, 1). His actions and dialogue are funny and those in the bar feel bad for him, but still chuckle along with the laugh track. His drinking is both constant and full of binges. His alcoholism causes him to do rash and unpredictable things such as live in a monastery to find renewal(September 6, 185) but in the very next episode he becomes a janitor so he can pay off his bar tab (October , 185). In later season he marries a frigid woman, the only one that he can get, Lilith. She is cold, deadpan, and emotionless. They have a child, but Frasier feels that they aren't spending enough time with the baby and decides to do something about it (November 1, 10).
Frasier is an intellectual giant compared to everyone in Cheers save Diane and occasionally Cliff. Dr. Crane knows this, but never flaunts it. If he were to actually get drunk and start talking he would say very hurtful things to the others in the bar. He has a lot of pent up anger, anger which he takes out by being rash and unpredictable, anger that would come out in conversation in given the chance. He marries the only woman that he can find who is his mental equal ends up unhappy about the situation although he never confronts her. He promises to spend more time with his child, but only a few episodes later (April 1, 11) Sam is babysitting for Frasier. The character appeals to rational people who would love to show their wild side after a few drinks. He encourages alcoholism as an escape from what is bothering a person, and as an excuse to make rash and foolish decisions.
Sam Malone, the only one without a drinking problem. It is common knowledge that the character, played by Ted Danson, was an alcoholic before the series was began, but has gone clean. He is always seen drinking club soda or water. He had a relapse in Rebound (September 7, 184) and Coach has to get Diane to help get him out of his slump. He makes up for his addiction with women and fast cars.
Sam appeals to all men, but does not encourage alcoholism. He encourages large egos, debauchery, meaningless sex, and lies. With all of the troubles that befell him during the eleven years that the show ran he should have had many more than just one relapse into drinking.
Carla, Cheers only cocktail waitress, was a cranky little woman with more problems, children, and ex-husbands than anyone could count. Carla was nothing short of uncontrollable, going so far as to endanger the bar's license when she attacked an obnoxious sports fan(October 14, 18) She repeatedly became pregnant through the series and was often unsure who the father was. Rhea Pearlman played the character whose full name is Carla Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec. Carla became increasingly sexually active after the death of Eddie, her hockey playing husband. When her son tells her of his intention to become a priest she throws a fit, calling him 'stupid and irresponsible' (January 16, 1) She is somewhat delusional and superstitious at times, claiming to have seen Eddie's ghost in Cheers (April 1, 10) and believing that the foosball table is haunted (January 10, 11). She also has a psychic advisor (October , 11) and believes that a house that she moved into was haunted when it was only near to a air field (October 0, 186). She encouraged promiscuity in her children and engaged in this conversation with her seventeen year old daughter
Daughter Mom, I'm getting married
Carla Congratulations, you know who the father is!
The character of Carla appeals to single, angry, mothers everywhere. She gives the impression that she can work as a barmaid and still support ten children. She is a bad role model for women because of her smart mouth and unrestrained wild side. This is a dangerous impression to give because, although she rarely seen drinking, it is inferred when she loses all of her inhibitions after her husband's death. If she were a real person she wouldn't care at all about her children, and would go after much less high-quality men. She would sit at home in her trailer park, watch talk shows, and call the psychic hotline.
Rebecca Howe is an overeager business woman saddled with the job of running cheers from seasons six through ten, and although she no longer runs the bar in season eleven she is still a main character. Played by Kirstie Alley the character is rife with neurosis and compulsive behaviors. During seasons six and seven she obsesses over her boss, Evan Drake, and goes to great and illegal lengths to try to woo him. She is later wooed by Robin Colcord who gives her a desk with a hidden ring surprise. In a fit Rebecca demolishes the desk looking for an engagement ring. The ring that she was looking for was left by Earnest Hemingway's teacup on the stained wood. She is left with little more than firewood. She is unable to decide between Robin and Sam, and it drives her to the edge of sanity. While smoking irresponsibly she burns down Cheers and blames it on faulty wiring (September 4, 1). That episode is like another previous one where she breaks a vase at a company party and convinces Woody to take the blame for it (January 7, 18). She also calls on Woody and Sam to help her find her boss's lost dog (January 1, 18) and cannot believe it when she calls off her wedding to Robin and secretly has trouble accepting that she did it at all(February 7, 11).
Rebecca is rarely seen with a drink in her hand but almost always acts drunk. She is frazzled, hurried, and often confused about what is going on around her. Any normal human being would blunt the stress that she feels with something stronger than the cigarettes that the audience knows she is addicted to. She appeals to woman who have or aspire to a position of power. Her character shows them that it is acceptable to be a lunatic and a raving alcoholic just as long as one maintains control of one's surroundings. Unfortunately, not even a fictional sitcom heroine can accomplish this. Her foolish decisions and rushed conclusions are just as erratic and damaging as any normal drunkard's would be in her place. She has constant problems accepting responsibility for any of her actions and is an emotional hazard to herself and all of those around her.
