I don’t know about you all but I am OVER hearing about Chris Brown and Rihanna. I am not in anyway trying to make light of this horrible situation but it seems as we, the public, tried to put this whole media ordeal behind and move on to focus on some new celebrity mess that is NONE OF OUR BUSINESS ANYWAY; enter stage left, Rihanna, nine months later with the sudden urge to “break her silence.” I wouldn’t wish domestic assault on my worst enemy and again, this situation is very unfortunate. But if the reason for your sudden urge to “set the record straight” is because you have an album coming out soon, and you want to elicit “Sympathy Sales,” then I’m not buying.
I mean to me this is kind of selfish. All it does is have people rehash their positions on the situation; reviving negative feelings towards Chris Brown. How is he supposed to work on himself, grow from the situation, and work out his problems so that this can never happen again? That’s just it he can’t. I mean I’m not on Chris Brown’s side in this. I, like most women, do not believe a man should put his hands on a woman. Yes, that’s true. But I also believe in forgiveness. The more we, the fans, the audience, the viewer, keep on hearing and recapping the situation, the more we’re filled with contempt for the villain of this tale; Chris Brown. That won’t solve anything. By everybody taking sides, wearing the little shirts, Team Chris, Team Rihanna, there can never be any healing or closure from the situation. That is what we want right; for domestic abuse to cease, bring about a positive change in these young people’s life?
I will say that it does seem as though there is a little something extra behind the reason Rihanna came out now. Did she not already say- after the whole incident -that she wasn’t going to become a spokesperson against domestic violence? No good fruit can come from this “exclusive interview” except of course, sympathy sales.
What are sympathy sales? It’s a phrase I made up to describe the act of: doing an interview to pluck consumer’s emotion strings, exploiting your unfortunate situation or incident as your album is on its way to iTunes/record store shelves. Get people all riled up again, about how mad they are at him, and how much they love you, then a few weeks later drop your album. It’s genius when you think about it. Not to say that I’m not sympathetic, but tickling my purse strings? Not so much.
Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in what’s going on and miss the big picture. This whole “breaking her silence, after all this time” jazz is about MONEY. Yeah, I said it! It’s the truth, and the truth shall set me free. This is about turning this tragedy into a profit. Yes, there are some genuine feelings of wanting to help others, getting the word out that women don’t have to live like that way. But behind all of the façade are dollars and cents.
It’s easier for us to take the media blitz like these at face value and leave all of the judgment to God because I think we all agree as quoted by Jay-Z and many others: “Only God can Judge me…”
If we as the outsiders of this situation, who truly do not know what happened that night, no matter how many times we hear the account from: Rihanna, Diane Sawyer, Larry King, Chris Brown, TMZ and they Mommas, simply understand that WE WERE NOT THERE! Only God knows what really went down. So, as opposed to rehashing over and over again… how he’s wrong, how she’s wrong… we need to take it at face value. Don’t become a “sympathy sell,” pray for them and their families and MOVE On.
But that’s just my personal take….
The opinions expressed in this editorial feature do not necessarily reflect the position of Singersroom.com or any of its employees
Thank you! that’s exactly how i felt. Rihanna did this interview to help boost her record sales. i don’t care what anybody said..its true!! if she want to be role a model..she should have talk about it months ago. That gurl never did nothing to proove she wanted to help domestic violence victims. instead of clubbing, taveling, shopping, walking the street of NY, she should have take time to go battered women shelters, domestic violence orgazation and talk to this women.
she is full of shit, the only reason she is not with him is because the courts wont allow her.
I must say I agree.While I’ve tried to come up with who’s right and who’s wrong it jut makes no sense anymore! No he probably shouldn’t have hit her, but NINE months later she feels that NOW we deserve a recap.I don’t think so,however I desperately hope that the public gets over this and BOTH Chris Brown and Rihanna can move on and countinue to succeed.
