Two and A Half Men

If you want to see a sitcom presentation of master morality versus slave morality, this show--Two and a half men does a pretty good job portraying them.

Charlie, the older brother, represents master morality. He's self-centered, self-confident, hedonistic (living for the moment and successfully enjoying the sensory pleasures of life: wealth, women, alcohol, drugs, etc.), and artistic (he's a song-writer). He has a relaxed demeanor and his humor is triumphant (coming from a top-down position). Life comes easy for him.

Alan, the younger brother, represents slave morality. He's self-denying, insecure, struggling to make life "work" for him (he has difficulty attracting money and women, and he's very health conscious), and healing/maintenance oriented (he's a chiropractor). He has a nervous demeanor and his humor is vengeful (coming from a bottom-out position). He sees life as a chore.

Whereas Alan often obsesses to the point of neuroticism over the "moral implications" of his actions, Charlie has a more devil-may-care attitude. Charlie will hurt others for his own benefit or amusement, but he does so in an almost innocent, child-like manner. He doesn't hurt others (or take pleasure in their pain) because he hates them, but because he loves himself. Alan, on the other hand, can be very vengeful. He will hurt his brother (or at least take pleasure in his brother's misfortune) while feeling morally justified—seeing it as a sort of punishment and getting-even for the fact that his brother enjoys life so easily while he works so hard and suffers.

Alan's biggest issue with his brother is that Charlie doesn't acknowledge his contribution to the household. Charlie's biggest issue with his brother is that Alan mooches off of his success. They both love each other, but Charlie fluctuates between seeing Alan as a nuisance and pitying him, while Alan views Charlie with a mixture of jealousy/resentment and admiration.

The lesson Charlie seeks to learn is one of how to love other people and gain stability in his life. The lesson Alan seeks to learn is how to love himself and gain prosperity.

Two and a half men 1-5 dvd box set
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