27/11/2012
Some things can never really be lived down and Chris Brown is slowly learning that beating up your girlfriend is one of them. In recent weeks the promotional tour for his album Fortune has landed him not so much in the spotlight, but in the cross hairs of a firing line.
Four years
ago the LA police they found a woman, bloody, bruised and beaten sitting in a car parked in the glamorous neighbourhood of Hancock, LA. It was Rihanna who identified her then 19-year
old boyfriend Chris Brown as her attacker. He was nowhere to be seen.
Although
later that night he handed himself in to police, in court he initially claimed
he was innocent of the charges of assault. It took him four months to take
responsibility for the attack and pled guilty.
Before his
Stockholm show pictures of Rihanna’a face taken by police after an assault were
plastered over the city. He cancelled a
show in Guyana because of protests over the attack. Irish rappers The Original Rudeboys turned
down the offer to support him at his Dublin’s O2 show this December 3.
Every stop
on his tour, he has been dogged by women’s groups protesting and there has been a
constant stream of digs at the rapper on Twitter. It is clear that despite the
fact Ri-Ri has forgiven him, as have many of his fans (Team Breezy) there is a
large and vocal section of society that does not. But then, he has given them no good reason to.
The first
step towards forgiveness is contrition, and Chris Brown can’t be accused of
displaying much humility following the attack. Initially denying it but later
accepting a plea deal that incurs a lesser sentence than a guilty verdict in a
trail doesn’t indicate heartfelt sorrow. His YouTube apology, that came too
long after the assault appears scripted, robotic and insincere. He has made some efforts, meeting the children who have been effected by domestic violence. For many this isn’t
enough.
Since the incident he reacts testily to those who pick at his healing wounds. He
periodically lashes out those who criticise him over the attack. He deleted his
Twitter account for the second time after bombarding one of these critics,
comedy writer Jenny Johnson, with abuse. The first time it was after lambasting
family friendly retailers who refused to carry his album Graffiti in response
to the assault.
He has also been
provokingly smug about the whole episode. He scoffed at complaints when he got the best
album for Fortune - “Hate all you want coz I got a Grammy Now! That's the ultimate F*** OFF” he
tweeted, as if the accolade somehow a vindicated him.
In terms of
his career and social standing it doesn’t appear he has had to face many of the
repercussions that most would were they so publically exposed as the
perpetrator of a violent assault. He has recovered remarkably quickly from this
damning episode. While Brown may be truly ashamed of his actions, it’s
difficult to see this as he self-promotes and goes from strength to strength.
At first the wave criticisms following Brown’s
arrest looked like they might kill his career and exile him to Hollywood Hall
of Infamy. But with the exception of a rocky start to the release of singles
from 2009’s Graffiti, it has been all uphill.
By September
that year, nine months after assaulting Rihanna, his album was climbing up the
US top ten list. His follow up multi-award-winning F.A.M.E and this year’s
Fortune both peaking at No 1; He has been busy collaborating with major artists
since the attack including former lover punch-bag Rihanna who appears to have unreservedly
forgiven him; He counts Nicole Scherzinger and Justin Beiber among his friends;
And currently worth an estimated $24 million.
Considering
his successes and his devoted Team Breezy behind him it is easy to understand
why he views those who take issue with him as little more than cracks. The 23-year
old thinks society hasn’t matured enough for him. "These
b****** crazy. Further proved my point of how immature society is. #CarpeDiem.
Catch me in traffic," was his farewell to followers before he signed out of Twitter for
the last time, again.
However, as he continues to self-promote and
without a display of real penance or humility, for many Brown can’t atone for
his crime. He simply hasn’t suffered enough, if at all, and will be subject to
all the torments and jibes that society heaps on recreants.
Even
the most innocuous of things he does will be jumped upon. “Serious tweet: I
THink SKATEBOARDING AND BREAKDANCING should be an Olympic sport,” he wrote. “Or
intergender boxing, you’d be in with a chance of a medal there mate” replied
comedian Frankie Boyle.
Ike Turner’s
recovery from his violent break-up with Tina took nearly 30 years. And in that
time he suffered greatly for his loss of reputation. For a long time he was considered
a violent erratic character, his career nose dived and his friends deserted him.
Whitney Huston’s partner Bobby Brown suffered a similar fate. Charlie Sheen
breakdown following accusation of domestic assault resulted in his sacking as
the star of hot TV show Two and a Half Men. Few recover as easily as Chris
Brown.
While the
pressure from society for men to not be abusive or domineering over women is a
good thing, how this is focused on an individual man is important and it does
not always going to lead to change. Forgiveness has
to be based on a real sense change has happened which is different to being
sorry. There must be a certain quality of remorse which is demonstrated through
behavioural changes.
For Mr Brown
it is a Catch 22. His family may see it, and Rihanna may see it, but society has
not yet seen a real change that they need to back-off so he can work on
altering his behaviour.
Back in 2009, Brown, in his public apology
professed to being determined to change and to become truly worthy of being a
role model. Last week’s tirade of misogynistic abuse toward Jackson indicates
that after four years he may not be all that that remorseful, because
in public he has not changed all that much. He still lashes-out, he still
abuses, verbally, and is demining to women. And so he has not yet earned
clemency.
By Niamh Kirk
By Niamh Kirk
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