I hated what Chris Brown did to Rihanna. I was angered, disappointed and irritated by the fact that many are quick to forgive egregious behavior on the part of celebrities, and a hit song can forgive all sins. At the same time, celebs are just like the rest of us, full of complexities that the world may never come to understand. Rihanna has walked away from Chris and she is now telling the entire world how bad of a man he is, and we're all taking her side.
The problem for Rihanna, however, is that her actions aren't making much sense.
Rihanna's recent whirlwind media tour has included the likes of ABC News, MTV and other major media outlets. Throughout this tour, she has allowed the world to enter into her dark reflection on the relationship she had with Chris Brown, with that reflection seeming to have almost no productive purpose. I am not sure why the he-say/she-say between two 19-year old kids should be the concern of the nation. But then again, I am sitting here writing about it, so I am as guilty as everyone else.
The truth is, clearly, that Rihanna could have used this incident as a teachable moment and then moved on with her life. But that wouldn't be nearly as profitable as doing a media tour attacking Chris.
The point here is clear and quick:
A personal tragedy is usually leveraged in order to sell a book or album: Did you notice how tennis star Andre Agassi revealed his drug addiction when his book was released? What about when Mackenzie Phillips announced that her father, well-known performer John Phillips, molested her as a child? Stories like this are a great way to get people to read your book or buy your records. Notice that it took Rihanna several months to start talking about Chris Brown in public. That was probably because she had to finish up her tracks. By the way - her album is scheduled for release in a few days. The Chris Brown story will be the primary driver of her album sales.
Now, I am a Finance Professor and a capitalist. Well, I am mostly capitalist, to a point. I can understand why Rihanna's handlers are milking the cow till the udders fall off. The story is interesting and like hungry kids in a candy store, we are salivating to find out more about what happened. But the truth is that we only know most of what occurred, not everything: All we really know is that they got into a fight and Chris won. But we also know that Chris lost the war because he is the one who got arrested. Is there anything else we need to know? Is there anything new that Rihanna is telling us other than vague and "clearly objective"(LOL) things like "his eyes had no soul." What the heck does that mean anyway?
While we can respect Rihanna's decision to use this situation as a chance to build her brand (similar to when Juanita Bynum was allegedly beaten by her husband and then declared herself to be "the face of domestic violence"), the truth is that we probably shouldn't fall for the hype. We should realize that this was an unfortunate situation,with many lessons to be learned about domestic violence in the black community. Rihanna will sell her records, and Chris will have to rebuild his own brand. But at the end of the day, this media whirlwind created by Rihanna is, for the most part, an opportunity to not only punch back at Chris, but a chance to make a little dough in the process.
As the rapper TI might say, "It is what it is."
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and author of the book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (16)
Add a comment
By: MYMISSION on 11/12/2009 8:17AM
Drug dealing, pimping, killing black male rappers made a fortune out of putting down black women as ho's. bitches and less than white women.They took the white man's money to berate them. They did what no other race of man would do to their women. Chris Brown was the first one to try to make money off the situation by appearing on Larry King with his mother. The punk like most black men use black women when they get in trouble but see them as worthless when they are living high and mighty. At least Rihanna stood alone as her own woman.
This is the out of control savagery black men and women should be outraged about. Their blame the black woman/victim is what has caused the explosion in violence against black women and girls and gang rapes. Boys are not immune either. They don't care if it’s their own grandmother on her sick bed. If the gang rapist are black savages they try to excuse it away or ignore it happened. Or just maybe she soiled his gang color shirt and deserved it. When black men were lynched whites said they did something to deserve it. Many times because a white woman accused them of beating and raping them.
This was sent to Chris Brown who should shut up and get psychological counseling. If his fans care so much about him buy a bundle of his CD’s. That’s they way to show him love because Rhianna is making big money and has left him in the dust. He needs to man up and get on with his life like she has.
This is what black men are doing and these are the black women traitors who defend them as usual.This was a lynching black man style.
An Open Letter to the NAACP and Al Sharpton
To:
Al Sharpton - National Action Network
Julian Bond - Chairman - NAACP
Maude Ford Lee - President - West Palm Beach Branch NAACP
Sabu Williams - Director - Florida State Conference NAACP
I'm writing to protest the recent actions of the NAACP and the National Action Network in the Dunbar Village rape case. As you know, on June 18th, 2007, a black woman and her 12 year old son were viciously and savagely attacked by 10 black men and boys in a West Palm Beach Florida public housing project called Dunbar Village . The woman was brutally gang raped for over three hours, tortured and forced to perform oral sex on her 12 year old son at gunpoint. They were doused with chemicals, poured into their eyes and the woman's vagina in an attempt to destroy evidence. They were saved from being burned alive only because the rapists could not find matches. No one called the police during the three hour attack. No one came to their aid when the attack was over. They had to walk a mile to a hospital before they were assisted by anyone.
