i REALLY doubt her manager and or agent wants her to do this, so if this is true, she is doing this on her own accord. she is willing to throw away her career to save chris'. that is just incredibly sad. riri, even if you have a low opinion of yourself which is glaring obvious, at least fake it. this man is willing to throw you underneath the bus to remain on top and you're still with him?
first off, hello ladies! i miss ya all, i was on vacation in tropical OHIO but im back to my boring, everyday life at home now!
second, this is disgusting. their audience is mostly young people (tweens & teenagers). what a dangerous message to send to them..."its okay to hit your girlfriend/boyfriend sometimes...when youre really mad! he made a mistake & were so in love & no one understands our relationship!" i made a decision not to listen to chris brown ever again, and i think ill do the same to rihanna.
What could have become a powerful reminder to American's that women are still abused, and a powerful message to women who are abused that you're not alone and there are things that can be done to stop the abuse, is instead going to turn into tabloid fodder. "Chris beats Rihanna again". "Rihanna is wearing dark glasses. Could she and Chris have been at it again?" "Rihanna's bruises: where did they come from?"
The trivialization of domestic abuse. This makes me so sad.
@bea_arthur: Yes, exactly. This verbalizes precisely what about this added such an extra ick factor for me. Not that the story alone isn't enough to make me ill, and the glamorizing/romanticizing is even worse, but this is the last piece in the sad sick puzzle.
They will make up some hideous nickname for it ("hubby bumps," to go with "baby bumps?"), pictures with arrows pointing to possible bruises, but all next to ads for stars' diets and and more pics of Brangelina (or whatever new celebrity they've renamed.)
So we can tsk at it and turn the page.
Gah, I need a unicorn chaser. Or maybe just some whisky, no chaser.
Anyone hear the new story going around that she started it by hitting him because she was so angry about the 3 page text from another woman? Clearly a leak from his camp to try and make it seem less like he did something wrong.
@tinytm11: Interestingly enough, I am wondering if anyone else heard the story that she started it by hitting him with her HEELS. CB is from Virginia and I was listening to a Virginia hip hop/RB station the other night and heard this (they were saying how ridiculous it was and how it was no excuse luckily)- BUUUT, has anyone outside of Virginia heard this spin?
I have a question: Why do people keep talking about Jay-Z? Yes, he signed her to Def Jam and did a song with her, and he's a successful businessman who seems to be an upstanding citizen these days. But he also shot his own brother as a teenager, allegedly stabbed some other dude in the stomach in a club, and spent years selling drugs. Not that people can't change, but what makes anyone think that Jay-Z would get involved here? Has he spoken out against DV and I just don't know it? Or are people just hoping he'll step in because somebody should?
@Kivrin: He spoke out against what Chris Brown did and asked fans to "pretend that Rihanna is your sister or your mom; would you still be on Chris's side then?" Various tabloids have reported that he's "enraged" over the situation and planning to do something about it (although "planning to do something about it" seems to involve staging a meeting/intervention between Rihanna and Tina Turner or something, not breaking Chris Brown's legs).
I don't think that Jay-Z is a model of restraint or feminism or any of those things, and there are certain misogynistic and/or violent elements to his character still, but I think he's obviously changed quite a bit since the events that you're recounting.
@Kivrin: This sorta plays into the question I posed earlier. I mean, these are horrible things that JayZ did as a youngster. We don't boycott him now because of it though.
@nora charles: Oh, I think it's entirely possible that he has changed a lot -- I just wondered if people really had any reason (like the stories you referenced) to believe that he would get involved with this situation. I have purposely tried not to read all the details on this story, so I didn't realize that Jay had said anything about it yet. Thanks for the recap.
@Kivrin: It's kinda like messing with the sister a top mafia guy. The history he has combined with being very protective of her, involved in her career and even quoted as saying she's like a sister to him....those all make people think he would have it out for Brown. My older brother, dad, uncle, were all super protective of me and I know it would be hard for them to not want to come to my defense if something like that happened....I think it's like that.
@tinytm11: Yeah, my dad would straight-up shoot anyone who did this to me, but...he's my dad. I just didn't realize that Jay's relationship with Rihanna was all that close beyond him being the one who signed her record deal.
They already did that 'Cindarella Remix' of her "Umbrella" song a while back. I used to love that song, even though it was sickly sweet and smarmy. Now, I just can't enjoy hearing it, knowing all the background behind it.
We can't deny that they're both good artist. What happens if this is true and the song they put out is undeniably catchy and full of greatness??
We would hope that we would all be able to boycott it but it would every where simply because they did it and everyone would be curious...Not to mention all of the stations that stopped playing Chris Brown are all back to playing his songs again...
@devilchyld22: You know I think this brings up a really good point. I am sure the song will be hit worthy- they are both great artists and they will churn out a hit no doubt.
However, I am going to admit this...I don't plan on boycotting his music. Mostly because I am not the type of person who listens to music based on what the artist stands for. If I did that, I would probably have to stop listening to a lot of artists that I like. I would have to be outraged any time "thriller" came on or not enjoy every song that TI puts out. I don't agree with anything these artists have done. So that raises the issue: Is boycotting the only appropriate response?
@Zombies make the heart grow fonder: Boycotting is the only thing the public can do that will directly affect Chris Brown. None of us can actually kick him in the junk, but we can choose to not support him financially. Will that alone change his behavior? I highly doubt it. But the next time he beats the shit out of his girlfriend while driving home, I'll sleep a little better knowing I didn't help pay for the Lamborghini.
