Hello readers!After a 10-month hiatus, in honor of my blog-aversary, I have decided to revive my Sunday Feature post. If you aren't aware of what that is, it is the post where I deliver my full opinion on any major event or issue that occurred over the past week. It's my way of saying my peace on the subject and moving on to the next week. To start off, I decided to cover the Chris Brown/Rihanna scandal thios week. Don't forget to check back every Sunday for the Sunday Feature. It has been a full week since the alleged Chris Brown/Rihanna altercation was first reported.
Since then, there have been cover-ups, emerging details every hour, celebrity reactions, and most interesting of all, fan outrage, defense, and denial.
What we have yet to hear is the full story from the two people who truly know: Chris and Rihanna themselves.
We do know that something serious did happen; there is too much evidence to ignore it. He surrendered to the LAPD, he was charged with a felony, Rihanna was in the hospital, and apparently both have left LA to be with their loved ones. What is up to interpretation is how serious the injuries were and what caused the altercation in the first place.
Still, with all of the confusing, conflicting details, the impact this story can and should have is undeniable.
Chris and Rihanna are two of the biggest pop stars in the world. They have millions of fans in many countries. Their profile is as high as a celebrity in this day and age can get. And they are embroiled in an serious domestic violence situation that could possibly wreck one's career. As tragic as the situation is, it brings to light the relevance that domestic abuse has to young people. As the couple proved, you do not have to be old or married to be in an emotionally or physically abusive relationship.
The implications of this situation makes what both say all the more important, particular Chris. As Carrie Underwood told
US Weekly about the numerous rumors, "you hear a new one every five minutes, and some of them are getting kind of ridiculous". This situation needs clarity, and since Chris is the alleged perpetrator and least emotional of the two, I think it would be appropriate to have him speak on the situation.
In speaking, he needs to make sure these three elements exist: realism, humility, and genuine regret over his alleged actions.
In terms of realism, Chris's statement has to be his. It cannot be some carefully worded, vague, and empty statement from his publicist. That would work in situations like drug use, where he could say he participated in "behavior that was inappropriate". This is a case of violence against women, and considering his large fanbase is mostly made up of
young women, he particularly has to speak to them, from the heart. It is possible that these young girls have experienced abuse in their lives and look to Chris Brown for hope. How would it look to have him deliver some trite statement to those impressionable young girls? It is bad enough that their hero abused anyone, but then he's not man enough to make his own statement?
Humility is an absolute must, and any kind of cockiness will not only render the statement useless, it will further tarnish his image. He must show that he isn't a complete ass and that he really is the sweet, nice kid that people still have a hard time believing would do this. There cannot be any posturing or attempts to gain street cred from this. In his statement, he needs to appear sorry for his actions and grateful for the blind support he still receives from some of his fans. If he even thinks about pulling some "I'm a G, I know how to keep a woman in line" misogynistic crap, he is done.
Then, there is genuine regret. What he did was WRONG, and if he does not understand that, then maybe a stint in jail will straighten him out. In his statement, he needs to acknowledge that what he did was unequivocally unacceptable, regardless of what his die-hard fans try to say. There is no whitewashing this incident, sweeping it under a rug and hoping it goes away. Look what happened to his idol Michael Jackson, and there was no finite evidence of any wrongdoing in that case. Despite his alleged attack on Rihanna, he needs to be a man and face this problem head on. He cannot flee from this like he did that night, unless he wants to lose everything and become a pariah.
Finally, the most important part of this statement. He needs to tell the TRUTH. While employing all of these elements, he must essentially tell us what the hell happened between the two of them. What caused the altercation? Why did he feel the need to abuse Rihanna? Why did he leave her there instead of calling the police or 911? Is this the first time the abuse has taken place? He really needs to answer these questions and clear the air, not just for his sake, but for the sake of his adoring fans.
What continues from there can only be determined by what he says and the public's reaction to it. If he follows the aforementioned advice, Chris's career can be recovered to a level lower, but acceptable, than he was before. If he lacks one or more of the elements above, more than likely than fans will turn on him. If he says nothing at all, then the situation is completely out of hands as TMZ continues to report on "horrific" details of that night.
At the end of the day, only he and Rihanna know what happens, so, despite his reportedly heinous actions, he should be at least granted the right to explain himself. How he does will determine the rest of both of their careers.
VS 
There are times when I wish celebrity blogger Perez Hilton would just shut his trap.
V.S. 