On Tuesday, March 11, 2008, Al Sharpton and the West Palm Beach NAACP held a press conference accusing the prosecutor of treating those arrested in this case unfairly. You demanded that the prosecutor offer bail to the boys arrested in this case and not try them as adults, because this was being done by the prosecutor in another gang rape case involving white perpetrators in a different Florida jurisdiction.
Following the attack, vigorous efforts were made to contact NAN and the NAACP and enlist your aid in getting help and attention for the victim of this horrific crime. An NAACP spokesman, when contacted, said they would not respond because "it was outside their mission". Despite repeated calls to the National Action Network, there was NO RESPONSE. No statement on behalf of the victim, no protest, not one single word. Contrast this to the swift and vocal response Al Sharpton and NAN exhibited to the Duke rape case. In the Duke case, loud and vocal support of the victim and calls for justice for her attackers, but in the Dunbar Village case.......complete silence. The difference between the two cases? At Duke - the alleged attackers were white men; in Dunbar Village, the alleged attackers are black men. Contrast the response in this case to the NAACP's vigorous defense of Michael Vick for merely killing dogs, but the brutal and horrific gang rape of a black woman in front of her 12 year old son provokes not a single word.
For almost a year, NAN and the NAACP had nothing to say in support of the black woman victim and her son. You made no calls for the West Palm Beach police to swiftly find these criminals, of whom six are still on the loose. You did nothing to my knowledge to offer help to this woman and her child to help them recover. In all points, you exhibited a complete moral indifference to the crime committed against this black woman. Now, almost a year later, you come rushing to the defense of....the rapists??!!!! Your actions send the clear message that crimes committed against black women are not important to your organizations unless they present an opportunity to protest perceived racism and if exploiting a poor, gang raped black woman can help you grab some media spotlight for that purpose, thats okay.
I ask, where is your moral compass? How is it that the vile nature of what you are doing is not apparent to you? You are championing rapists while deliberately, purposefully ignoring the vicious gang rape and torture of a black woman. Your actions make clear that neither you Al Sharpton as a black man, nor the NAACP, value the dignity, safety and well being of black women. Your actions make clear that the rape and violation of black women is okay depending on the race of the violator. You will protest the rape of black women by white men, but you will say nothing about the rape of black women by black men and in fact will defend the black rapists of african american women. It is a second violation of this woman and indeed of all black women as vile as the first.
Your behavior in this case is morally indefensible and despicable. There is no justification for it, no basis in morality that would support what Al Sharpton and the NAACP are doing. I demand that you reverse course. I demand that you turn the resources of your organization to providing support and aid to the innocent victims in this case, not the perpetrators. I demand that you publicly in word and deed put pressure on the West Palm Beach authorities to find and arrest the other six rapists still on the loose.
If you are unwilling to immediately and publicly acknowledge the error of your actions in regard to the Dunbar Village case, I and as many others as I can persuade to join me, will pursue every avenue available to make the public at large, the media, your membership, your financial and political supporters, your sponsors and the entire world aware of your willing and informed support and encouragement of the brutal rape and torture of a black woman. My outrage is shared by many others. NAN and the NAACP will be held accountable.
The actions of Al Sharpton and the NAACP to support rapists of black women is a moral abomination, a moral atrocity. It degrades and sullies the good the NAACP has accomplished. It should not be allowed to stand. It is non negotiable. If the NAACP and NAN must be ripped apart and rebuilt anew to restore its moral compass and establish as sacrosanct the dignity, value and safety of black women, that is preferable to organizations which knowingly support the violation and rape of black women.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To our readers. If you agree with the above, make it a letter template for other people. Forward it, twit it, facebook it, newsvine it, digg it, and anything else you can think of. Turn it into a viral hurricane of outrage and accountability.
