The last month and a half has truly been a whirlwind of legal issues and media attention for R&B singers/couple Chris Brown and Rihanna after their well-documented fight and subsequent domestic violence-style beating occurred.  The pre-Grammy Awards brawl left the 21 year old Rihanna brutally beaten and the previously squeaky clean 19 year old Chris Brown one of the most hated men in entertainment.  After receiving threats from huge names like Jay-Z and regrettable attempts at defense from Terence Howard and Keenan Thompson of SNL, I wondered how Chris Brown must be living his everyday life now that he is officially known as a woman-beater.  He must feel some regret since his childhood experiences of seeing his mother being physically abused by his stepfather created very negative feelings inside of him. 

            Society shunned him, vowed to never buy another song he released, and even emptied dance floors when his voice was heard at clubs.  As we looked for him to cry for the cameras, show us some regret and understanding for his abhorrent actions on the night of February 9th, all we got was stories of him going on vacation which included a now notorious picture of him appearing to be flexing his arm while on a Jet Ski in Miami.  The one constant question was, “why won’t this guy just lay low?”

            Last Friday I found out first hand that Brown hasn’t had that question posed to him as I was surprised to enter my gym to play basketball only to see the smiling golden boy waiting to be picked up for the next game.  The other players were buzzing; some star struck, others eager to make the celebrity like them and their witty comments.  After two full games of normal pickup game action, I slowly cared less that he is in the middle of an infamous celebrity beating that equated him to Ike Turner and thought more of switching on the pick play and “hey, that’s a foul!”  Brown was simply being a normal guy, acting as if nothing had ever happened…maybe that’s how he planned to let it all blow over! 

            Living in LA long enough will teach you that nothing ever remains normal.  With a few games deep in argumentative ball playing, a man in all black basketball attire jumped up and sprinted from one corner of the gym to the exit, while incorporating Barry Sanders-like moves to weave in and out of the gym employees chasing him.  After a 5 second delay of disbelief, about 25 serious basketball players turned into giddy thrill seekers and chased the action, including Chris Brown!!  Once the bolting “basketball player” was actually identified as a paparazzo, everything made sense.  He was posted up in the corner of the gym, snapping shots of the troubled singer, turned abuser only to be exposed and tackled at the bottom of the stairs. 

            With this jolt of reality, Chris reemerged from the talking and laughter at the scene of the “crime” and realized it was finally time to go.  Many may now ask, “Will THIS incident finally make him realize that keeping a low profile is the best route?”  Although I admit to being in this school of thought for the past several weeks, I’ve determined that he shouldn’t have to run and hide from public view if he doesn’t want to.  No serious charges have been pressed yet, he hasn’t been convicted of anything, and most importantly, his abused girlfriend Rihanna has taken him back in classic abused woman form.  Why should he stop doing simple things like play basketball on a Friday afternoon when his friends ask him to?  If he’s going to get help and become a better person, he’ll do that, but shying away from everyday life won’t get that done, it will only satisfy society’s desire to see his remorse that is currently not on display. 

 

--JJJ

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