Chris Brown Beat Rihanna.Chris Brown Dominated The GRAMMY’s In Front Of Rihanna. Chris Brown Is A…
Rihanna is my crush.
Chris Brown beat Rihanna.
Rihanna was in the crowd at the GRAMMY Awards.
Chris Brown danced at the GRAMMY Awards.
Rihanna then sang at the GRAMMY Awards.
Chris Brown then won a GRAMMY Award.
Rihanna was shown celebrating every award on camera from her seat at the GRAMMY Awards.
Chris Brown then did another song on the GRAMMY Awards.
And I was left wondering…
How many people were disturbed at The GRAMMY’s choice to showcase so much of Chris Brown.
How was Rihanna feeling about all the Chris Brown?
I’ll let you know how I felt.
Then you can let me know how you felt.
Chris Brown is a great entertainer.
He actually was amazing.
The GRAMMY Awards are not a morality award show.
Chris Brown deserved to dance, sing, and get an award.
Rihanna was BRAVE.
She had strength in her eyes.
It could not have been easy.
It made me crush on her more.
The reality is that a stage and an industry built for fame was quicker to forgive Chris Brown than most stages and communities built for Christ were.
It’s not my job to forget, but it is my job to forgive and not place a label on Chris Brown.
Chris Brown may have once been a woman beater…
But that does not mean he will always be one.
RAIN IT DOWN
I was waiting for POTSC to do a post on this. It’s so easy to withhold forgiveness for something so obviously grievous. Glad you were up for challenge. I hope it will challenge us all.
Potsc did do a post on this. Check todays blog
If Christ forgives, and we are supposed to be like him….
#jsutsayin
“and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains”
I was thinking about her that night as well. She was brave.
Let’s not be too terribly naive in thinking that Hollywood embodies Christian ideals of forgiveness.
Chris Brown has sold a lot of records. He is a valuable commodity. That’s why he was on the Grammys.
I am hopeful that Chris Brown has or will repent of his violent actions, though I have no way of knowing whether that’s the case (and it’s not my business anyway). I’m not strictly opposed to him being a successful artist or winning an award. But I think this blog post makes a good point that’s worth considering: http://hellogiggles.com/im-not-okay-with-chris-brown-performing-at-the-grammys-and-im-not-sure-why-you-are
Ha. Interesting piece, but note that it was written by an all-out feminist pro-choicer. I’m not saying she’s got it wrong here, just saying I wish she’d turn a little of that zeal to standing up for the rights of the unborn.
as far as i’m concerned, i have nothing to forgive Chris Brown for. he did nothing to me. will i buy his music? no. did i walk away from the TV when he performed on the Grammys? yes. would he be allowed to perform at my church? no. could he attend service there? yes.
for me it’s not a matter of labeling him forever. but it’s also not about being his supporter either.
the truth is, the music industry didn’t forgive him. they turned a blind to make a buck. big difference.
“the truth is, the music industry didn’t forgive him. they turned a blind to make a buck. big difference.”
Well said.
Agree!! There is NEVER any consequence for misbehavior in Hollywood, sports, etc. THAT is what our children see…..just sweep it under the rug because what they do, whether music or athletics is MORE important than calling them to accountability.
I’ll take the POTSC route with Brown as far as his behavior towards Rihanna.
But Chris Brown was amazing? No.
Lip synching and jumping around on squares like a Mario brother wasn’t all that amazing.
Sorry, but I am totally with Dave Grohl when, during the acceptance of an award said:
“To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what’s important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do.
“It’s not about being perfect, it’s not about sounding absolutely correct, it’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here [your heart] and what goes on in here [your head].”
So…big props to The Foo Fighters, Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Paul McCartney and all the other acts that sang and performed live.
Right on. The whole thing makes me mad. And stirs up all of my feminist ire. And makes me cry for girls who think they can’t leave abusive relationships.
But grace has to matter. And if it doesn’t matter for the cases where it really hurts to offer it, it doesn’t matter at all.
