It's sometimes difficult to watch a fish out of water. It flails around, gasping violently in the air, as it tries in vain to fill its lungs with oxygen. It's scaly skin begins to peel and blister as its time out of water begins to cause its body to dry up. Flies begin to buzz around in anticipation of its imminent demise, as it struggles on land. Although agile and majestic in its own environment, darting and cutting in and out of coral reefs with pinpoint precision, on land it is simply a hunk of barely-breathing flesh on a fast track to death. This is Chris Brown.
In his environment, when it comes to talent, he swims among the very best. But his experiences in the real world find him rushing into oblivion time-after-time. In what is but the latest in a long line of violent outburst for the 24 year old superstar, Brown was arrested this weekend. His original felony assault charge was reduced to a misdemeaner, after being accused of breaking a man's nose in an altercation outside the W Hotel in Washington DC. If found guilty, Chris Breezy could face up to four years in prison for violating his probation, stemming from charges levied during the 2009 Rihanna assault case.
The circumstances surrounding the fight are not entirely clear. But one thing is certain Brown should have walked away. Whatever it was that offended this man to the point where he felt he should plant his fist in another person’s face, barring a true self-defense scenario, was not important enough to jeopardize his freedom. But Brown has been trapped by his own infamy for years. His questionable psyche comes to light in his most publicized instances of violence from beating up R&B singer Rihanna to beefing with Meek Mills, fist fighting with Frank Ocean, and bashing a bottle over Drake.
This new set of circumstances is proof that Brown is broken on the inside. All this from a man who celebrates his own molestation as a rite of passage. But that is not the only thing that triggered the issues. Somewhere in his childhood, he was taught that violence is the answer to most of life's problems. Perhaps seeing his stepfather beat his mother. "I ain't in to that gay shit,” Brown reportedly told reporters after his latest slugfest. “I'm into boxing."
To Chris and countless young African American males, might and its liberal display make right. But in this case it seems easy to claim the thug life with a muscle bound bodyguard and an entourage in tow. After severely beating Rihanna to a pulp, Brown went on to beg for his fans' forgiveness. But I have a feeling all the begging in the world is not going to get him free this time.
Perhaps he's happy on the inside, always prattling on about his toughness. And perhaps he knows he needs to be institutionalized, always getting into trouble. Psychiatric measures are clearly in order for this young man. Although lockdown will likely exacerbate his deep-seeded aptitude for self-destruction . It's not like he didn't ask to be corrected by "the man.” Because now, he can "box" or get in to that "gay shit" to his heart's desire within the confines of a correctional facility.
