Chris Brown At The BET Awards

After being banned from last years BET Awards, Chris Brown finally got the opportunity to honor his idol.  I fancy myself as a huge Michael Jackson fan (both before AND after his untimely passing) and I have to say, I got goosebumps watching Chris perform.  From a purely dancing/rhythm/movement standpoint, he may be the closest thing we'll ever see.  I was very proud of what I saw and I only wish the politics and red tape hadn't gotten in the way of him doing this last year, when it would have had the biggest impact.

Then it came time for him to perform "Man In The Mirror", and he broke down and started crying; resulting in the audience finishing the lyrics instead.  It was awkward for a second, then it was moving and emotional.  But without fail, twitter became a stage for everyone to unleash their best Chris Brown joke. Everything from the crying being a publicity stunt to jabs at him being a wife beater to the "man-up-and-finish-the-song" comments.  It underscored a glaring issue I have with society: the disability (or the plain unwillingness) to forgive.  We are well over a year removed from what Chris did.  His career has suffered greatly because of it.  He's been the subject of jokes, criticism, disdain, and in some cases, outright hatred.  The reaction to his transgressions would be more understandable if they were applied equally to everyone.  But do people look at R. Kelly and say he should never perform again after engaging in sexual acts with minors?  Statutory rape and pedophilia is definitely not the kind of thing you should just shrug off.  Will NBA fans declare that Gilbert Arenas should never step foot on a basketball court again?  He did, after all, bring guns into a public facility where families (often with children) come to be entertained.  Guns kill people, and that's definitely not something you should sweep under the rug.  Where is the outrage for Ben Roethlisberger, who may or may not have raped a woman not once, but twice.  I could go on and on, really.

I do believe what separates Chris from the rest is the fact that his victim was famous, well known, and generally loved by the public.  Ben's (alleged) victim wasn't.  R. Kelly's victim wasn't.  Gilbert's potential victims weren't.  Since there's no real face to these people in the public eye, then who cares?  Let our beloved celebrities get back to entertaining us.  But since Chris beat Rihanna, whom many people idolize, that's crossing the line.  

One crime, whether it's rape, weapon possession, battery, isn't better or worse than the other.  Chris doesn't deserve the hate that other famous criminals seem to have dodged.  If it's your choice to vilify Chris for the rest of his life, then so be it.  You just remember that the next time your favorite entertainer steps on the wrong side of the law.