“But grace has to matter. And if it doesn’t matter for the cases where it really hurts to offer it, it doesn’t matter at all.”
Wow. Solid. And for your comment about girls who think they can’t leave abusive relationships… A couple weeks ago here, a girl named Cayce Vice and her unborn child were murdered by her boyfriend, who on more than one occasion, was known to have severely beaten her. She was urged by family and co-workers to leave the guy, but didn’t. After he murdered her, he drove to a nearby town where he also murdered a police officer who was investigating a suspicious vehicle.
Chris Brown did an awful thing, he also owned up to it. In a way this gives me a certain amount of respect for him. I agree, he deserved to be on that stage. Had he not owned up to what he had done I might feel differently, but it takes a real man to stand up and admit they did something terrible and are willing to pay the consequences. Especially in Hollywood where they often use their fame card to get them out of things (even though some would argue that he got off easy). Either way, we don’t have to like him, we don’t have to respect him, but we do have to forgive him and he wouldn’t have gotten a Grammy if he didn’t deserve it.
“…and he wouldn’t have gotten a Grammy if he didn’t deserve it.”
this actually made me laugh. lots of people get Grammys they don’t deserve. Milli Vanilli being the most glaring example. the NARAS voters are not without their flaws.
Milli Vanilli also lost their Grammy they were caught Lip Syncing.
Of course they’re not without their flaws, we all have flaws, but they get to vote for a reason. We don’t have to agree with all their choices, I certainly don’t, but I respect them because they earned the right to cast their vote.
its a tough one.
Honestly, young ladies lusting over him and just 3 year later of missing a Grammy performance because he brutally beat a woman, I can forgive (he didn’t do anything to me personally) but I can’t forget.
Every time he records and releases a love song about how he will treat him significant other, even though I know Christ tells us to forgive 77 times, I can’t help it, I get nauseous.
I don’t know man, I just get the creeps by the guy still.
The only way I’d let Chris Brown sing at my church is if he followed Jesus for one. But Christians cannot expect the world to behave in a moral way. It’s not their nature. Apparently Chris Brown’s sin nature is prone to arrogant violence against women.
I pray Jesus calls him to himself. Until then, this life is as good as it gets for him. Sad fact.
Who says he doesn’t follow Jesus? I don’t recall him ever publicly denying it or anything. He screwed up majorly once. He publicly apologized for it and paid the price for it in our justice system. Let’s be honest, you really mean that you’d only let him sing at your church if he lived up to your standards of being a Christian for a given amount of time after this incident. Under such intense scrutiny, I’m sure I wouldn’t always live up to everyone’s idea of a Jesus follower (nor would you, I figure), and I’m not just singing, but a worship leader on occasion. After all, let he who is without sin cast the first stone, right?
“The reality is that a stage and an industry built for fame was quicker to forgive Chris Brown than most stages and communities built for Christ were.”
Ouch.
I have done some pretty awful things in my life. I hope that by the grace I was given, others will present Chris with the same.
Is it easy? Nope. It’s actually quite the opposite. I want to dislike Chris Brown. I want to slander him, and throw him under the bus. Shoot, I even laugh and boast when he fails. But, Christ’s love inside of me, wants to forgive him. Love him. It actually pushes me to give grace, in a way that is uncomfortable to me. So uncomfortable that a lot of times I outwardly say I forgive him, and that he deserves a second chance. Then follow that with more words of slander.
I hope others will listen to Christ’s example, and I hope I can do a better job of not %&@# blocking grace.
Exactly Kyle. That’s what People of The Second Chance is all about. We know we mess up. We freely admit we are flawed! And we don’t deserve Grace, but we give it. And you should too, as Christ does.
This is what makes me sad about the whole situation.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/horrible-reactions-to-chris-brown-at-the-grammys
I saw this too – that’s what made me sad.
