Chris Brown Needs to Fall Back & Stay Out the Spotlight for a While

   

 

Chris Brown needs to fall back for a while and take more time before returning to the spotlight

Its sad that we live in a day and time where common sense is always trumped by the need to make a quick buck. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means suggesting that Chris Brown is trying to make a quick buck, but I have to agree with the folks who are calling for Chris to fall back, take a breath and get some help. His seeming eagerness to return to the fold and repair his image seems to defy common sense.

 Should he be the poster child for domestic violence? Of course not, but like it or not he is… And just like he’s was able to rise to the occasion and be a breath of fresh air by being a clean cut viable alternative to the raunchy, in your face, over the top, crass persona that has dominated so much of urban music, Brown should rise to the occasion and be a shining example of how one properly atones and handles a troubling situation. He should rise to the occasion and be the poster child of a man who doesn’t beat women. That’ll take some time and deep soul searching that is ‘felt’ by his fans not simply seen and heard.

Right now there are some missing steps in the process Chris Brown is taking as he returns to the spotlight. What those missing steps are, I can’t say… I guess I feel he shouldn’t be in the spotlight right now. Next time I see Brown in public, I don’t wanna see him in a club partying with a bevy of women. I don’t wanna see any more Youtube videos. The one he made where he apologized was suffice.

The Larry King interview? It was a disaster. Brown seemed uncomfortable and not quite ready for primetime. The time to reflect and really deal with what he has done didn’t come across in that interview. He looked more angry than contrite.  I found myself getting upset because his mom was on there sitting next to him crying as she recalled her own abuse. 

Leading up to the interview and now afterwards,  Brown will have to deal withg the realization that he doesn’t control the media and the way things are being manipulated and the way his quotes are being chopped up and taken out of context a particular tone is  and was  set. Many of us came into the  CNN Interview with arms folded and several layers of cynicism.  Sadly Brown’s demenanor reinforced those perceptions. The only one who benefitted was Larry King who probably got a nice ratings boost to catch up up to MSNBC.

I think people are looking for action and no more talk. Brown didn’t just slap or shove Rihanna, he beat her down without mercy. He didn’t do this one time. He did it on 3 different times. Hence I agree with those who are calling for him to chill. Its too soon for him to return.

Maybe Brown should take a full year off, leave the country, or go underground for a bit. Whatever he does he should definitely be out of the headlines and allow himself sometime to grow and better mature. When I see all these appearances it reeks of big business trying to callously repair its image and not of man trying to help himself , the person he victimized and people he disappointed heal.

Personally I’d like to see him embed himself in the lives of young people who really could use a helping hand. I’d like to see him take time and maybe write a book reflecting his time away from the spotlight and showing how he’s grown from this mistake. In any case I wish Brown much luck.. From what I’m seeing and the sense I get I don’t think this Larry King interview helped him much.

something to ponder

-Davey D-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8S-G215exM&feature=player_embedded

  

Chris Brown needs therapy, not media redemption tour

A sorry sight

By Lauren Beckham Falcone

http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment/lifestyle/view.bg?&articleid=1194777&format=&page=1&listingType=life#articleFull 

Chris Brown needs to quit his redemption tour.

The 20-year-old r & b singer, arrested for bloodying, beating and biting former girlfriend and pop star Rihanna in February, spent his first week on probation doing the media mea culpa thing, appearing on “Larry King Live” tonight and in People magazine Friday.

But instead of appearing contrite, he comes across as a classic abuser.

In a clip released Monday by CNN, Larry King asks Brown, “Do you remember doing it?”

Brown: “No.”

“You don’t remember doing it?”

“I don’t. I don’t. It’s like crazy to me. I’m like, ‘wow.

Likewise.

Brown, in a matching blue sweater and bow tie ensemble, looks like a toddler on his way to the Sears Portrait Studio – and is about as articulate.

Flanked by his mother, a victim of domestic violence, and celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, who was last seen representing baby-and-wife-killer Scott Peterson, Brown sinks even lower, taking the passive view of the assault that turned him into the Millennial generation’s Ike Turner.

“When I look at it now, it’s just like, wow, like, I can’t – I can’t believe that – that actually happened.”

“That,” by the way, is shorthand for back-seat beatdown.

Meanwhile, Toni Troop, spokeswoman for Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, wasn’t surprised by Brown’s convenient amnesia.

“We have heard all too often the denial, the dismissal, the lack of taking responsibility, the turning the tables, the justification of the outbursts,” she said.

