One hundred and sixty three days. That’s how long it took Chris Brown to publicly apologize for beating his girlfriend Rihanna. In the dramatic video, Brown asks for forgiveness and promises to be a better role model. As someone who normally sees things as pretty cut and dry, I can’t decide where I stand on this one.
On the one hand, Brown needed to wait before he could speak out. Legally it would have been foolish- and perhaps dangerous- for him to make a move before things were settled. If he had said anything right after his plea deal, it would have been in poor taste. I am sure that he had planned to release this video a little sooner but with all of the media coverage surrounding Michael Jackson’s death I assume he held off for a bit.
The statement itself was a brilliantly crafted work of art, designed I am sure by a team of PR experts. Brown read it beautifully- I imagine off of a teleprompter- and made every point he was aiming to make. All in all, from a PR standpoint, it was a slam-dunk.
If this was just about a guy who hit a girl and then put out a well crafted statement I would be blasting him and that would be that. But there is a bigger story here- Chris Brown is also a victim. He came from a home where there was domestic abuse and now the cycle continues. I have a hard time making him a one dimensional monster because it is more complex than that. I do believe that violence is never the answer- EVER. I don’t care who is abusing, the man or the woman; it is never ok. The problem is that once that cycle starts, it is hard to stop.
What do you guys think? Is Chris Brown a victim too?
Be sure to watch Showbiz Tonight for much more on Chris Brown’s emotional apology, tonight, at 11pm ET/PT on HLN- don’t miss it!