I agree with you. I also think that if it bothered Rhianna that she had all the liberty to walk out after her performance if she chose to. Also, if Rhianna knew that Chris Brown was performing and it bothered her I’m sure she had the option to decline the invitation to perform. So, it’s funny to me how people get their panties in a knot about when Rhianna seems to have moved on.
why does it have to be the victim’s choice to leave? Why can’t Chris Brown just be a man, step up and say he won’t perform out of respect for Rhianna. Give me a break about it only being *her* choice. She deserved to be there. He may have apologized, but what he did was horrendous and didn’t deserve as much attention and spotlight as he got.
*about IT
I believe in forgiveness. I also understand it’s not my place to judge. Here’s my take on it.
We were able to ‘offer’ Michael Vick a second chance. After he did his time, proved to be rehabilitated, and had shown he was worth a second chance, by the NFL standards. He killed dogs.
I believe in consequences. I’ve screwed up, and I’ve been offered grace time and time again. It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve also suffered the consequences.
Chris Brown, obviously needs help. and obviously needs grace and forgiveness. And, For all intents and purposes, I forgive him, and pray for his rehabilitation, and his heart. in 2009, he was sentenced to 5 years probation (Which would end in 2014), and community service. (Don’t get me started on the fairness of that, vs uploading illegal music, or organizing a dog fighting circle.)
Let us not forget, he didn’t short out and punch her in the face one time. I’m pasting the full police report. I want you to read it, and think about it being your daughter, wife, mother, or sister. Forgiveness? Yes. Putting him on a pedestal, and nominating him for awards before his sentence is over? I don’t know. I think it’s a little tasteless. I think he should, personally, take time off, while rehabilitating, focusing on his skeletons, and fixing his soul.
“A verbal argument ensued and Brown pulled a vehicle over in an unknown street. Reach over Robyn F with his right hand and open the car door and attempted to force her out. Brown was unable to force Robyn F out of the vehicle because she was wearing a seat belt. When he could not force her to exit he took his right hand and shoved her head against the passenger window of the vehcile causing an approx 1 inch raised circular contusion.
“Robyn F turned to face Brown and punched her in the left eye with right hand. He then drove away in the vehicle and continued to punch her in the face with his right hand while steering the vehicle with his left hand. The assault caused Robyn F Osmouth to fill with blood and blood to splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle. Brown looked at Robyn F and stated “I am going to beat the s–t out of you when we get home! You wait and see!?
“Robyn F picked her cellular phone and called her personal assistant Jennifer Rosales. Rosales did not answer the telephone but while her vm greeting was playing Robyn F pretended to talk to her and stated “I am on my way home. Make sure the cops are there when I get there? (this statement was made while greeting was playing and was not captured) after Robyn f faked the call, Brown and looked at her and stated, ‘You just did the stupidest thing ever! Now I really am going to kill you.’
“Brown resumed punching Robyn F and she interlocked her fingers behind her head and brought her elbows forward to protect her face. She then bent over at the waist placing her elbows and face near her lap and in attempt to protect her face and head from the barrage of punches being levied by Brown. Brown continued to punch Robyn F on her left arm and hands, causing her to suffer a contusion on her left triceps that was approx 2 inches in diameter and numerous contusions on her left hand. Robyn f attempted to send another text message to other personal assistant Melissa Ford. Brown snatched the cellular telephone out of her hand and threw it out of the window to an unknown street. Brown continued driving and Robyn F observed his cellular phone in his lap. She picked up the cellular phone with her left hand, and before she could make a call, he placed her in a head lock with right hand and continued to drive the vehicle with his left hand.
“Brown held Robyn F close to him and bit her on her left hear. She was able to feel the vehicle swerving from right to left as Brown sped away. He stopped the vehicle in front of [address] and Robyn F turned off the car removed the key from inignition and sat on it. Brown did not know what she did with the key and began punching her in the face and arms. Brown began applying pressure to Robyn F left and right carotid arteries causing her to be unable to breath. She began to lose consciousness. She reached up with her left hand and began to attempting to gauge his eyes in attempt to flee herself. Brown bit her left ring and middle fingers and released her. While brown continued to punch her she turned around a place her back to against the passenger door. She brought her knees to her chest and placed her feet against Brown,s body and began pushing him away.