You can communicate directly to the organizations with the info below:
NAACP: Julian Bond -Chairman
4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore MD 21215
Toll Free: (877) NAACP-98
Local: (410) 580-5777
National Action Network
Al Sharpton
Crisis Department
106 W. 145th Street
Harlem, New York 10039
212-690-3070
877-NAN-HOJ1
crisis@nationalactionnetwork.net
revalmedia@yahoo.com
NAACP: Florida State Conference
DIRECTOR: MR. SABU WILLIAMS
ADDRESS: 230 Seneca Trail; Crest View, FL 32536
TELEPHONE: (850) 301-2095 FAX: (850) 301-2098
E-MAIL: sabu1@aol.com
West Palm Beach County Branch - Unit # 5143
President: Maude Ford Lee
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 4131 West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Telephone: (561) 655-9798
E-Mail: unit5143@naacp.org
This behavior should not be allowed to stand. Let's put a stop to it.Could be a woman you care about next.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: lumineers on 11/12/2009 11:08AM
to all of you who thinks c/brown needs a secon chance unfortunately you will not understand, until you cross paths with a sociapath and get caught up in their hypnotic, charismatic,cocky, exciting and indifferent characters.they draw you in they may seem like your best friend, perfect business partner, neighbor, relative and the list goes on. when you get tangled up with one the stress they cause is so silent and covert. they will pubilicy destroy you and show no shame. they will steal your career and friends/social circleif they can turning everything and everyone you have ever known aganist you successfully, yet playing the vicitim in the eyes of others. and you will disvover how everyone seems to think that this person needs to be forgiven. ladies/gentlemen we live in a world today where this desease of bulling/psychopathy/narcissism is running all to rampant, and so many human beings out there thank human nature is more good than bad !!!!!thoughts from yoyo on nov 11, 2009
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: lumineers on 11/12/2009 11:06AM
its very obvious chris/brown is silently stalking and trying to play games with rihanna in a covert manner using his career to out do rihanna whenever she speaks out or does anythingto keep her career afloat, its funny how he emerges after her apperances. yet stupid naive people think that chris brown is simply moving on and doing his thing. i am saddened to see such naive attitudes you are all being fooled. hes smooth and know just what to do to make it appear that hes minding his own business but a lot of us out here are a lot wiser and can clearly see through how he is indirectly harassing her still.he has skillfully found a way to annoy or raddle her cage publicly outside of the restraining order.its amazing how sociopath work they are masters at being covert and smoothwhen playing their games. this is very irritating to watch when a abuser takes it to such a level. the vicitim can not prove nor complain about itbecause after all, in all indications he has moved on . don't be fooled people wake up. WHY DID CHRIST BROWN GO TO THE NCFM TO STAND AGANIST A BEATEN AND ABUSED RIHANNA. AND RIHANNA APPEARENCE HAS A LOT TO DO WITH HER CAREER AND HE MADE IT A POINT TO BEAT HER IN HER FACE.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: blutpzbutterfly on 11/13/2009 1:25AM
Chris Brown didn't go to the NCCF they chose to give voice to the situation. We don't know that Chris is a charismatic sociopath (spellcheck please) There are three sides to every story, his side, her side and that little area in between called the truth. We do know that the end result was not favorable, but I for one am not so quick to throw anyone under a moving bus considering I am a christian. God forgives those who repent so who are you a mere sinful mortal to decide another man or woman's fate? I would have more sympathy for Rihanna if she didnt spent the last 9 mos running around acting like all is well and all of a sudden, now that that crappy album of hers is about to be released wants to jump on a pity bandwagon. Even the guilty deserve their right to defend themselves. The man has been convicted and sentenced...He is trying to right his wrong.... so stop trying to take away his right to put food on his table. Many people convicted of a crime have reopented and changed their ways so how dare you decide that he doesnt have that right.....
