With every music award show, viewers wait in anticipation to find out which artists will perform. The Grammy producers spend months putting together the show and deciding who will perform and who will not by seeing who will bring in more viewers and money. Clover Hope, a senior editor at Vibe said in an interview with E! online, “They’re about money.” He points out, first and foremost, that the awards show is just that: a show that needs pizazz to attract younger viewers. Taking this into consideration, the producers chose Chris Brown, an R&B artist, to perform that night, not once, but twice. According to Hope, “They have to put on a good show. They know he does a good show, and that’s what its about.” Unfortunately, many people did not handle his return to the Grammy stage since 2009 very well.
In 2009, Chris Brown and Rihanna, another R&B artist, were dating. On the eve of the Grammy Awards, Chris Brown violently attacked Rihanna and was convicted for felony assault. According to the E-Poll, the market research company, the public’s dislike of Brown is at the same level today as it was in 2009.
Even though Brown won a Grammy Award for best R&B album, the dislike towards him became apparent as many people, including celebrities, tweeted their feelings. Miranda Lambert, a country singer, tweeted, “Chris Brown twice? I don’t get it. He beat on a girl…Not cool that we act like that didn’t happen.” Even Jack Osbourne, the son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, made a co
mment saying, “Chris Brown…people don’t forget! #chrisbrownbeatswomen. If Chris Brown had worn a wife beater, the irony would eclipse the whole show.”
Trying to defend the singer, Ken Ehrlich, a Grammy executive producer, said, “I think people deserve a second chance, you know. 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 victims of what happened.” Sherri Shepherd, The View cohost, also stood up for Brown during one of her episodes and said, “I’ve defended Chris Brown and said that I thought he deserved another chance. I still do think he deserves another chance. We shouldn’t just throw him out because of one mistake and it’s over. He was a victim! He became an offender. He did what the courts told him to do. He went to 52 weeks, a year of domestic prevention counseling.”
Although the Grammy’s are over, Chris Brown has still stirred up conflict among the social media. Many people were shocked by what teen girls were tweeting on the night of the show. One girl tweeted, “Call me crazy but I would let Chris Brown beat me up any day,” while another girl said, “I’d let Chris Brown beat me up any time.”
I may not agree with Chris Brown’s actions, but I do believe that everyone does deserve a second chance. He put in the time and effort, like Sherri Shepherd said, in order to make up for his behavior. However, what concerns me the most is that girls find his behavior acceptable and joke about it. No one deserves to be treated the way Brown treated Rihanna. No one should allow his or her self to be a victim of abuse. Those girls that go online and joke about it must not understand the seriousness of the situation. By allowing Chris Brown to perform, people proved that everyone can start over, but others need to understand that he got in trouble for a reason. He may be forgiven for his actions, but he has to live with the consequences of that day for the rest of his life, and that is not a laughing matter.