“Brown continued to punch her on legs and feet causing several contusions. Robyn F began screaming for help. And Brown exited the vehicle and walked away. A resident in the neighbor heard Robyn F,s plea for help and called 911, causing a police response. An investigation was conducted and Robyn F was issued a domestic violence protective order (EPO). Affiant conducted an interview with Melissa Ford who advised on Feb. 8 2009 at 2500 hours she received a phone call from Robyn F from an unknown telephone number later identified as the telephone number of Officer Chavez. Robyn F had advised Ford that she had been assaulted by Brown. At approx at 1 am Brown called Ford as nothing happened. Ford advised Brown that she had already talked to Robyn F and was aware of what happened. Ford had advised brown that the neighbors had called police and that they were with Robyn F. Brown had asked Ford if Robyn F had provided police with his name. And Ford advised him that she had. Brown hung up the telephone and did not call back.
So glad someone else feels the same. Is stigmatising/damning this guy going to un-beat Rihanna? No. She (but just as importantly he) has to live wlive with these memories for the rest of her life. I think we, outsiders who have no business in what happened there, have to move on.
I also crush Rihanna. I hurt for her. As a victim of physical mental and sexual abuse myself. I know the amount of strength it probably took for her. I also know that in the hearts of victims there can and is room for forgiveness. I can forgive not because the person deserves it (they dont always want or ask for it) but because Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and my sins are just as great! Jesus first forgave and loved me so in turn I can forgive and love others.<—- this is not a cheesy christian fake response either this comes from a broken beaten heart who hit rock bottom and faced Jesus head on who has healed and restored me not completely but we are working on it
and I just cant get over how beautiful His sacrifice was for me!!
I was most disturbed by this: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/horrible-reactions-to-chris-brown-at-the-grammys
I have zero tolerance for domestic violence. My grandmother was the victim of physical and emotional abuse by the hands of my grandfather since the day they got married 50+ years ago (he’s since become sober and no longer hits her, but the emotional abuse stands and she’s but a mear shell of a person).
For Chris Brown himself, he’s apologized, looks to have been rehabilitated and I believe as a culture has been judged long enough. If Rihanna can sit there and be gracious, why can’t we? (well, I don’t care for his music—so I muted it, but nonetheless).
But his actions, what he did to Rihanna, should never be belittled. It’s a serious issue and as such needs to be treated seriously.
Thank you for showing my hypocrisy. I am guilty here. Although I would not say that I particularly like Chris Brown’s music, the point you make is right on!
I’ve been reading a lot about this the past few days, and honestly, I just don’t know. I think the biggest thing, is that he doesn’t seem all to remorseful for what he did. Obviously, I don’t know the guy, but from his rants and whatnot…it feels like he thinks he’s the victim. It’s a slippery slope, and I am all for forgiveness, but what is it necessary to have him perform more than once? I just don’t know…I really hope he’s changed for the better.
Got here late, but I think its about confusing forgiveness with approval. Theres more at POTSC today. Great minds think alike
A friend of mine is a committed volunteer at passion city church in atlanta. The night of the Grammy’s, she posted on facebook that Chris attends her church and wished him luck.
You never know what’s happening behind the scenes, people…
Jeffrey Dahmer ostensibly found Christ in prison. He did things far worse than Chris Brown. If grace and forgiveness are for Dahmer, then they’re for Brown as well. Or they’re for no one at all.
