This past Sunday, the Grammy’s were on. There was a thought-provoking performance by Nicki Minaj, an excellent tribute to Whitney Houston by Jennifer Hudson and there was also a performance by Chris Brown. The performance of Chris Brown seemed to draw the ire of a lot of people.
For those that don’t know, a few years ago, Chris Brown was on the cusp of super-stardom when on one fatal night, he got into a fight with his then-girlfriend Rihanna. And this just wasn’t any ordinary fight. Rihanna was beat up pretty badly. Ever since then, the hate has been spewed his way by women and men alike. I think he deserved the hate at that time for the ugly act that he committed. But I also think he deserves forgiveness as well.
Many people, and especially a ton of women, said that they will never support him again. But the funny thing about this is the very same women support some of the people that have done some of the same things. Many people who hate people in entertainment for things that they do tend to turn a blind eye to some of the things that are done right in front of their faces.
Brandon Marshall is a guy who fits this bill. He’s a talented player on the football field, but off the field, he has had his troubles. And by troubles, I mean he has had incidents with domestic violence. And the funniest thing about this is that absolutely no one is screaming that they hate him and will not support him. To me, that’s wrong on so many levels. If you’re gonna hate one, then you should hate the other. Chris Brown and Brandon Marshall did the same exact things to women and I can guarantee that people view them differently.
My point in writing all this is that many people allow the media to shape their opinions more than letting their own beliefs shape them. In this era of social media, a lot of people are easily convinced that one person is the devil for what they did while the other guy, who did the same exact thing, was just acting out and had an isolated incident.
Another good example of the media’s power to influence public opinion is Michael Vick. Vick killed maimed dogs and was sent to jail for a little over a year. He was vilified and in some circles, he is still considered a villain. During the same time, wide receiver Donte Stallworth ran over and killed a pedestrian in Miami while drunk driving. In contrast to Vick’s punishment, Stallworth did 30 days in jail and paid monies toward the family of the pedestrian. I think that it’s very hypocritical that no one speaks of that incident, yet Vick’s troubles continue to get talked about like they just happened yesterday.
I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not condoning hitting women nor am I condoning hate either. In fact, I think that people deserve forgiveness when they make mistakes. All of us have made mistakes and whether they be big or small, people forgave us. Think about if those mistakes that you made kept getting thrown up in your face for the rest of your life and you never received any forgiveness.
I think there is a particular reason that some people hate one person and love the other. With some people, they need to turn off the TV and turn on their minds. Don’t let the TV tell you who to love or hate because they put them on TV all the time. Make up your own mind. As for me, I never hated any of the people that I mentioned today. I realized that people make mistakes and need forgiveness. Maybe America should try this and not be so judgmental when we aren’t perfect.
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There Are Currenty 8 Comments for this Post
Exactly. I believe that a big part of the hate for Vick was racist. It was DOGS ppl…..(who is Ben R)..We are aware of what Chris Brown did because of modern media and images. I also hate when ppl mix personal and sports and then judge them on the personal. It’s hilarious if it wasnt sad. Can they not discuss the skills of Floyd Mayweather or do their ra ra for chickenlittle without dissing Floyd’s own incident of DV? I could list sooooo many of the DV cases and in a few, the actual truth behind it….Mike, Nice read.
People hate because it draws attention away form their own flaws. Plus it makes them feel above these guys. We need to learn to let go and let God handle.
The racism aspect can pretty much immediately be ruled out by the fact that Donte Stallworth only got 30 days and house arrest. It has nothing to do with that. It’s simply a ridiculous system. Plaxico Burress spent about as much time as Vick in prison and he shot HIMSELF. To me, the pain from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, not to mention the humiliation, was punishment enough. The Stallworth ruling is the abberation to everything, but then again, the undisclosed amount of money the family received will never be known. Not many parts of the justice system will ever make sense.
Very well written and very insightful and I agree ..can I post your article ?
You hit the nail square on the head. We, as society are very selective in terms of who we vilify more. I still think Ray Lewis got off easy on his murder charge many years ago. I have many questions about that night in Atlanta. Yet he’s considered a hero and role model. Well done Mr. Patton. Keep up the good work.
I agree completely with you, Mike, and what Jeremy said. There are certainly many, MANY unanswered questions about that incident. While Lewis is a great player and an all-around great guy, I still have questions that need to be answered.
I agree we should all be more forgiving as a people, no doubt about that. I sometimes wonder if people might not know that a specific person has committed a certain act and simply are unaware. Either way a very controversial topic. I suppose a very passionate one for those afflicted by it on a personal level. But forgiveness is good and we should all try to forgive, while being mindful of those hurt by others.
Forgiveness is Must for moving Foward if not remain in the Past all the World Moves Past You in all forms