Trigger Warning: This article discusses the subject of domestic abuse; all opinions are the author’s own.
It was the assault that made headlines around the world: five years ago, musician Chris Brown severely beat up his then girlfriend, singer Rihanna, leading to a five year probation sentence for Brown and a renewed discussion of abusive relationships. The widely distributed picture of Rihanna with a swollen face and downcast eyes also served to effectively alienate Brown from his fans and the music industry for several years. Now, in a recent interview for the talk show Ebro in the Morning, Brown spoke about the incident, saying that he was in the “thug Chris Brown era” of his life when the assault took place, and said that he believed he has grown as a person and is more mature now than he was then.
However, what he failed to mention in this interview was the fact that he recently completed a 131-day jail sentence stemming from an incident that took place last year during which Brown and his bodyguard beat up a fan that tried to get a picture with the R&B star outside of the W Hotel in Washington, D.C. This assault violated the five-year probation sentence placed on Brown in 2009 after the incident involving Rihanna, and showed that perhaps Brown has not matured so much after all.
This new interview brings the assault, and thus the topic of abusive relationships, back into the public eye. Rihanna, who suffered from severe bruising and swelling on her face and arms as a result of the altercation with Brown, has since publicly moved on from Brown. However, her private feelings on the matter are likely much more complicated, and it may never be publicly known whether or not she has fully forgiven her former boyfriend.
This brings up the question of whether Brown, and other perpetrators involved in abusive relationships, even deserve to be forgiven, to be extended a second, third, or even fourth chance, all in the hope that they have changed or grown as a person. Brown himself clearly believes that he should be given the chance to forgive and forget, and that the incident should be allowed to fade into obscurity. However, for the estimated 2-4 million women who are abused in the United States alone every year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, the memories of people they loved physically assaulting them won’t fade so easily. Indeed, in an even scarier statistic, one in three women will be abused in their lifetime by a partner.
These facts and figures paint a picture of a serious problem in this country, one that, in many ways, can be traced back to Brown. Despite the fact that Brown held Rihanna in a choke hold, forcing the air from her lungs as he systematically punched her in the face and arms until a neighbor heard screams and he relented, Brown never served a day of jail time in connection to the assault. He only served time due to his breaking of the probation sentence he was handed in connection to the case. It seems that in the United States, inflicting the primal terror of death on another human being on, in many cases, a daily basis, is not a crime that deserves the maximum punishment. The perpetrator can go to therapy or complete community service, all while serving probation time, and all while walking free in the world, law enforcement trusting that the perpetrator’s wrists have been adequately slapped, and that a similar incident won’t happen again.
This is a blatant mistake. Even though Brown only assaulted Rihanna once, he still held her in terror for her life, and while the physical scars may have long ago faded, the emotional damage likely still remains. Thus, the answer to the question of whether Brown, and other perpetrators, can ever be fully forgiven is, simply, no. They may move on, they may grow up, and they likely may never abuse another person. But that one person who suffered should serve as a reminder that they can’t escape their past, or the harm they inflicted. Harming another human being, let alone harming someone you love, is an act that is truly unforgivable.
Brown should really think the next time he brags about moving on. Karma isn’t always a lady.