I will say this and then no more. How many of us would like for the very worst thing that we have ever done in our lives to be the thing that we are remembered for and judged by. I’m tired of hearing people bag on Chris Brown. You don’t know that man and can’t judge him. No one can but God (by the way…who you are not). Do I advocate hitting a woman #*$! no! But I’m not going to weigh his crime any heavier than anyone else’s or my own mistakes. Does God view this sin worse than this sin…..NO HE DOESN’T. IJS
I know a person who repeatedly beat his first wife, beat his sister (when the sister wouldn’t tell him where the first wife was), molested children (so I heard…I was a kid at the time myself), repeatedly took his daughters from his second marriage to a crack house and generally raised as much hell as could be raised in 24 hours. Second wife divorced him when she found out about the crack house from their young daughters. Somewhere in there this guy got saved and did a stunning turn around. Second wife remarried him. No more crack house. No more wife abuse. I still kept my distance from him but I did see a big change. All was forgiven.
Having said that…I still wouldn’t let the guy around my kids and I still kept my distance. However, those of us who knew him didn’t hang over his head all of his years of raising hell. From that experience I think Chris Brown can and maybe has changed/learned his lesson and moved on with his life. He is/was nowhere near as horrible as the guy in my story. Only God knows how many stupid/evil/terrible/horrible things that were done and stuffed in the closet by those who are now believers…fortunately covered under the Blood.
Really? Isn’t there more important news? Chris Brown an amazing entertainer? Really? You’ve got some low standards for entertainment, my friend. I’d rather watch an organ grinder with a monkey on a leash.
We’re talking apples and oranges. Forgiveness and celebration are two different things. Hey, forgive the guy. But people were losing their minds listening to him sing. You could call it a celebration or perhaps worshiping the guy. Maybe I don’t possess all the grace everyone perceives to have here, but Chris Brown beat the shit out this woman. What am i missing? The details are gruesome. We worship celebrities for no apparent logic. Forgiveness and praise are different conversations.
I for one am worse than Chris Brown because I know Christ and my sins at the same time just as Paul was the worst of all sinners…yeah, that leads me to not say anything on this topic.
I agree with Kevin about the difference between forgiveness and celebration. I also think it’s just poor taste to allow him back on the same stage that we didn’t show up on two years ago because he beat the hell out of his girlfriend. Another stage… maybe – but not ever the Grammy stage again. I just think it’s bad form.
Another thing that disturbs me are all of the posts that are defending Chris Brown and his actions – saying that maybe Rihanna provoked him or that she deserved it. Comments like that ON MY FACEBOOK page from friends. What the hell is that?! There is never an excuse to hit a woman – even if she provokes you. The whole thing just makes me sick.
It’s not about forgiveness. Forgiveness happens in the heart — in your heart for the person who wronged you, allowing God’s heart to flow through the beat of your own.
This is about what we choose to celebrate — the Grammy’s and by extension the popular music industry chose to celebrate a vicious violent brat. Because he can dance and sing. And they did it in the face of the abused. The message that sends to our wives and daughters is harrowing.
Is “vicious violent brat” a label? Maybe. But if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and beats a woman like a duck, I don’t care how that duck dances.
I’ll be ready to celebrate Chris Brown and his creative abilities again when he dedicates his life to leading other young men away from making the same mistake he made the night he savaged his girlfriend’s face. That’s the proof of repentance: giving of yourself to acknowledge you can NEVER EVER make up for or take back what you did, but you can do everything you can to learn and grow and lead others away from committing the same offense.
I’ll celebrate Chris Brown when he becomes a man.
Word. Word. Word.
My grandmother suffered from domestic abuse. Domestic abuse sucks. I dont get it. I wish it never happened. I was molested as a young child. Child sexual abuse sucks. I dont get it. I wish it never happened. My grandmother was a strong woman. My mother told my grandfather that he will never again lay a hand on my grandmother and from that day forward,it stopped. I know that the memory of what happened will forever haunt my mom. I know that just now she is beginning to make peace with it all thanks to Jesus. I know that what happened to me as a child has affected me in many ways. I am now learning to make peace with the forgiving process thanks to Jesus. God is more powerful than we can ever imagine. He uses these kind of crappy things to give us strength we never knew we had. I dont know why anyone would think of this Chris Brown character as a role model of any kind unless he openly and demonstrating remorse would apologize to all of the women out there who have suffered from the hand of a man beating them up. I wont say I doubt that would ever happen because God is capable of doing anything but I dont forsee it happening really. Probably because God has more to teach us from Rihanna’s strength than from Chris Brown’s apologies.
