This past week, singer Chris Brown has been dealing with the legal troubles surrounding his beating of Rihanna case. Brown supposedly completed his court–ordered 180 days of community service but recent reports suggest that not only did the singer fail to commit his service but also lied and said that her did. His lawyer stands by his position that Brown is being “tortured” by the DA’s office and being made an example of. I don’t know, I think that if you severely beat a person, then the slap on the wrist punishment you get should at least be completed. Another surprising aspect of these recent court dates is the presence of Rihanna. You may remember that Rihanna was Brown’s victim a few years back when he physically assaulted her inside of his car. It seems that Rihanna has put the traumatic experience behind her.
One would argue that because Rihanna has obviously forgiven Chris Brown for assaulting her, then the court system should as well. Statistically, a woman will return to her abuser 7 times before she leaves him for good. With those odds, Rihanna still has a long way to go. Should the judge let up on Brown because he has “changed his ways” or is it entirely too likely that he will commit the same crime sooner rather than later. It’s not like Brown has stayed away from violence following his assault charge. Just last week he was involved in an altercation with singer Frank Ocean and there have been documented incidents of his violent outbursts.
What do you all think? If a woman supports her abuser, should we assume that she just knows something that we don’t? Or is it impossible for the abuser to ever change from his previous actions? Comment what you think below!
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That statistic is startling! You can imagine how hurt and confused women must be when their abused, and I think it must destroy any good feelings that they have about themselves. It’s really sad, and it’s sad that Rihanna, someone who is so successful, could fall victim to those feelings.
What do you think the larger effects of this story might be on the public, particularly Rihanna’s young fans? Do you think it makes them think it’s okay to stand by or return to an abuser? Or do you think it makes them more aware of the problem and that it could happen to anyone?
I have to agree with Allison that I used to adore Chris Brown and that after he abused Rihanna, my opinion of him definitely went downhill. I also think that people have the ability to change, but it is a lot easier said than done. I think it is hard to say whether or not Chris has, even though the person he assaulted is back in his life. I’ve heard of a lot of domestic violence cases where the victim still loves the abuser and goes back to them on the promise that they will recover…however, they rarely do. Also, personality is generally pretty stable over the course of one’s life and I think that this fits into that category.
I think a lot of people are missing the big idea here in other words, we are forgetting about the psychological aspects of being abused. In an abusive relationship (kind of like in a kidnapping) women tend to empathize with their abuser and do anything in order to gain their approval/love. They do this because doing what the abuser wants is the immediate way to protect themselves. This happens even if the abused woman doesn’t quite realize it. That’s why so many women go back to their abusers. They feel this intense need to satisfy them. Rihanna is in a situation where she thinks that he will change but in reality he is actually just going through his cycle of abuse. The cycle for abusers goes from intense love and great treatment to what the call “walking on eggshells” to the abuse and back again. I really feel for her and hope she gets the help she will need. Abusers do not change.
You know, it’s pretty sad because I used to LOVE Chris Brown – that is until he became an abusing, girl-hitting, scumbag. There is no reason why a guy should EVER put his hands on a girl. I don’t believe that “he changed his ways” BS because a person who abused once will do it again. I’ve watched way too many shows/movies about this. When a person is abusive, they tend to be controlling, violent, and angry and abusing another person is how they deal with it. He will not change. I’m sure very soon we will be hearing about it again. You’d think Rihanna would have a little more sense. She’s a beautiful celebrity who can have a man who will treat her one hundred times better. Get a grip girl! I don’t think she’s supporting Chris Brown, I think that she either loves him in a very twisted way or she is also crazy or she is just plain scared of leaving him for good.
I think everybody can change, even somebody like Chris Brown, but if someone changes they must really change before their significant other should take them back. If Chris Brown is skipping his community service and getting into brawls with Frank Ocean, than obviously he has not changed. Rihanna is putting herself in a situation where everybody is screaming at her, “Don’t be stupid! Don’t get back with him, whatever you do! Date somebody, date anybody, not him!”, yet she is ignoring every single piece of advice that everybody around her is giving her. I don’t have much hope for their future relationship, because he still sounds like a jerk. He’s not sorry at all.
In my opinion, people do not change. People grow and they learn but in the end you will always be who you always were. An abuser will always have abusive tendencies whether it be emotional or physical. Just because Rihanna is blinded by love does not mean that the court should let go of Chris’ charges. Yes, they may be treating him more harshly than others because he is a public figure but that does not mean he is the victim. Chris Brown thinks that because he is a celebrity he is above the law and does not have to complete the court ordered community service. I hope that the people who care about Rihanna and her family can help her to see the toxicity of her relationship before it’s too late.