I agree with you on saying that we need to get over it and needs to be said and done. But I think the idea of saying she did the Diane interview for sympathy sales it saying like she tried to bring up old news. Chris Brown gave his two cents earlier and now Rihanna had her chance so whats the point on being mad that she did it two weeks before her album drops. It shouldn’t matter what time of the year she chose to speak out. The fact that she said something in itself was a brave thing to do. Domestic violence no matter who did what to whom is a serious issue and she used her celeb status to speak out. Chris Brown used his to speak out as well. They both spoke out and they did what they needed to do. Whether you or anyone buys their albums is up to the fans they have. It should be about the music and not about the situation that happened.
i totally feel exactly the same..sympathy sales.Rihanna,u can do better.thats really low.
I totally agree with you 100%!!!!
doesnt matter to me anymore who hit who. i am jus really tired of hearing all this crap now. its old as dirt.
I completely disagree with this article!! And because of reading makes me not want to support Chris Brown, because yall simply don’t get it.
Chris Brown did 3 interviews, compared to Rihanna’s 1, yet she the one trying to get sympathy?
And why did Chris Brown did another interview and aired it the same day as Rihanna? Couldn’t he give her a moment to tell her story without his interference?
I purchased “Transform ya” and I was ready to get passed it and support Chris Brown 100%. But I’m so tired of thise blogs, simply not getting it !!! I can’t buy anymore of his reecords, still everyone else gets on the same level as me. Yall enabling his behavior.
After I seen chris brown doing his community service, I was ready to support him again. But now, yall F*ked that up for me.
I never purchased Rihanna’s music a day in my life…. Hate her voice..
But if these blogs going make me choose who to like, Rihanna is going to win..
So if yall really, support Chris BRown bashing RIhanna whom is a Victim isn’t helping the situation.
I agree with the article….. lets move on… Chris is righting is wrong!!! No one is perfect and I am happy to see him taking responsibility for his actions. I’m also happy she has learned from this as well!!! Find me adult or adolence in this world that has not made a mistake.. won’t happen.
Too many kids and their parents look up to Chris. he really didn’t have to give an explanation, but he felt the need too. He never denied it, he admitted to his mistake, he is trying to better himself by seeking help, he never said a bad word about Rihanna or disrepect her in anyway. He is learning as he grow. Rihanna didn’t have to say a word, everyone was on her side regardless.
I think that we forget that both Rihanna and Chris are them are still really young and a lot of what they have said or haven’t said has been coached to them. Plus, trying to put myself in her shoes, after being beaten that way would I want to come out in front of millions of people and admit that I had been beat up? No, she needed her time to understand what she’d been through and hopefully learn from it. But if anything I hope that her speaking out will help those girls that are living this right now to get out of their abusive relationship.
I don’t mind her waiting until now to tell her story, I think she should speak out. BUT! she spoke out the wrong way. She did it out of anger and that was the wrong way to go. Chris was right. What went on in that car should have been between them, she didn’t have to get into detail just to make him look bad and to satisfy everyone else, HELL he already admitted that he F**k up. He didn’t need her to add more gas to the fire. That’s my opinion. Hope both do well. point blank! SHE DID IT FOR THE WRONG REASON!
I agree, I wanted her to speak out as well, but I didn’t like how she down talk him, like he meant nothing to her. I’m glad he didn’t do the same. It’s time to grow up people.
I agee 200% I said the same thing, not by far condoning DV but,why now… Rihanna contradict herself a lot in the 20/20 interview, she should have been asked by Diane Sawyer about her abusive past that everyone seem to have forgotten about. I mean how in there world in the court report papers that TMZ made public for us all to read that she admitted to slapping him, 2007 interview with Complex Magazine she stated that she had once hit her brother with a bottle in the face ” Ouch”. Now she’s stated that her father was abusive to her mother but… before he was a drug addict and drunk , also she loves to use other people words, Jay-Z stated on Oprah’s that she could become a spokesperson and voice for the young women, well… you know the rest. One more question, Chris Brown was convicted by the court where is his mug shot, what’s up with that, we have seen everyone else, why not his, it’s public records,just asking.