I don’t think it’s fair to say that an “industry” forgave Chris Brown. He was marketable, he became unmarketable, now he is considered marketable again. The Grammy spotlight was more than likely an attempt to increase his marketability. Forgiveness probably has little to do with it.
It’s not really fair to say that Christians or the Church didn’t forgive, haven’t forgiven, or were even slow to forgive. I know a lot of Christians who have no idea who Chris Brown is, so had nothing to forgive. I know a lot of other Christians held nothing against him and actually prayed for him to overcome his particular demons. Would he be welcome to perform at my church? Not likely. Would he be welcome to attend my church? Absolutely! No questions asked.
You are absolutely correct to say that Rhianna was brave!
Supposedly, they have been secretly seeing each other for a while now. I think he definitely deserves another chance (professionally) but I would like to see him a little broken over it and give a sincere apology. I dont like her though (sorry). I honestly can’t say why though. She just gets on my nerves.
Call it what you want, but for me it’s about respecting another man. It’s not my job to forgive him, he didn’t hit me. I don’t respect him. He’s got anger issues…and chose to deal with them by taking them out on a woman. Dancing on the stage and lip syncing to his studio produced album…was cool…impressive even. Again, I don’t have to forgive him…but I don’t also have to respect him. Civil Wars showed more class and talent with no production in 60 seconds than Chris Brown did in all his stage time.
I was just thinking about this…great post Los!
I fully understand the importance of forgiving. However, he did not sin against me. My role was not to judge him because I don’t know him. He is a public figure created with marketing genius. For that reason, I am concerned. I am not the targeted demographic for his music but my children are in that demographic. I worry about the message it sends to showcase him so much. What is the message our kids are getting from him? I really would not want my daughter to continue dating a man who had beat her. The stats are just too high that it would continue in marriage. I don’t want my son to think that he could just rage against a woman and go to rehab and be done. (This is the impression that was given…not the truth). It is a relationship I hope my kids never have to face. Domestic violence can leave scars that take years to heal. I don’t think Chris Brown should be demonized. He is a man who made a mistake. However, unfortunately, mistakes do have some consequences. Mine do. Yours do. It is a simple fact of sin nature. For me, when these two are mentioned in my home….open discussion will follow.
Rhianna has forgiven Chris Brown. He never laid a finger on anyone else so he should not KEEP apologizing to anyone else. Has he repented? We will never know. But he has apologized to her and they BOTH want to move past it. Does she want to be remembered as the girl that got beat up by Chris Brown? No. Does he want to be remembered as the guy that beat up Rhianna? No. The fact of the matter is he grew up in an abusive home. He watched his father beat his mother several times. A lot of times when we try to break the cycle… We fail. I was a teen mom. And I struggle with knowing that daughters of teen moms are more likely to become teen moms themselves. My daughter is 6 now but I pray over her every day to not follow in my footsteps and make my same mistakes–the mistakes God has forgiven me for. Chris Brown made a mistake. He had probation and he went to anger management classes for said mistake. How come the woman he hurt the most can forgive him but society can’t? How come God is so easy to forgive us when we fail but we in the flesh can’t let go of the things one person did to someone else?
They’re back together.
I just watched his “apology” and was left profoundly underwhelmed. I found this statement unintentionally humorous: “I’m truly, truly sorry that I wasn’t able to handle the situation both differently and better.”
Ummmm… is that how you apologize for almost MURDERING your girlfriend over a text message?
Rumor has it, Chris Brown and Rihanna are back together in case you didn’t know lol