I'm going to do something unusual and stick up a little for Chris Brown here. I'm not defending him against his actions. I think he should be prosecuted for beating Rihanna.
HOWEVER, he is human and he does make mistakes. The fact that he recognises that he has made a huge mistake - one that will probably not ever be forgiven or forgotten by Rihanna or the public - is the only thing he can do now. Do you just want to condemn him as 'a beater' forever, and leave it at that? He is not allowed to participate in society at all anymore? And he doesn't need to apologise to YOU, the only person he needs to forgive him is Rihanna (if she even wants to). We can all condemn the action, but none of us have the right to condemn an individual that we have nothing to do with. #chrisbrownmtv
@Armed with Vitriol: Okay, well that's a matter of semantics. My point is that everyone here is all on their judgy high horses, and that is what actually started to piss me off. I don't like Brown and he did commit a heinous crime. But wouldn't it do more good to try to understand the motivations behind beating? A discussion about how/why men are conditioned to think that it might be okay to hit women would be much more constructive than 'Oh he's such an asshole he should go to jail forever and ever and he's such a douchey jerk.' #chrisbrownmtv
@JerkoftheMonth: I agree. He admitted he made a mistake, and hopefully his and Rihanna's status in the public eye will be able to be used for some good to open up discussion on domestic violence and how to stop it. I don't think one action like that should condemn him - or anyone - for life, especially when they are trying to change and make up for it. #chrisbrownmtv
@JerkoftheMonth: I think the reason people are so upset is that he does not seem at all sincere. There have been numerous instances of him minimizing it, acting smug, and just not seeming to get it at all. Great, if his words strike you as sincere (what is this? the fifth or sixth time has has spoken on the subject?), but I personally will continue to "condemn" him until he actually starts to explore and talk about why he did what he did.
@JerkoftheMonth: His actions were, whether he meant them to be or not, public. And his rationalization and excuse-making immediately after helped some people rationalize and make excuses for their own behavior and the behavior of those around them. He helped contribute to the minimization of this type of violence, so it really isn't just between him and Rihanna, unfortunately.
I would have more sympathy for him if it actually seemed like he was trying to look into his own heart and figure out why this happened and how he can avoid it in the future. Instead, he's just doing the old "oh, it was just that one time, I don't know what happened" thing, with a side of "why are people so mean to me?" He doesn't really seem to get it.
I don't have a problem with their being negative consequences for his image because of that. I don't think anyone is saying he "can't participate in society" anymore. Some people don't want to buy his music anymore, but no one's suggesting he be barred from employment of any kind forever. #chrisbrownmtv
@JerkoftheMonth: As a few others have said, I think the problem is that Brown really doesn't seem to be taking responsibility for his actions. One hallmark of the abusive mind-set is that the victimizer tries to make himself out to be the victim. He'll beat a woman, and then apologize profusely, cry about his own abusive past (or mental illness, or drug addiction, or whatever) and make her feel like she's victimizing him further if she indicates a desire to leave. He'll play on her empathy, sympathy while at the same time denigrating her and isolating her. Most of what I've heard from Chris Brown amounts to "poor me, I made a mistake and now people want me in jail, I'm so confused, why are people treating me like this for making a mistake..." In other words, he's elevating his own perceived victimization above the victimization he forced on Rihanna when he beat her. That does not bode well, and suggests to me that Chris Brown is still a dangerous young man. That is why I am still unwilling to cut him any slack. If he said something like, "I beat my girlfriend, what I did was wrong, I understand why people are upset and disappointed, and I will do everything in my power to break this cycle" rather than, "yeah, abuse in any form is bad but I'm so confused about why some people are so angry over a mistake," then I'd feel a bit softer towards him. But he didn't, so I don't. #chrisbrownmtv
@jasmineledesma001: The thing is, he doesn't need to explore things with me - or the rest of the nosy public. He also doesn't need to talk about what he did to me or any media outlet who will then convey said soul searching to me. #chrisbrownmtv
@JerkoftheMonth: My grandfather beat the shit out of my grandmother for 17 years. Outside of the home he would put on a "I'm such a swell guy" act, and my grandmother would always go back to him at the encouragement of friends and family. They would tell her that he wouldn't do it again and urge her to forgive him. Then he would beat her again.Abusers, including Chris Brown, all have the same M.O. 1. They don't think hitting a woman is really wrong 2. somehow the woman always "provoked" them/ the woman is at fault 3. hitting is not a "mistake" -- they hit to control and intimidate. Their actions are calculated. You want to understand his motivations, well then there you go. Please continue to feel sorry for poor Chris Brown if you must, but I refuse to. #chrisbrownmtv
@JerkoftheMonth: This isn't fair to Chris Brown, but he reminds me a lot of my father in his interviews... not because he beat anyone, he's not that kind of guy (not meaning he's better or worse,) but because of his tone, his body language and attitude.