@georgina: @ Zombies make the heart grow fonder: Exactly. You're supporting those artists by buying their CDs. Sometimes it's hard to take the moral high ground (I still like Woody Allen movies), but it's worth it. Giving them your money says you condone their actions.
Where the fuck is Rihanna's PR? I mean, amoral ethics aside, how does this make sense to maintain a long term career? Sure this will sell records on the freak factor, but what is this going to do to her career in five years?
God, this story makes me feel beyond gross. Obviously I think she should leave him, obviously I think he's scum. But more and more, with every celebrity story, I feel disgusting. It's like constant rubbernecking.
Man, this thing keeps building and building. Eventually it's going to come to a head.
I have a small sliver of hope that Rihanna is going to come around and see the light. She's totally gonig under right now. Not only does she have Chris pressuring her, the cycle of abuse playing a part in ever decision she does, but she's got her family giving interviews, strangers on the net offering their opinions/judging her/blaming her, colleagues and peers giving their two cents, every reporter/media outlet everywhere covering every facet of her story (whether it be true or untrue)...I'm sure she's just inundated with so much shit right now that she can't think clearly at all. It probably DOES feel like it's her and Chris against the world. After all, he's suffering the same media barrage as she is.
I just have a little hope left in me, a small feeling, if you will, that once the dust clears and she gets a little perspective she will probably dump his ass. It might take her a while, but some of the things prople are saying will trickle in. She just needs time, and space, and air. She's so young. I would not be surprised if in two years time, or even less, she was giving interviews to Newsweek on domestic violence and how she got out of it.
This whole thing keeps making me relive the moment when somebody smacked me in the face that way. Only difference is I freaked out and tried to kill him right then and there. I never looked back. Thinking about what would have had to occur for me to have been willing to accept that abuse gives me the shivers. It reminds me of the way people in cults are programmed behave.
It amazes me that someone as young as Chris Brown can be so diabolical. If he can brainwash somebody so quickly and thoroughly as a young adult, I shudder to think what evil he'll be capable of as he gets older if he doesn't get serious help. Rihannas family and friends need to arrange to have her kidnapped and deprogrammed.
@EMSSweetpea: My ex-fiance threw me down a flight of stairs before he landed on top of me and tried to beat me. He was 6'5", 225 lbs of muscle, I was 5'5", 105 lbs. I tried to break his eardrums (he was an F-14 pilot).
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second, this is disgusting. their audience is mostly young people (tweens & teenagers). what a dangerous message to send to them..."its okay to hit your girlfriend/boyfriend sometimes...when youre really mad! he made a mistake & were so in love & no one understands our relationship!"
i made a decision not to listen to chris brown ever again, and i think ill do the same to rihanna.
03/10/09
The trivialization of domestic abuse. This makes me so sad.
03/10/09
They will make up some hideous nickname for it ("hubby bumps," to go with "baby bumps?"), pictures with arrows pointing to possible bruises, but all next to ads for stars' diets and and more pics of Brangelina (or whatever new celebrity they've renamed.)
So we can tsk at it and turn the page.
Gah, I need a unicorn chaser. Or maybe just some whisky, no chaser.
03/10/09
FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.
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I don't think that Jay-Z is a model of restraint or feminism or any of those things, and there are certain misogynistic and/or violent elements to his character still, but I think he's obviously changed quite a bit since the events that you're recounting.
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I'm sure this new song will be the same way.
Jesus.
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What if its a hit!?
We can't deny that they're both good artist. What happens if this is true and the song they put out is undeniably catchy and full of greatness??
We would hope that we would all be able to boycott it but it would every where simply because they did it and everyone would be curious...Not to mention all of the stations that stopped playing Chris Brown are all back to playing his songs again...
Agh, I don't know. This just scares me.
03/10/09
However, I am going to admit this...I don't plan on boycotting his music. Mostly because I am not the type of person who listens to music based on what the artist stands for. If I did that, I would probably have to stop listening to a lot of artists that I like. I would have to be outraged any time "thriller" came on or not enjoy every song that TI puts out. I don't agree with anything these artists have done. So that raises the issue: Is boycotting the only appropriate response?
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I have a small sliver of hope that Rihanna is going to come around and see the light. She's totally gonig under right now. Not only does she have Chris pressuring her, the cycle of abuse playing a part in ever decision she does, but she's got her family giving interviews, strangers on the net offering their opinions/judging her/blaming her, colleagues and peers giving their two cents, every reporter/media outlet everywhere covering every facet of her story (whether it be true or untrue)...I'm sure she's just inundated with so much shit right now that she can't think clearly at all. It probably DOES feel like it's her and Chris against the world. After all, he's suffering the same media barrage as she is.
I just have a little hope left in me, a small feeling, if you will, that once the dust clears and she gets a little perspective she will probably dump his ass. It might take her a while, but some of the things prople are saying will trickle in. She just needs time, and space, and air. She's so young. I would not be surprised if in two years time, or even less, she was giving interviews to Newsweek on domestic violence and how she got out of it.
I could just be totally naive, though.
03/10/09
It amazes me that someone as young as Chris Brown can be so diabolical. If he can brainwash somebody so quickly and thoroughly as a young adult, I shudder to think what evil he'll be capable of as he gets older if he doesn't get serious help. Rihannas family and friends need to arrange to have her kidnapped and deprogrammed.
03/10/09
The end. Forever.
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I'm hoping it's not true, tho. Hopefully this is all fake PR from Brown's flacks.
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Can you read my horoscope?
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Oh, sorry, that was your fortune cookie.
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03/10/09
Every time I hear her song 'Rehab' it has new meaning to it since this whole terrible incident happened.
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