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Chris Brown, Grammys 2012: Did R&B's Bad Boy Deserve a Second Chance?

Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Earlier this month, Grammy Awards executive producer Ken Ehrlich explained the decision to welcome known woman beater Chris Brown back to the show by using two words familiar to the R&B star's defenders: "second chance." Three years after the singer pleaded guilty to beating up then-girlfriend Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammys, some feel Breezy has done his time and deserved to be at last night's ceremony, where he performed twice and took home the trophy for Best R&B Album.

"If you'll note, he has not been on the Grammys for the past few years, and it may have taken us a while to kind of get over the fact that we were the victim of what happened," Ehrlich said in an interview with ABC News Radio.


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That statement -- particularly the part in which Ehrlich insinuated that the Grammys, not Rihanna, were the victims of that infamous assault -- didn't sit right with writer Sasha Pasulka, who wrote an impassioned piece for HelloGiggles about how Brown's Grammy return has been mishandled by the media and treated as a kind of "comeback story."

"We should be furious," Pasulka wrote. "Why aren't we?"

While she's not alone in finding Brown's return troubling, others take the extreme opposite view. As Buzzfeed picked up on last night, there exists a subset of young women who are so taken by Brown's singing and dancing that they'd gladly put their faces in the way of his fists. The site collected 25 disturbing tweets from masochistic female members of Team Breezy, most of whom wrote some variation of, "I'd let Chris Brown beat me up."

One assumes these ladies are outliers, if they're even serious, but the fact that Brown has continued to enjoy a successful career raises all sorts of difficult questions. How much penance must a person do before winning back our trust? Are great artists required to be good people? Brown is on probation until 2014, so in the eyes of the law, he's not yet fully off the hook. The Grammy Awards board members -- who just may have their own motives for doing business with a controversial star -- are ready to forgive and forget.

As for who's right, reasonable people are bound to disagree. Unfortunately, unreasonable people send the buzziest tweets.


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14 Comments

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mbr8256188

wrong msg, society show young people if they make a mistake they can't redeem themselves, they are doomed. show them they will be labeled, hated and ridiculed to no limit. nice msg, and u talk about Chris Brown? really! who's the real abuser here? I wish this young man all the best!

February 18 2012 at 2:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
shanestar

1in3 women reported domestic violence. Few abusers ever stop, most, continue to hit and to hit harder. In the advent of social media, we were able to get Komen to return funding for PP in 3 days. WE can ask the Grammy's to take back Chris Brown's award..and we SHOULD for the 1 in 3 women who reported violence from their lovers and for the women who have decided that there is nothing they can do to stop violence in their lives, we the people should really be vocal...
here's a simple way--sign this petition and share on your networks ! we can be vocal against domestic violence:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/NoGrammyForChrisBrown/

February 15 2012 at 5:31 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to shanestar's comment
Hello. =3

Thanks for the link, shanestar, I'm going to sign. =)

February 16 2012 at 9:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
s1452

How long does Chris Brown have to pay for one mistake , his whole life?

He who lives in glas houses should not throw stones. I forgive Chris and I know what abuse is at 66 years of age.

February 15 2012 at 2:51 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to s1452's comment
Hey John

that's exactly right. he shouldn't of been invited back. hell if the person handing him the grammy had bashed his skull in with the award, I'm sure the decent people in the audience and watching would of given that a standing ovation. he deserves to be beaten within an inch of his life, exactly what he did to Rihanna. when that happens then I'll believe he's suffered enough.

February 15 2012 at 3:03 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Hey John's comment
shanestar

please sign and share! we can be vocal against violence against women!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/NoGrammyForChrisBrown/

February 15 2012 at 5:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down
dan

why do we celebrate a d bag like chris brown??

February 15 2012 at 1:31 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
lisey21alicia

well well...@blue dog...u say the producers have no morals for putting a "woman beater" on the show....so tell me...is it ok for them to put alcoholics...drug users...promiscuous persons on the show....cuz tht pretty much describe a lot of celebs....who r we to determine wat sin is worst than others...when it comes to tht...there will b no grammy hun...lay off the dude...he did something wrong..he acknowledged it....and he sought help for his prob..u ppl r so unforgiving to some ppl...and yet still u turn a blind eye at other celebs...i dont hear u saying lindsay lohan shd never act again....or some of those famous rock star drug addicts!!!!

February 13 2012 at 3:18 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to lisey21alicia's comment
Hello. =3

No, it's not okay for them to put alcoholics or drug users in a show on the Grammy's, either. Duh. They don't deserve it. Give it to the classy celebrities -- There are plenty of them, they just don't get the attention they deserve because lame-ass attention seekers keep getting in the way.

February 16 2012 at 10:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Terry Miles

Since when is it our place to forgive people? He didn't hit me. My opinion is obviously biased because I'm a fan of the dude, but look at it this way. People are always so quick to throw out the woman beater label although it was one person and he regrets his actions. At the time that he beat her, he wasn't that far off from his own trauma seeing his mom get beat down all the time. I DO NOT condone his actions, but he clearly needed his own healing first. I just don't understand why we have to sit up on our high horses and judge when our very own lives aren't perfect. Not to mention there are people doing far worse more frequently than Brown. There's more important stuff to complain about than a talented artist getting a 2nd chance. PEACE & LOVE!

February 13 2012 at 12:54 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Terry Miles's comment
Hello. =3

I really don't care if it's my place to forgive, or yours. We'll all see in the afterlife who is going to be paying for what, but I'm sure that there are certain sins that are not simply forgiven, and he committed one. You don't get a "second chance" to do something right the first time, he effed up big time and that sort of crime shouldn't be given a second chance. Anyways the point isn't just that he hit a woman. He's making light of it, and so are you and his moral-less record company. "He didn't hit me"? Well the guy down the street didn't smash your head against a wall, either. The man who lives in the next city over didn't rape you whilst simultaneously and repeatedly punching you in the face while he made your children watch. Knowing that those are the kind of men that smile knowing that Chris Brown got away with it, that's why I and many, many people out there will never forgive him, whether he or anyone else thinks it's our "place" or not. People who are aware of how common violence against women STILL is aren't making light of this, and never will.

February 16 2012 at 9:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
? reply to ?s comment
tash.bake

Where in the Bible does it say that? ALL sins are equal in the eyes of God. So, it doesn't matter what you think or what you say is for certain. We don't face you on judgement day. Read you Bible and see what our Lord says about forgiveness.

February 29 2012 at 1:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down
blue dog

He is pathetic and the producers of the Grammy’s have absolutely no morals for putting a woman beater on the show. As far as team Breezy is concerned, I would expect as much coming from fame hungry, idiotic girls that would glorify such behavior. So he can sing? So what? So can a sh*tload of other guys that just happen to respect women and not treat them like sh*t. Chris Brown stinks.

February 13 2012 at 12:24 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to blue dog's comment
Hello. =3

Amen, Brudda. A perfect world this is not...

February 16 2012 at 10:01 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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