What Brown can’t seem to recall is pretty unforgettable:

“Brown … shoved (Rihanna’s) head against the passenger window of the vehicle … punched her in the left eye,” according to the police report. “(He) … continued to punch her in the face … (causing) her mouth to fill with blood and blood to splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle. Brown … stated “I am going to beat the (expletive) out of you when we get home … placed her in a head lock … bit her on her left ear … punching her in the face and arms applying pressure to her left and right carotid arteries causing her to be unable to breath … she began to lose consciousness … bit her left ring and middle fingers … continued to punch her on legs and feet.”

By the way, this was the third such incident.

Brown issued a statement yesterday claiming CNN took his words out of context. Too late.

In both the statement and the “Larry King” segment, Brown’s sincerity is like, crazy to me, it’s like, wow.

Brown should take a break from the talk show circuit, get some therapy and return to the spotlight when he has something meaningful – and sincere – to say.

Anything else is just a slap in the face

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Blackwater-The World’s Most Deadly Mercenary Army-An Interview w/ Jeremy Scahill

The first time I heard of Blackwater was around the Katrina disaster in New Orleans. We started hearing reports that there was a private army that was running around, guarding hotels and preventing people from taking refuge and seeking shelter as they fled from the horrors of the 9th Ward.

At first we thought they were security guards, but later learned they were navy seals, and ex military men who had come in from Iraq and were given full authority to shoot and kill, detain folks and basically run the show. The word was these guys were scary and out of control.

Those early reports were later confirmed by journalist Jeremy Scahill who went down to New Orleans and pretty much let us know that just like Saddam Hussein had his special Revolutionary Guard, George Bush and friends had their own army of sorts in the form of Blackwater..

Headed up by former elite Navy Seal and fundamentalist Christian, Erik Prince, Blackwater epitomized the growing trend to outsource all aspects of our military operations to private companies who with their entrance into New Orleans have also started doing domestic work. For example, the city of Oakland was talking about having Blackwater patrol their streets.

We caught up with Jeremy and had an in depth conversation about Blackwater and Scahill’s new book. ‘Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army’.

Here Jeremy gives the full history of this organization and details how many of our best trained military personnel are now employed by Blackwater. We talk about the use of private armies around the world and how they have been used for years to destabilize governments in Africa including Apartheid South Africa.  Scahill talks about the sadness of having white mercenaries running around the continent killing Black leaders and tipping their government on behalf of rich and powerful business interests.

This is the worlds biggest private army

We talked in depth about how Blackwater had started their own CIA.. Yes, you read that correctly, this private company has its own CIA headed up by former high ranking CIA members. We talked about how and why members were not in violation of the law since they were sharing state secretwith private individuals. In short we train Blackwater members with our tax dollars. They then go off and work for a private company who may at times hold a different agenda then that of the people.

Scahill soberly noted that this private CIA is one of the most under reported stories today and he took his fellow journalist to task for not speaking up on this and letting the world know. Scahill also detailed how Blackwater is part of a secret Assassination Squad that he accuses former Vice President Dick Cheney of putting together and shielding from Congress.

We spoke with Scahill about President Obama and where he stood on this issue.. He noted that Obama as a Senator was one of a handful of people who stood up and demanded that Blackwater be held accountable. He even backed that up with legislation that didn’t pass.  As President Obama uses Blackwater in Afghanistan  but won’t extend their contract in Iraq where they guard government officials.

We talked about whether Obama or any other country would have to concern themselves with a possible Coup. The question was asked with the understanding and concern that for years there have been racist paramilitary groups training all over the US and joining the military and police forces. I wanted to know if those types of people holding supremacists attitudes were working for Blackwater.. Scahill noted that Blackwater is fully capable of defeating small nations but didn’t think they would run a coup on this country. Our military is not too keen on the whole Blackwater thing. Scahill said that many in our military feels that Blackwater’s unchecked actions cause problems on the battlefield. He did however say he feared for Obama’s safety and said one should not underestimate the extent that white supremacist attitudes run deep and what sort of crazy reactions it inspires.

During our interview we noted how the popular Fox TV show 24 featuring Keifer Sutherland last season had as its theme a Blackwater type army undermining the government. Scahill noted he had heard this and was presently watching the series. He noted that the show had unfortunately helped undermine the argument that torture is wrong. Many have watched Sutherland’s character Jack Buer routinely torture people in his quest to save the world. Many have come to fusethe fact with fiction.  

We ended our interview with a discussion on the role media has played or not played in all this. Scahillconcluded that way too many have become too friendly with the rich and powerful and instead of vigorously covering them, reporters are drinking beers and playing golf. Scahill said we no longer have journalists, we have media personalities. 

Listen to the Breakdown FM podcast by clicking the links below…

Breakdown FM Podcast of Jeremy Scahill Interview on Blackwater

http://odeo.com/episodes/25061031-Blackwater-The-World-s-Most-Deadly-Mercenary-Army-An-Interview-w-Jeremy-Scahill

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