[Bad Wolf]

Why People Can't Get Over His Violent Past (Opinion)
The problem isn't that Chris Brown hasn't apologized for assaulting Rihanna. It's that he didn't seem to learn anything from the experience.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter

It’s been three years since Chris Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna, and a public apology and five-year probation later, the R&B star is eager to move on. But the rest of the world isn’t necessarily as ready to forgive Brown as he is to be forgiven, judging by reactions from critics, who loudly registered their displeasure over his recent appearance at the 2012 Grammys via blog entries, essays and other social media.

But with so many of Brown’s fans defending him and suggesting it’s time to move on, questions remain about what if anything he could do to satisfy his detractors, or whether or not his career is redeemable at all, regardless of his efforts to make amends.

But there are two larger issues surrounding this act of violence that continue to divide his critics and champions, and make it virtually impossible for one side to see the other’s: Brown’s post-assault behavior, and the attitude an individual has about the forgivability of any violent transgression, especially one involving a man and a woman.

Many of Chris Brown’s detractors were never satisfied by his attempts to take responsibility for his behavior. As sincere as his two-minute apology might have been, for example, words mean little in comparison to the brutality immediately visible in the pictures released of Rihanna’s battered face.

And further, many felt that his acceptance of a plea deal that required him to perform community labor, five years' formal probation and domestic violence counseling, but did not officially label him “guilty” of his crime, let the performer off without truly forcing him to acknowledge the impact of his actions.

Nevertheless, Brown might have silenced his critics had his subsequent behavior reflected a newfound maturity, or even self-awareness. But since 2009, Brown has shown little public remorse over what he did, and he incorrectly assumed that the world would forgive or at least forget his crime as his career (and the rest of the world) moved forward.

Eight months after the incident, Brown appeared on Larry King Live and initially claimed not to remember what he did to Rihanna, but later recanted his claim in a public statement that contradicted that. "Of course I remember what happened,” he said. “Several times during the interview, my mother said that I came to her right afterwards and told her everything." Although he also added, "[that night] was and still is a blur."

The problem that people continue to have, however, is that his determination to move on doesn’t seem to match his determination to take responsibility for himself and correct his behavior.

In March of 2011, Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts interviewed the singer during his promotional campaign for the album F.A.M.E., and asked about the incident with Rihanna.

His reaction was to throw a violent temper tantrum, break a window and confront the show’s producer until others stepped in and separated the two of them. This sort of behavior wouldn’t be acceptable under any circumstances, but two years after an assault incident, for which he’s supposed to have taken domestic counseling, how is this behavior reflective of a person who has learned from past behavior and chosen to resolve situations in a constructive nonviolent way?

Meanwhile, Brown did himself no favors then either, tweeting "I'm so over people bringing this past s**t up!!! Yet we praise Charlie sheen and other celebs for there bulls**t." Within ten minutes, Brown removed the tweet from his feed and replaced it with something more positive, but his initial reaction was clearly the more honest and natural of the two.

All of which brings us to the Grammys. Grammy Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich did nothing to quell complaints of indifference to Brown’s offense by suggesting that the show was victimized by his public excoriation: talking to ABC News Radio, he said, “I think people deserve a second chance, you know. If you’ll note, he has not been on the Grammys for the past few years and it may have taken us a while to kind of get over the fact that we were the victim of what happened.”

That a multimillion dollar awards show was somehow a victim in a scenario in which a woman was physically assaulted is an offensive suggestion in and of itself, but the fact that Ehrlich’s subsequent comments highlight Brown’s growth without acknowledging his crime is patently irresponsible.

“What he’s done and what he’s done to reclaim his career and seemingly the kind of person that he has become makes him -- I don’t even want to use the word eligible -- but you know, it’s time,” he said.

Of course, there still remains contemporary culture’s problematic sense of culpability when it comes to gender roles, much less domestic abuse. America has a long and unflattering history of victimizing women -- subjugating them within families, places of employment, and society as a whole. And the divide over a very public fracas between two celebrities has only exposed that disparity with greater clarity: when anyone male or female suggests that a person (much less a female) was responsible in some way for their own abuse, it not only devalues the pain and suffering they endured, but highlights a collective lack of empathy for others.

