Chris Brown's video response

07.23.2009

During a teen dating violence class I was presenting at this past weekend, the topic of Chris Brown and Rihanna came up. A few young men stated that they wish that everyone would just get over the whole thing; Chris Brown got punished and he will serve time by being on probation for five years, attend family violence classes, do hard labor, and stay a mandatory distance away from Rihanna. They asked me, why couldn’t I just let it go? I told them that I wouldn’t let it go because Chris Brown has never publicly apologized to Rihanna or his fans, nor has he admitted that he did anything wrong. The problem was that Chris Brown had never held himself accountable for, or publicly stated that, what occurred that night was wrong.

As if on cue, Chris Brown issued a video statement about the Rihanna altercation. He stated that he wanted to make an apology, that he was sincerely sorry, spoke about how he grew up in an abusive household, and stated that he has been seeking council from his mother and his spiritual leaders. In my opinion, it was very edited, very scripted, and just an “okay” statement in my book.

While I am no longer on my Chris Brown rampage, I feel as though he could have been more sincere in his apology. It felt to me as though he was reading his sentiments rather than feeling them. The tone of the message was all wrong for me. I wished he sounded more apologetic. I also felt that his apology was so edited that it made it seem even more unreal. As I was watching it, I actually saw the screen jump as though they edited one section to another; like the director took several takes of the “apology” and edited them together.

Beyond all of the movie magic that help to create the apology, I felt that Chris Brown could have gone further by holding other young men accountable, letting them know that dating violence is unacceptable and that no man should feel it is okay to abuse woman, even if they feel as though they were wronged. I feel as though Chris Brown should have stated that even after his court appointed violence intervention classes that he would work with a National organization dedicated to men stopping violence against women such as A Call To Men or local to Atlanta, Men Stopping Violence. I wish there would have been more. But I guess that real happy endings only happen on movie sets.

What are your thoughts? Were you satisfied with Chris Brown’s apology? Were you looking for more like me? Post your thoughts!

Peace, Love, and Happiness,

Jil