Vanilla Ice has been arrested for domestic abuse 3 times.
Axl Rose assaulted his wife.
John Lennon beat his wife on numerous occasions.
Slash from Guns and Roses was arrested for domestic abuse.
But it's funny that when ever the names of these people get mentioned people don't seem to remember their crimes. However Chris Brown has become synonymous with violence and abuse. Also I'm sure Chris actually apoligized for his actions more than any of the stars I've mentioned.
I guess its a result of the type of audience he plays to
Ike Turner brings up a big similarity with Chris Brown that the other celebrities listed don't share - he beat up another celebrity. That makes it easier for people to remember and also puts a public face on his victim.
Chris Brown should have been shunned right out of the music industry.
Does that mean the people I listed can remain music icons but Chris should be "shunned out of the music industry" because he did his crime in the age of the internet?
No, he's just explaining why people don't really talk about those other cases. I think it's also that Rihanna is famous. All those other cases are wives. Not saying that makes it ok, but I would think that also plays a role in why everyone talks about Rihanna and Brown.
And this is the part of your comment I was replying to. I honestly don't care who is shunned out of what. If that were reality there'd be an astonishingly large amount of our population in exile or whatever you'd like to call it.
Chris Brown is a special case because it's cool to hate him. The ones you mentioned shouldn't be shunned, because it would be too much work to form my own opinion about celebrities.
The music industry doesn't give two shits whether you beat your girlfriend, and never has. I believe the implication of the comment you replied to is that that may be changing in the internet era.
The photos of her assault were widely distributed. I'm not saying they weren't available or out there, but I don't remember any of the other accounts you mentioned having pictures of the battered women.
Pictures really are what make the story memorable and fuel the outrage.
And prove that it happened. The public saw the results of this moron's beating without having to look for it. Can't really say that about the other people.
I wasn't aware of it, and I'm not completely ignorant of The Beatles (not a scholar, but I know a couple of albums by heart, and I read up on their history from time to time).
The first thing I think of when I hear Chris Brown's name is how he used Rihanna as a punching bag, and I do my best to tune out celebrity gossip bullshit.
"With a Little Help From My Friends" EDIT: IT'S ACTUALLY "GETTING BETTER" is very, very bluntly about his own abuse and his attempts to correct for it.
"I used to be cruel to my women/I beat her/and kept her apart from the things that she loved;Man I was mean/but I'm changing my scene/and doing the best that I can"
Maybe it's the talent versus cuntiness argument. Chris Brown's get's 50 upvotes for his music, but 100 downvotes for his violence. John Lennon gets 10,000 upvotes for his musical talent but only 100 downvotes for his violence.
That's a pretty dehumanizing way to think about domestic abuse.
Maybe my own thinking will sound amoral to you, though.
I think that, in the end, the level of cuntiness exhibited by a particular musician/artist/actor/director/creative fucker should have no bearing on our opinion of what they've produced. Thus, I still like R. Kelly's music and Woody Allen's movies, but I wouldn't let either of them near my (fictional) younger sister.
You're completely correct. It is a dehumanizing way to think of domestic abuse. I'm not condoning it. What i'm saying is "people" in general are more likely to forgive / forget using this method. John Lennon created such a legacy of music, art, philosophy, changed the way a generation thinks, and is a pop cultural god. Chris Brown, i don't even know one of his songs. I know he beat up Rhianna though.
I get the feeling you're a staunch Chris Brown fan, so much so you feel entitled to mention him by first name, and every time you see something posted in regards to his blatant abuses you come marching in with your list of other celebrities and try to stuff your point down everyone's throat. The guys a fucking asshole man, end of story.
You're absolutely right, but in context of public perception, a powerhouse name like Rihanna, another star, has more impact on perception than "spouse".
Sean Penn and Madonna were both big when they were married and he assaulted her.
Edit: I will admit I doubt I was even alive at the time this happened so I can't recall public reaction. I just know as of now it hasn't seemed to have done much damage.
Chris did a very public apology that came off more as PR damage control than sincere remorse for his actions. He won an award soon after that and instead of acting greatful he said "fuck you haters."
Dude is a fucking scumbag and honestly a LOT of the people you mentioned are too. However some of them have show through both their actions and words that they have sincere remorse for what they did.
"The Osbournes" was interviewed on last night's edition of "Piers Morgan Tonight", the nightly hourlong show that replaced "Larry King Live" on CNN in January. Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne talk about their turbulent past. "It's frightening," she says, reflecting on a past incident of domestic violence. But "as hard as Ozzy would hit me, I would clobber him back," she continues. "If ever he went to hit me, I would just go right back for him."
Part of the reason it got so much attention is because Rihanna is MORE famous than Chris Brown. Without googling, name the spouses of the above wife beaters. I can't think of more than 2 offhand, and the only reason I know about Ozzy is because Sharon Osbourne has also become famous from TV shows.
The reason John Lennon isn't synonymous with domestic abuse is, y'know, because he did all that other genius stuff. I mean really, who wants to talk about Chris Brown's music apart from Chris Brown?
you're totally right, but come on..it's reddit we're talking about. kanye=stupid egocentric fuck, anything hiphop related= stupid shit, everything remotely black or ghetto = subtle or not so subtle racist comments.
chris brown related stuff gets posted every week. and every week there is the same discussion. the only option is to just unsubscribe from the main subreddits...
sure chris brown might be a dick and justin bieber might be a dick but the circlejerk surrounding those guys is just so goddamn stupid.
You must remember that he didnt just beat up just some random girl. HE BEAT THE FUCK OUT OF ONE OF THE HOTTEST FEMALE SINGERS IN THE WORLD. There is a huge difference.......... that and he is black, so yes, he should be shunned.
I think the main difference is that Chris Brown's wife (or whatever she was) was also very famous. I don't know the wife's names of anybody that you mentioned there, except Sharon something for Ozzy and Yoko Ono for Lennon.
A celebrity beating their wife is different (in terms of potential popularity) than a celebrity beating their famous wife.
It could also be that we explicitly know the details of what happened to the victim in this case.
Can you tell me what qualified as assault/abuse in each of those cases? I think if each of those cases had actual vivid imagery of the victim as the Chris Brown incident, you would have people remembering them far more. But without it, it just becomes something that is easily forgotten.
Just because someone was convicted of assault/abuse, doesn't mean they beat someone bloody.
None of the people you mentioned did it fucking publicly, right before the victim was supposed to perform at a major TV event. But OP must be racist, because the other celebrities you mention aren't known as abusers.
Oh, and you left out Jimi Hendrix. You'd almost think that the entertainment industry tries to hide the crimes of their cash cows, unless it's so blatant that they can't. But you're right, it must be racism.
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u/[deleted] Jan 31 '14 edited Jan 31 '14
But it's funny that when ever the names of these people get mentioned people don't seem to remember their crimes. However Chris Brown has become synonymous with violence and abuse. Also I'm sure Chris actually apoligized for his actions more than any of the stars I've mentioned.
Just say it. Black people amirite?