While Rihanna emerged stronger and more successful from the incident, and publicly forgave Brown, that doesn’t invalidate the pain of the assault she suffered.

As public figures, both she and Brown must continue to highlight that this behavior is unacceptable, and that people must actually take responsibility for their behavior, not merely make a feeble, superficial mea culpa and assume that the world has, will or should have accepted it.

Following the Grammys, Brown tweeted another gloating statement, which he has since taken down, in which he suggested that the people who criticize him are little more than “haters” who want to decry his success. "HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY,” Brown said after his win for Best R&B Album. “Now! That's the ultimate **** OFF."

Unfortunately, it seems as if Brown still doesn’t understand why he is being and will for the foreseeable future raked over the coals by former fans, pundits and critics -- namely, because he did something terrible, and doesn’t seem particularly sorry for it.

Mind you, he seems plenty sorry that it happened, and he’s definitely sorry that he got in trouble for it.

Until he makes a sincere attempt to make up for actually doing what he did, however, people will continue to, indeed, hate him.

And the bottom line is that his behavior, while unforgivable, is not unredeemable. But in order to turn hate into love, Chris Brown has to show the world that he knows the difference between the two.

And there you have it.

[WithBreezy]

Ch...

[FX07]

Yep, it's about the lack of remorse and how he overreacts, like throwing a chair out of a window, anytime someone brings it up.

[pink.hearts]

omg, enough with the damn cb posts.

[Bad Wolf]

Originally posted by WithBreezy

Ch...

Originally posted by pink.hearts

omg, enough with the damn cb posts.

But did you read the actual points made in the post above?

I'm not sure you did, because you've made it clear you have nothing to say about them.

[medosuxx]

“Brown was driving a vehicle with Robyn F. as the front passenger on an unknown street in Los Angeles. Robyn F. picked up Brown’s cellular phone and observed a three-page text message from a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with.
“A verbal argument ensued and Brown pulled the vehicle over on an unknown street, reached over Robyn F. with his right hand, opened the car door and attempted to force her out. Brown was unable to force Robyn F. out of the vehicle because she was wearing a seat belt. When he could not force her to exit, he took his right hand and shoved her head against he passenger window of the vehicle, causing an approximate one-inch raised circular contusion.
“Robyn F. turned to face Brown and he punched her in the left eye with his right hand. He then drove away in the vehicle and continued to punch her in the face with his right hand while steering the vehicle with his left hand. The assault caused Robyn F.’s mouth to fill with blood and blood to splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle.
“Brown looked at Robyn F. and stated, ‘I’m going to beat the sh– out of you when we get home! You wait and see!’
” The detective said “Robyn F.” then used her cell phone to call her personal assistant Jennifer Rosales, who did not answer.
“Robyn F. pretended to talk to her and stated, ‘I’m on my way home. Make sure the police are there when I get there.’ After Robyn F. faked the call, Brown looked at her and stated, ‘You just did the stupidest thing ever! Now I’m really going to kill you!’
“Brown resumed punching Robyn F. and she interlocked her fingers behind her head and brought her elbows forward to protect her face. She then bent over at the waist, placing her elbows and face near her lap in [an] attempt to protect her face and head from the barrage of punches being levied upon her by Brown.
“Brown continued to punch Robyn F. on her left arm and hand, causing her to suffer a contusion on her left triceps (sic) that was approximately two inches in diameter and numerous contusions on her left hand.
“Robyn F. then attempted to send a text message to her other personal assistant, Melissa Ford. Brown snatched the cellular telephone out of her hand and threw it out of the window onto an unknown street.
“Brown continued driving and Robyn F. observed his cellular telephone sitting in his lap. She picked up the cellular telephone with her left hand and before she could make a call he placed her in a head lock with his right hand and continued to drive the vehicle with his left hand.
“Brown pulled Robyn F. close to him and bit her on her left ear. She was able to feel the vehicle swerving from right to left as Brown sped away. He stopped the vehicle in front of 333 North June Street and Robyn F. turned off the car, removed the key from the ignition and sat on it.
“Brown did not know what she did with the key and began punching her in the face and arms. He then placed her in a head lock positioning the front of her throat between his bicep and forearm. Brown began applying pressure to Robyn F.’s left and right carotid arteries, causing her to be unable to breathe and she began to lose consciousness.
“She reached up with her left hand and began attempting to gouge his eyes in an attempt to free herself. Brown bit her left ring and middle fingers and then released her. While Brown continued to punch her, she turned around and placed her back against the passenger door. She brought her knees to her chest, placed her feet against Brown’s body and began pushing him away. Brown continued to punch her on the legs and feet, causing several contusions.
“Robyn F. began screaming for help and Brown exited the vehicle and walked away. A resident in the neighborhood heard Robyn F.’s plea for help and called 911, causing a police response. An investigation was conducted and Robyn F. was issued a Domestic Violence Emergency Protective Order.”

