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It’s sort of old news, but worth repeating for the sake of exploring the topic of violence against women.
Chris Brown, who was moderately famous until he shot into the stratosphere by beating up his girlfriend in public, continued his classy ways in a recent interview he gave with “Good Morning America.” After questions (which he had already approved) were asked about the incident involving Rihanna, Brown reportedly went wild backstage, breaking windows and storming out into the street shirtless.
Here’s my question: why was he on “Good Morning America” in the first place? Why are we promoting this guy to the national limelight? And more importantly, when did violence against women stop being a big deal?
It’s not to give him the opportunity to redeem himself. After the incident, Brown shed tears and said he was sorry, but he seemed more sorry that he was caught. It then instantly turned to anger, with him going on tirades in interviews, online, and in his music, being overly defensive and showing that he wasn’t interested in addressing whatever issues led him to do something so terrible, let alone express remorse for it.
You can’t even argue that the quality of his art surpasses concerns over his character. Brown came onto the scene in 2005 with instantly forgettable bubblegum R&B. Subsequent releases haven’t shown much improvement, and in terms of tone and attitude actually show a decreasing level of maturity. To call him an “artist” is a stretch. He’s the creation of lazy record executives; an endangered species from a dying era where the music industry had every step of the music process mechanized and streamlined.
Yet he continues to receive not only attention, but validation from the press in the way of interviews and extended television segments.
Like Charlie Sheen, Brown won’t let his demons take a back seat. Rather, he puts them in the drivers seat and lets it drive head-long into the front door of mainstream media. Most normal people would be too ashamed or remorseful, particularly after being caught, to act in the manner both do.
Yet there they are, defiant, and we give them a pass because their antics are amusing, despite the fact that both have a horrible track record when it comes to not beating, threatening, and otherwise terrorizing women.
I’m horrified at not only the continued exposure they receive, but the manner in which we embrace their dysfunction as a form of passive entertainment. Perhaps the worst part is that the more coverage the get, the more their abhorrent violence against women takes a back seat, trivializing the transgressions in favor of a continued glance through their cracked fishbowl.
In short, there is no more outrage or disgust. Violence against women is okay, so long as we’re still entertained.
Chris Brown and Charlie Sheen are still vile human beings, and there’s nothing funny about what either does to their victims. Save your cheers for someone who will pick on someone their own size (and gender).
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12 Responses to Chris Brown, Charlie Sheen, and how violence against women became an okay thing
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STALK ME
Kevin:
It’s time to come back to Earth.
I understand, I really do. I like to hang out in Kevin Marshall Land too… It’s nice…a place where the suffering of another human being ranks higher than one’s own entertainment…a world where people acting crazy are treated as flawed and odd rather than humorous and quirky…a land where being a disgusting human being negatively impacts once’s ability to interact with society…Sure, who wouldn’t want to live there? But, I’m here to tell you, it’s a fantasy.
In the real world, it is difficult to quantify, understand and/or empathize with human suffering when it is not right in your face and view. In the real world, criminal transgressions are only really punished on those without fame and means. In the real world, my inconvenience is a paramount concern and ranks most of those experiences NOT involving me, be they death, dismemberment, genocide or sheer horror. The real world is a sh*tty, sh*tty place and does a really inadequate job of pretending otherwise.
It’s time to come back to the real world, Kevin.
Thank You!
Kevin,
Couldn’t agree more. I am baffled that the press and public are giving Chris Brown this type of respect and validation. And yes, asking him for an interview is a form of validation. I’m also shocked that Brown and his agents would even consider entering back into the public eye, producing a record and promoting it to the extent they have. Instead, he should show a sense of shame and consider his career over.
Instead, I hear his record is flying off the itune shelves
Baffled.
I’m afraid that what GenWar said is correct, and this is just the kind of actions we can expect from everyone from now on.
Its only a fantasy because there are people out there who think that it is. In reality, people could treat one another with respect, compassion and kindness… good could prevail over evil… the world could be a wonderful place – if more people believed in the ‘could’ part and were willing to act according to that belief.
True story –
At the laundromat, I walked in with 5 large bags of laundry – three kids will do that. I plopped them down, exhausted and proceeded to load the washing machines. I let them spin and another gentleman in the laundromat proceeded to comment on the weather and we engaged in similar vague/generic conversations about kids, climate and news headlines. I left the laundromat to run more errands when I loaded the clothes in the dryer – certainly NOT looking forward to coming back to unload and fold all of it. (Disposable/biodegradable clothing would be so awesome in my world). However, when I came back, the gentleman in the laundromat was there still and had unloaded all of my dryers into my bags for me – except for one – my ‘unmentionables’ – he just motioned towards it and said, “I didn’t touch that one”. He didn’t fold anything – he just said, “You looked like you could’ve used a hand” and then he proceeded to help me load my bags into the car.
I got home and recanted the tale to my sister who proceeded to go off on a huge rant about how much nerve this obviously disturbed person had touching my clothes. She went on and on about how he was probably a serial rapist who hung out at laundromats sniffing women’s undies and waiting for his victims in the parking lot. She even admonished me for not “tearing the sicko a new a-hole”.
Granted… at first, a part of me thought, WTF?!? I thought, wow, if you think you’re getting in my pants, aside from unloading them from the dryer buddy, you are seriously mistaken.
But then I realized, I have grown so cynical and so pessimistic of society that I can barely recognize a simple, genuine good deed – a random act of kindness – when its right under my nose reeking of fabric softner. He wasn’t looking to get in my pants – he honestly just wanted to help me get them out of the dryer. Didn’t ask for my phone number, didn’t stare at me or “look me up and down” or make innapropriate comments. None of that.
Point is – there are people out there who treat others (men and women alike) with kindness, respect and compassion. But they don’t exist if we don’t let ourselves believe that they do.
Great post. Take a look at this NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/opinion/04holmes.html?ref=women
AGREE 100% on this article…why this ugly – no talent idiot is given any airtime is just a joke. But then again…watching GMA invite this useless member of society back into their studio is just has baffling.
No man should ever raise his hand to a woman, but the same goes for the other gender as well, which a lot of people fail to mention. I’ve witnessed and experienced domestic violence coming from the hands of women countless amounts of times, which was completly unprovoked by the man/men in the situation. Kevin I totally agree that these two sorry excuses of human beings should be excommunicated from the human race, but a lot of things don’t add up here and to try to understand their stories is even crazier. Domestic violence is disgraceful, end of story, but it should imply to both genders, not just to men!
This is no new thing….you think The Rat Pack never hit their chicks?Ok, maybe Sammy didn’t….and Bing beat his kids…but at least they could sing.
Now people want to call Charlie Sheen a Misogynist? Are these the same people that watched two and 1/2 men? So I guess we endorse misogyny on some levels? Now he’s a bit manic, grandiouse, flight of ideas… but captivating. He kind of paints himself like the middle aged “Holden Caulfield” and who cares if he’ll just keep ranting. Hoping for an unremarkable ending. Watch “Show Biz Kids” by Steely Dan on You tube, pretty much sums up a lot of it.
M.L. – He has a documented history of violence against women. Got arrested for it (again) just a few months ago. He’s not labeled a misogynist, he’s known to get violent against women and literally has the record to show it.
I think these things occur all the time, until our level of awareness forces the issue. If Chris Brown hits someone and there aren’t pictures to show of it, and he isn’t arrested, and the victim isn’t likewise famous, did it really happen? It’s not right but violence, including rape, against women is provably underreported.
He’s ba-ack ??? Sheen in talks re: 2 1/2 Men…