Report This
By: lumineers on 11/12/2009 11:07AM
oh and people , please don't be fooled by his announcement of not speaking out of respect for rihanna. if he had respect for rihanna he would not have had another woman behind her back, and receiving text messages that he knew would upset rihanna. that is not the sign of a good trusting partner thats a selfish abuser he could have very well given rihanna a std from these other girls, and he has had his team chris spreading vicious lies all over the net about rihanna having herpers thats shameful all in itself they have battered rihanna so bad and tried to degrade her to the point that it needs to be stopped. there was even death threats aganis her on s site, and as far as i know the threats and wishing that death will come to her is still there.he would have not punched and bitten her simply because she had no problem expressing her anger and embrassement about being made a fool out of by him.her career depends on her looks so the fact that he bashed her face up the way that he did speaks volumes of the deep seeded hate that he has for women. so his attemptat showing sympathy is deception. don't fall for it because sociopatha are very talented at making you feel sorry for them. they commit violent physical harm on others just like pedophilies etc...don't fall for his false sympathy and kindness hes a fake and full of himself by wooly 11 03, 2009
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: blutpzbutterfly on 11/13/2009 1:26AM
You must have truly been abused some time in your life....or you are one hell of a mind ready. Are you in that young man's head? You speak as if you know more about him than he does himself. You have no right to judge another person's heart. You cannot gauge his sincerity. The fact remains that he did a wrong deed but he deserves the right to redeem himself..... Just think if the first time you made a mistake everyone turned their back on you and in not so many words said you are faking and will never change....come on now. Seems like you are harboring some pinned up emotion here and maybe this situation is bringing back feelings but it simply isnt fair for you or anyone else to play God with this mans life.... now if he proves himself to be all these negative things then so be it leave him to his evil deeds but not before hand.... So tell me with your strong opinions how did you feel about Ri Ri's admission in complex magazine that she beat her brother in the head with a bottle...or what about the reports and her court admission that she has slapped Chris prior to this incident? Is she justified in doing so? Do you feel she is wrong? Because reguardless of the circumstance she is also wrong and her actions shouldn't go unnoticed...or did you just completly disreguard those facts because you are still so busy being bitter behind your own experiences? You know one will always be trapped by their circumstances until they have the ability to forgive, let go and move forward with their lives...... Believe me, been there and done that.
Report This
By: lumineers on 11/12/2009 11:07AM
people don't understand the pattern and dynamitcs of the cocky indifferent male types.yes, what they do does appear as a stupid mistake but don't let that fool you. psychopaths/sociopath do very stupidthings publisly, thats what causes people to feel sorry for them, because the things that they do are so stupid, leading people to say oh, he just made a stupid mistake give him a second chance.... thats the same as letting a serial killer outof prison just because he was a vicitim of childhood trauma and claims he/she is really a good person.don't be such fools, you are all idiots if you think this guy only made an emotional mistake. he has no emotions and the monster came out that dark night in the car when rihanna confronted him about the other girls, its all so typicaland happens and the same thing happens in every case where these types of events occur. rihanna you are not along this happens to many strong succeesful people and every one else as well too. by bj on nov. 11 2009
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: lumineers on 11/12/2009 11:30AM
yep the truth is people are sneaky, creepy and very competetive. they play and feed off and use one another many social friendships are artificial and unreal. yet , people think they are on top with so many friends and connections. huh you all are fools sadly and when you meet a chris brown of the world you should get a education no school are general life experience can ever teach people. some people are just acting stupid but its deeper than that. people are weak, gullible generaly trusting and stupid. chris brown characters are drawn to loving , giving, personalities they suck the life out of you, then destroy you once they find a new lover or source of supply to feed on like predators sorry that this happen to rihanna and all others in this world. but this stuff happens to many celebs and everyday hard working people its extremely common and yet highly mistaken as a stupid mistake that another human made by ruit 11 -11-2009
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: KENNY KING on 11/12/2009 11:56AM
what a terrible act, but there is still hope...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkjAghQmnXs
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: lumineers on 11/13/2009 8:27AM
WHEN HE WENT AND GOT THE NCFM THAT MAKES PEOPLE think that hes guilty as charge when he spoke on larry king rihanna never said a word. this happen to rihanna and there a group of gropies out there thats fuled by chris and his sexiness and they are trining to ride rihannas back every day . when theres a topic on some of these most popular site and rihanna is featured the haters toward her floods the site with slime, lies and nasety things to try and kill this young artist spitits and that is just blatant wrong that needs to stop , oh its easy to say oh, we can't stop his fans from talking thats cool because as long as they are tearing rihanna down like she was not the victim anf chris was there will always be mess going on and the fire will never go out. but theres a group of people who knows what they see is wrong and the more that he let his boys act a fool the deeper the hole will get and it makes chris brown look desparate as hell to try and bring rihanna down because hes a jealous, and hateful woman beater and he needs to call his dogs off and let this phase of his life dye down and get his career back on track instead of flaming the fire everyday of his life.rihanna is going on with his life and he still wants to control her like he used to do that is over he needs to get a grip. she did not cause this he put his own selfish butt on the map he did it to himself and now everytime she speaks he have got something to sat . yet the biggest lie of all is the one he told when he said he did not remember what had happen and with that being said he needs to put a dam mussler on his lying mouth.!!!
Reply to this Comment | Report This