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Chris Brown and Dating ViolenceChris Brown and Dating Violence By Jack Schmidt “It’s not
a sound bite. This is a real situation. If you can’t have compassion
for others, just imagine it being your sister or your mom or someone
like that. Then think about how you should talk about that.”
“It’s so
devastating. As a person, I don’t care how famous she is or if she
just worked at McDonald’s, that should never happen. It should never
come to that place.”
The incident that occurred between Chris Brown and Rihanna on the evening of February 8th, 2009 has been widely discussed in the media and in general. The basic facts are that celebrity and singer Chris Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles police regarding an alleged assault of a woman. Since then, it has become widely assumed/known that the woman he allegedly assaulted was his girlfriend, fellow celebrity and singer Rihanna. Since then, numerous public reactions have followed, songs have been pulled from airplay, endorsements have been dropped, rumors have spread, and celebrities from the entertainment and music industry have commented on the incident. The two quotes above represent two of those voices. Both Kanye West and Jay-Z are extremely successful. They are icons in the hip hop industry, topping charts as well as enjoying commercial success. They are known as producers and entrepreneurs, and are looked up to as influential members of the music industry. While both their quotes obviously offer the desperately needed sympathy and support for Rihanna, they also are both saying something a little more subtle, but nevertheless just as necessary. Both quotes are drawing upon the idea that while the Rihanna and Chris Brown dating violence incident involves two famous, well known celebrities, intimate partner violence is a problem for people from every walk of life. Jay-Z brings up the point that this could happen to someone close to you, like “your sister or your mom,” and Kanye points out how intimate partner violence “should never happen,” even if someone is “famous or if she just worked at McDonald’s.” While I do not agree with everything that Kanye or Jay-Z say, I do agree with them on these two quotes. When we talk about the intimate partner violence between Rihanna and Chris Brown we have to remember some things. We have to remember that Rihanna is not alone and that there are many women, children, and men who are victims or survivors of intimate partner violence and we have to support them. According to the Department of Justice, one in three women in America have been or will be abused. We have to remember that no one ever deserves to be assaulted or victimized. We have to remember that we are all affected by intimate partner violence and we most likely know someone who is a survivor of an abusive relationship. One interesting aspect of this case is how Chris Brown in the past has openly talked about the trauma he experienced as a youth from witnessing his stepfather abuse his mother. In the words of Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler, “if the allegations are true and he committed this assault, we have to assume that he did not get the help he needed.” However, Soler also notes that “nothing a victim does, and nothing in a perpetrator’s background, ever justifies violence.” This could possibly show the dangers and the harm in living in an environment in which intimate partner violence occurs. It shows that we need to have a more in-depth talk about violence in interpersonal relationships in order to break the cycle, because we know that intimate partner violence happens. Perhaps this cycle of violence is one of the most difficult ideas when it comes to the case of Chris Brown. If the allegations are true, it would be the case that he has continued the violence that he was so strongly effected by as a youth. He has made statements about how “sorry and saddened” he is. For Chris Brown, the consequences do not end with his grief over his actions. If prosecuted and sentenced, he could face possible jail time, and his career could now be in jeopardy, as well as his contracts and endorsements. Since violence
is a learned behavior, it can be unlearned. I hope that Chris
Brown is truly attempting to “emerge a better person” (http://www.spin.com/articles/ Furthermore,
we need to realize that everyone can do something to end intimate partner
violence as well. One way we can do this is by becoming educated
on the issue. We should all be offering our deepest sympathy and
support to Rihanna. And we should also be engaging in a deeper
discussion that Kanye and Jay-Z have addressed. Their comments
both illustrate a basic fact in regard to the Rihanna and Chris Brown
incident as well in general – that it is never the victim’s fault
and everyone deserves a life free of violence, no matter who you are. For more
information regarding abusive relationships:
Crisis Line: 1-800-670-7273
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