[S&M]

This article is EVERYTHING. *bookmarks:

[Watch'N'Learn]

I agree with everything. Especially that twitter drama yesterday. It showed no growth.

[Ace Reject]

Originally posted by medosuxx

I think that's all that needs to be said/posted.

[ChrisRTW]

Originally posted by FX07

Yep, it's about the lack of remorse and how he overreacts, like throwing a chair out of a window, anytime someone brings it up.

Oh shut up,you act like he has thrown a chair out of a window every time that situation is brought up.He knowledge the fact that it was wrong and apologize for it,isn't that the part of growing as a person admitting your faults and working at them!?.

[pink.hearts]

Originally posted by J0rdan

But did you read the actual points made in the post above?

I'm not sure you did, because you've made it clear you have nothing to say about them.

i don't need to read the points made in the post above to know that I'm tired of seeing the same people on this board say the same **** but with different articles

[IREPMINAJ]

i got to admit he come off immature and irrational many time but netherless hes still talented and trying to grow from it

[Callisto.]

OMG let that **** go. Get over it shut the **** up God damn. It's like hitting a ****ing dead horse over the head. We get it you hate him. Damn

[Bad Wolf]

Originally posted by iBeyoncé.

OMG let that **** go. Get over it shut the **** up God damn. It's like hitting a ****ing dead horse over the head. We get it you hate him. Damn

This is a response thread to the couple that were made before.

This makes VARIOUS great points as to why people still deal with the issues in the situation, none of which any Chris Brown fan who has entered this thread has been able to defend thus far.

[YeaBey4ever]

Originally posted by ChrisRTW

Oh shut up,you act like he has thrown a chair out of a window every time that situation is brought up.He knowledge the fact that it was wrong and apologize for it,isn't that the part of growing as a person admitting your faults and working at them!?.

!!!
Truthfully speaking...
He needs to learn to answer those questions properly, though. It's going to follow him for the rest of his life.
I am not one to condone his twitter rants either. I do think he could use more counseling and learn how to control his emotions.

But this "act" like he's sorry thing... Why should he "act" when he indeed IS?
He did his sentence... I don't see why people need him to die for this to be resolved...

[Stevencbe]

"Brown has shown little public remorse over what he did" - I don't understand what else he's supposed to do. The media justifies and glorifies rappers who sell drugs, who degrade females in their lyrics, who rise to the top on tales of gang fighting and gun wounds yet they're welcomed into public life.

Change the story. He's apologised, like him or don't it's up to you.

[Stephen]

I completely agree.

This article I posted earlier in SYG does a good job summarizing everything on a timeline: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/why-we-hate-chris-brown

His actions after the incident show that he has no remorse. He needs to seek further help, as it's clear there's something majorly wrong. He won't have a chance at having the most minuscule respect from the public if he doesn't stop these episodes.

[Bad Wolf]

Originally posted by Stevencbe

"Brown has shown little public remorse over what he did" - I don't understand what else he's supposed to do. The media justifies and glorifies rappers who sell drugs, who degrade females in their lyrics, who rise to the top on tales of gang fighting and gun wounds yet they're welcomed into public life.

Change the story. He's apologised, like him or don't it's up to you.

Selling drugs =/= beating a woman.

Degrading a woman =/= physically abusing a woman.

TALES of gang fighting =/= violently assaulting a female.

Of course, those are all terrible things, but they're not the same. Try again.

[manwhore]

the truth.

[Flanders]

I agree. His constant display of childish behaviour makes him look like a fool.