By now I'm sure that you've all heard about the latest Chris Brown fiasco: He goes on Good Morning America to promote his new album, gets questioned about his history with Rihanna, is unsuccessful in his attempts to change the topic, goes backstage and flips completely out--screaming, hopping in the face of a segment producer, and smashing the window in his dressing room with a chair. *sarcastic applause* Way to go Chris....way to go.
I'm sure this topic is one that you've heard about over and over in the past two days. And honestly, knowing our society, it might linger around for a bit longer. But I'm not here to rehash the incident. I'm actually not even here to condemn Chris or discuss his obvious problems(okay, maybe a some of the latter).
Here is what I am here to discuss: I need to understand the thought process the average person goes through when they hear about the latest celebrity scandal. Since news of Chris Brown broke, I've literally stared at my computer screen with my mouth wide open in shock at what grown people consider "logic." The reactions generally fall into 3 basic categories:
Excuse: "Robin Roberts baited him!" "Why can't they just let Chris live?!" "The situation with Rihanna was so long ago. Why can't they just move on?"
Denial: "We don't know what's going on in his head so we can't judge"
Misplaced Blame: "Why does the media praise Charlie Sheen and criticize Chris Brown?"
Let's tackle these one-by-one. For the
Excuse people, the first issue is that A)You're making excuses and B)You're making excuses for a
grown man. Nobody is trying to
prevent Brown from living. If anything, saying "Hey! You have serious anger issues and need to get real help", is a sign that some people want him to live and be the best person possible. Furthermore, how can an adult get "baited?" He knows it happened. He can prefer to not answer questions about it(which I understand completely) but he should know how to properly handle it if/when it comes up.
Handling it properly does
not include having a public hissy fit.
Denial people--really???( I promise I'm not making this stuff up--someone actually said it!!) If I'm given facts I can compile those to make a logical/reasonable conclusion. I shouldn't have to also be a mind reader. If that was the case then news reporters&analysts would be out of jobs.
Misplaced Blame-- *sigh* This is a really popular one the irks me to my very core. So we want to compare Chris Brown to Charlie Sheen? And we really think this is logical???? Okay. Here is the biggest flaw with that: They BOTH have done things that are wrong and they BOTH need to step away from the limelight and get help. That line of "reasoning" sounds like a child trying to get their parent to let them do something because their friend can. And what do most parents say to that? "I don't care what your friends do--I care about YOU and what goes on in MY house." Same thing here. Nothing about Sheen's situation will help Brown out so why drag him into it?
Furthermore, how can you ignore the glaring difference between the two--Charlie Sheen comes from a family of Hollywood heavy hitters. The chances of his name
not carrying him above and beyond all his drama is slim to none. Sad to say, Chris Brown is small potatoes by comparison. His fan base could barely carry him to the corner store.
Here is the bottom line: I don't care what Robin Roberts asked him. I don't care if he never wants to speak on Rihanna again. I don't even care if she insulted him in 6 different languages. He is an
adult and should act as such. If any of us went Hulk and started destroying stuff just because we were annoyed or mad, there would be consequences. No excuses--consequences. No coddling--CONSEQUENCES!!
It isn't a matter of "hating" or "keeping him down." Look at the signs--his history of witnessing abuse, his acts of abuse, lashing out in anger, using Twitter to vent(only to have to go back and delete tweets), even the increased bravado in his music all indicate someone who is troubled and trying desperately to cover it up. Yet so many people seem dead set on protecting, defending, and excusing Brown at every turn.
But...why? No seriously. I want to understand why some people are inclined to do
everything under the sun but advocate for his mental and emotional well-being? I look at Chris Brown and see a man who could easily be my brother or cousin. So I think--what would I want for my family in such a situation? I believe I'd want to help them stop a downward spiral and get them the help they needed. I would want to remove any enablers/yes-men because they'd never tackle the issue head on. A lot of the comments I've seen are completely ignoring the very real and obvious indications of anger issues and that concerns me. Try stripping away his celebrity. Don't think about him as an artist whose music you love. Just think about him as a man--someone in your own family, the guy you see everyday at work. Does that change the outlook any?
We are a celebrity focused society. We admire them for the entertainment they provide. We become fascinated with their every move. But when it comes to critical matters that impact their well-being as a
person, it is difficult for many to change their outlook and be supportive. I pray this can change soon.
The floor is open.....any comments? Agree/disagree? Let a sista know!
