A week after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna, Chris Brown has broke his silence to apologize, issuing the statement below:
Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person.
He do
es however, say that many of the reports about the incident are incorrect, though he doesn't elaborate much. (Herpes rumor, anyone? Yeah, that's probably one he's referring to.) He did though, address reports on a Facebook account that are not true. Last week bloggers circulated screen shots on the internet of a fake Chris Brown Facebook account that included a status message that insinuated Chris Brown blaimed Rihanna.
Many people are saying his alleged assault on Rihanna will ruin Chris Brown's career. I disagree. If he follows the right steps and has a good PR team to direct him, he will get through this. All Chris needs to do is apologize and publicly show he is taking steps to change himself. This includes turning to the media (Ophrah, anyone?) to say he is sorry and encourage people in domestic violence situations (victims and abusers) to get help. Then, Chris should volunteer for some sort or domestic violence organization. To up the ante, he could even discuss his past, mentioning his stepfather's abuse on his mom, and how the domestic violence cycle affected him.
The American public is very forgiving (as long as you don't pull a Michael Jackson). Not to mention, we all know that celebrities get away with anything and everything.
If he admits he's guilty of assaulting Rihanna and apologizes, will you forgive Chris Brown?
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Comments: 15
And herein lies the problem. If he is just going through the motions to protect his image (and therefore his pocketbook) it all means nothing.
The question is not whether or not the public forgives him. The question is whether or not he is held accountable for his actions. If he is just allowed to walk away with an apology and an Oprah appearance, we continue to send the message that domestic violence isn't really that big of a deal and that it "isn't our business." Punching a woman that you sleep with is not a lesser offense than punching a stranger on the street. And until we acknowledge that, and hold offenders accountable for that, we'll continue to have these stories.
Julie, I sort of understand where you are coming from with whether or not he's held accountable being more important. I think that Chris Brown needs to be punished like any other domestic violence offender. However, I think that he is going to make a much bigger impact by campaigning against domestic violence. This entire incident has caused more than just a media fest. People are having more serious conversations about this type of violence. And actually, I think that punching your significant other is worse than hitting a stranger because it is something that will happen over and over again.