You're certainly right, Brown has no reason to apologize to the public, but I see the fact that he is not as a sign of his persecution, but as a sign of his self-interest. He shouldn't do it, but he does it because he WANTS something from us, and he has to in order to get what he wants... or at least he feels that way. I just... hear the rhetoric and I have heard it before, and perhaps that is what most people are feeling: that they've heard this story from someone they loved, and this is a way to stand up to someone they've known, and Brown is sorta becoming a symbol for all the people we know that do something unbelievable and brush it off with, I'm sorry, get over it already.
Obviously I'm simplifying his reaction... but if you do something really awful, and then get caught, feel out how others are going to react, THEN try to make up for it seemingly to minimize the upheaval in your own life.... it comes off as very superficial. #chrisbrownmtv
@Armed with Vitriol: I'm sorry your family had to experience that and that your grandmother was not more supported by her friends and family.
I'm not feeling sorry for Chris, I'm just concerned that in the easy condemnation of those who commit that kind of violence, we lose the ability to really question it's existence. What problems do we, as a society, have that make this kind of thing a fairly common experience? It's pathological, when you think about it. There are some serious questions of our concept of masculinity and power/gender roles that need to be addressed in order to really get to the bottom of domestic, let alone all other kinds of, violence. And Chris Brown is hardly to blame for the wider issues surrounding this. It would be better if he publicly acknowledged his guilt and his repentance, but let's not project all of our hatred of domestic violence on to one person. #chrisbrownmtv
details between what happened between him and rihanna should remain private? so basically the police shouldnt have been called? his 8/9th time beating the crap out of her shouldnt have been reported?
f off chris brown. i'm one of the people who think you belong in jail. i'm also one of the people who don't want to see you do anything. im sich of looking at your smug face and listening to your nonsense. #chrisbrownmtv
Ian McKellen is my favorite. He has such a great sense of humor about himself. Did anyone see the episode of Extras where he played himself guest teaching a drama class? "How do I act so well? The thing I do is, I pretend to be the person I am playing in the film or play." #chrisbrown
@Maritsa: For the life of me I couldn't remember that episode, and then I realized the you said Patrick Stewart, not Patrick Swayze, and everything made sense again.
He was great, Kate Winslet, and Daniel Radcliff were all highlights for me. #chrisbrownmtv
@Maritsa: We Netflixed Star Trek First Contact about a month ago, and used variants of that line about 347 times during the movie. And we laughed! It was grand.
"And then the Borg queen's prosthetics fall off, AND I CAN SEE EVERYTHING!" #chrisbrownmtv
@wtfox?!: I clicked. And immediately regretted it. And then, after the shock wore off, decided to embrace it as my first hearty laugh of the day. #chrisbrown
Oh, so being sexualized as a kid is bad, right, Natalie? Unless Roman Polanski's doing it, right?
I'm tired of Chris Brown and his half-assed "apologies" and refusal to take responsibility for what he's done. Just say it, Chris: you beat a woman you claimed to love to the point where she required hospitalization. Not for the first time, either. And you'd probably still be beating her if you hadn't gotten caught. That does not make you "human" or a person with 50/5o support or someone where I care whether your feelings are hurt or not. It makes you an abusive asshole who needs to get a lot of help to deal with his many issues. #chrisbrown
@Hooplehead: I completely agree with you. He seems immature and completely unapologetic for what he has done. He wants the abuse to remain a "private matter"? I'm sure. All abusers want to make sure they get away with abuse and come out looking good in the end. What a dick. #chrisbrown
@Hooplehead: Yes on the Natalie part. Given that she would have been sexualized at 13 for playing a precocious world-weary child who talks like a mature woman, I would have thought she'd have more empathy for Polanski's then-teenage victim. #chrisbrown
Is it possible to be obsessed with Robert Pattinson and detest all things Twilight at the same time? Because I think that's happening to me. #chrisbrown
If I was going to enter into a life of crime in order to get a new wardrobe, I would definitely not be burgling Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan. That criminal ringleader needs to have additional charges filed against her by the fashion police. #chrisbrown
I think we should let Michael Jackson's tigers decide if Joe Jackson gets to profit from his son's death. One minute in the cage for each thousand he seeks. #chrisbrown
@Sputnik_Sweetheart: He is also dead to me for that! I'm just a casual Beatles fan, but the "Yellow Submarine" is a fucking awesome piece of animation, which inspired me as a kid to become an animator. Just re-release it in theaters, dummy! Kids will either "get it" or "not get it." #chrisbrown
@FactCat: He just haaaaad to take it to the Uncanny Valley. If only he had Tracy Jordan working with him.... True, it would have turned into "The Cooter Express" but at least the character's would have looked real! #chrisbrownmtv
The only movie Lucille 2 should be doing is Arrested Development!
