"Those years on the golf course as a caddie, boy, those people were something. They were vulgar, some were alcoholics, racist, they were very difficult people to deal with. A lot of them didn't have a sense of humor"
About this Quote
Sheen is doing something sneakier than name-dropping a gritty origin story: he’s puncturing the fantasy that wealth arrives with refinement. The golf course is supposed to be America’s soft-focus backdrop for success - green lawns, quiet money, polite applause. His caddie years flip that postcard over and show the grime underneath: “vulgar,” “alcoholics,” “racist,” “difficult.” It’s a blunt inventory of moral rot, delivered with the kind of weary specificity that suggests he’s not interested in being liked by the people he’s describing.
The key tell is the last line: “A lot of them didn’t have a sense of humor.” On the surface it’s almost comic, the mildest insult after the harshest allegations. In subtext, it’s a diagnosis. Humor requires self-distance; it’s an admission of fallibility. By saying they lacked it, Sheen frames these patrons as people insulated by privilege, unable to tolerate being punctured, unable to imagine themselves from the outside. The racism and the drinking aren’t just vices; they’re symptoms of a social world that never has to reflect.
Context matters here: Sheen’s public identity is braided with liberal conscience and working-class roots, but also with Hollywood’s long dance with elite spaces. This memory functions like a credibility stamp. He’s not theorizing about class; he carried the bags. The intent isn’t to scandalize golf dads - it’s to remind you that “respectable” is often just expensive.
The key tell is the last line: “A lot of them didn’t have a sense of humor.” On the surface it’s almost comic, the mildest insult after the harshest allegations. In subtext, it’s a diagnosis. Humor requires self-distance; it’s an admission of fallibility. By saying they lacked it, Sheen frames these patrons as people insulated by privilege, unable to tolerate being punctured, unable to imagine themselves from the outside. The racism and the drinking aren’t just vices; they’re symptoms of a social world that never has to reflect.
Context matters here: Sheen’s public identity is braided with liberal conscience and working-class roots, but also with Hollywood’s long dance with elite spaces. This memory functions like a credibility stamp. He’s not theorizing about class; he carried the bags. The intent isn’t to scandalize golf dads - it’s to remind you that “respectable” is often just expensive.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work |
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