Cliff Clavin is a man possessed-by his own ego. John Ratzenberger plays the character as though he is always right about everything. In Cliff's mind he is always right, and he'll go to any length to prove it. He views himself as nothing less than an omniscient postal worker. His attitude has only gotten him into a fight with another patron once, although the incident wasn't blamed on beer (January 6, 1884). He is also very shy and self-conscious at times, being unable to speak to women. He almost threw everything away when his ex-postal-worker-lover came back from Canada, but a hummed rendition of America the Beautiful' from the other patrons kept him from leaving (October 1, 18). He still lives with his mother and the first naked woman that he saw blinded him (Also October 1, 18). He, like Carla, is occasionally delusional and believed, beyond refute, the Hitler was living in his apartment complex (December , 1). In order to win a beard growing contest among the men of Cheers Cliff used epoxy glue and fake hair. He was so desperate to be the winner that he was unable to remove the fake beard once the contest was over (November , 18). The most defining moment in Cliff's unsuccessful quest to satisfy his own ego is in episode 18. What is…Cliff Clavin?. Cliff goes on Jeopardy, and to the amazement of his friends is winning with such a high score that as long as bets nothing in final Jeopardy it is mathematically impossible for him to lose. In an act of supreme self-confidence he bets all $0000 dollars on the last question. Alex Trebec asks a question concerning the similarities of three historical figures. Cliff, not knowing the answer says Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen? and insists that his answer is correct. He sacrificed all that he had gained to try to appease his bloated ego.
He is a proud man with a lot of smarts with sever emotional problems and a poor job. These cause him to drink away the parts of the day when he is not obsessing over his duties as a postal worker. If he lived in our world it would fit very well that he still lived with his mother, and had never seen a naked woman. He would drink to overcome his shyness, and in doing do would cause many more than the single fight attributed to him. When inebriated he knows beyond all reasonable, and unreasonable, doubt that he is correct. These damaging thoughts carry over to the times when he is not drunk, but is surrounded by friends. He is a sick man and needs help, not beer. His character appeals to all the nerds in the viewing audience. He beckons them to sit down and have a beer to gain confidence, eloquence, and sexuality just like he does.
Norm Peterson, played by George Wendt, is the most famous character on Cheers. He is greeted with people shouting his name whenever he enters the bar, and is well known for his witty one-liners and astronomical bar tab. He is a normal guy with an unloving wife whom the other patrons convince him to leave for his own good late in the series run. He is susceptible to peer pressure as shown when he is convinced to pursue a woman that the other patron believe is attracted to him (February , 184). Like most men, he changes jobs on more than one occasion. He begins the series as a CPA, becomes a house painter, and eventually gets his dream job as a beer taster. He is large man with a large appetite for beer. He admits that he never stops drinking although it seems to have no discernable effect on him, no matter how much he drinks. To work off some of his bar tab, its exact value is never mentioned, he paints Rebecca's office and Evan Drake's bedroom (November 5, 187 & February 18, 188). Not long thereafter he gets a job as an interior decorator because some of Frasier's wealthy friends think that he is gay. He hides the jobs from his friends and his true sexual orientation from his clients for a short while, but must eventually come clean. All he wants out of life is to sit down and have a few beers. Everything else is trivial to him. He is renowned for 'Normism' which are witty beer-affiliated comments
Sam How's a beer sound Norm?
Norm I don't know, I usually finish them before they get a word in.
Norm is not a wild and crazy character, that is what makes him such a damaging part of Cheers. He is the Everyman. Nothing that happens to him couldn't happen to any normal guy in the real world. He is a normal human being who is an alcoholic and has a little bit of bad luck. Everyone in the television audience can relate to and identify with Norm Peterson. Norm would have problems with his finances and his health His liver and kidneys would have failed long ago, or he would have succumbed to beer-induced obesity, but this wouldn't stop people from wanting to live his carefree life. He tempt people to embrace the lazy aspect of alcoholism, the aspect that he shows so well, but that would leave no man in as good of a mood as Norm is always in.
The television sitcom Cheers is a danger to those who watch it. There are 75 episodes that ran for eleven years, and now it is doing well in syndication. Cheers depicts abnormal alcoholics behaving in normal and socially acceptable ways which are totally unrealistic. All of the characters are geared towards a certain type of viewer which they can easily influence with their unrealistic portrayals of alcoholism. All of these factors together make Cheers a very influential show. Exposing the characters for how any real human with their characteristics would act is a step is curbing the influence that this show has.
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