Madonna you couldn't go on stage and sing/play guitar because you don't know how to do those things. Not because you're a "perfectionist". #lindsaylohan
Reeeegardless, lack of that being a pop star's strength certainly doesn't stop them from doing them. I do believe she's a perfectionist, and a Type-A crazy hard worker. Don't all her exes complain about that? #lindsaylohan
11/07/09
What a ridiculous quote. #chrisbrownmtv
11/07/09
HOWEVER, he is human and he does make mistakes. The fact that he recognises that he has made a huge mistake - one that will probably not ever be forgiven or forgotten by Rihanna or the public - is the only thing he can do now. Do you just want to condemn him as 'a beater' forever, and leave it at that? He is not allowed to participate in society at all anymore? And he doesn't need to apologise to YOU, the only person he needs to forgive him is Rihanna (if she even wants to). We can all condemn the action, but none of us have the right to condemn an individual that we have nothing to do with. #chrisbrownmtv
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I would have more sympathy for him if it actually seemed like he was trying to look into his own heart and figure out why this happened and how he can avoid it in the future. Instead, he's just doing the old "oh, it was just that one time, I don't know what happened" thing, with a side of "why are people so mean to me?" He doesn't really seem to get it.
I don't have a problem with their being negative consequences for his image because of that. I don't think anyone is saying he "can't participate in society" anymore. Some people don't want to buy his music anymore, but no one's suggesting he be barred from employment of any kind forever. #chrisbrownmtv
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You're certainly right, Brown has no reason to apologize to the public, but I see the fact that he is not as a sign of his persecution, but as a sign of his self-interest. He shouldn't do it, but he does it because he WANTS something from us, and he has to in order to get what he wants... or at least he feels that way. I just... hear the rhetoric and I have heard it before, and perhaps that is what most people are feeling: that they've heard this story from someone they loved, and this is a way to stand up to someone they've known, and Brown is sorta becoming a symbol for all the people we know that do something unbelievable and brush it off with, I'm sorry, get over it already.
Obviously I'm simplifying his reaction... but if you do something really awful, and then get caught, feel out how others are going to react, THEN try to make up for it seemingly to minimize the upheaval in your own life.... it comes off as very superficial. #chrisbrownmtv
11/07/09
I'm not feeling sorry for Chris, I'm just concerned that in the easy condemnation of those who commit that kind of violence, we lose the ability to really question it's existence. What problems do we, as a society, have that make this kind of thing a fairly common experience? It's pathological, when you think about it. There are some serious questions of our concept of masculinity and power/gender roles that need to be addressed in order to really get to the bottom of domestic, let alone all other kinds of, violence. And Chris Brown is hardly to blame for the wider issues surrounding this. It would be better if he publicly acknowledged his guilt and his repentance, but let's not project all of our hatred of domestic violence on to one person. #chrisbrownmtv
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f off chris brown. i'm one of the people who think you belong in jail. i'm also one of the people who don't want to see you do anything. im sich of looking at your smug face and listening to your nonsense. #chrisbrownmtv
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He was great, Kate Winslet, and Daniel Radcliff were all highlights for me. #chrisbrownmtv
11/07/09
@Sassy Pants: My husband and I still use. ". . . but it's too late - I've seen everything" all the damn time! #chrisbrownmtv
11/07/09
"And then the Borg queen's prosthetics fall off, AND I CAN SEE EVERYTHING!" #chrisbrownmtv
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I've decided to laugh and weep at the same time. #chrisbrownmtv
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I'm tired of Chris Brown and his half-assed "apologies" and refusal to take responsibility for what he's done. Just say it, Chris: you beat a woman you claimed to love to the point where she required hospitalization. Not for the first time, either. And you'd probably still be beating her if you hadn't gotten caught. That does not make you "human" or a person with 50/5o support or someone where I care whether your feelings are hurt or not. It makes you an abusive asshole who needs to get a lot of help to deal with his many issues. #chrisbrown
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And I refuse to click on the link to that pic of Jon G. doing yoga. My eyes just can't take it on a Saturday. #chrisbrown
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(Like I wasn't going to anyway, what with Mila Kunis and all....suuuuch a crush on her.) #chrisbrown
11/07/09
You are dead to me.
Sincerely,
Sputnik Sweetheart #chrisbrown
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10/15/09
Madonna you couldn't go on stage and sing/play guitar because you don't know how to do those things. Not because you're a "perfectionist". #lindsaylohan
10/15/09
Reeeegardless, lack of that being a pop star's strength certainly doesn't stop them from doing them. I do believe she's a perfectionist, and a Type-A crazy hard worker. Don't all her exes complain about that? #lindsaylohan