Usually when a man strikes a woman, the whole world is not watching. Such is not the case with young R&B singer Chris Brown and his girlfriend, fellow R&B singer Rihanna. By now millions have viewed the leaked photograph of her bruised and battered face.
Now, not even three weeks after Brown allegedly assaulted Rihanna, People magazine reports that they are back together.
Criminal charges against Brown are pending and he could eventually be charged with a felony. However, because Brown has no criminal record and Rihanna may not be fully cooperating with the investigation, the charge could be a misdemeanor. That would likely result in probation and counseling.
In addition to a victim reluctant to cooperate with authorities, what is most disturbing about cases like this is the casual reaction of adults to what is an extremely serious offense. Many of Brown’s celebrity friends immediately defended him, as if he is a victim in all this.
Kanye West, taping an episode of Storytellers for VH1, asked the crowd, “Can’t we give Chris a break?” Though he later apologized for his remarks, actor Terrence Howard initially stuck up for Brown, stating “it’s just life” and “Chris is a great guy.”
This careless attitude is far too common, especially among young males, and should cause everyone great concern. When you ask a teenage male how they feel about hitting a female, many of them respond that it is perfectly justified if they either hit you first or say or do something to deserve it. Indeed, in the Brown case, the initial response of some was to ask what Rihanna had done to set him off.
Statistics show that domestic violence remains a grave problem in the United States. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1.3 million women are victims of a physical assault by an intimate partner every year.
In addition, the NCADV reports that young females are at the most risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence. It is also true that domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes there is.
All we have to do is watch the news for a reminder of how frequently domestic problems lead to fatalities. Too often the end result is a homicide. According to the Department of Justice, in 2005 nearly 1,200 women were murdered by an intimate partner. In cases of intimate partner homicide, regardless of the victim’s gender, prior to the murder the man physically abused their partner 70-80% of the time.
This country does not take the problem seriously enough. For example, Washington state’s Attorney General recently released a report that says his state is harder on car thieves and drug dealers than serial domestic abusers. An attorney for the King County Prosecutor’s Office supported that claim with the story of one man who was sentenced to only 12 months of work release for attempting to suffocate a girlfriend despite eight prior domestic violence convictions for assault.
If you need convincing, find the photograph of Rihanna and take a good, long look at her face. Imagine that it was your wife, or your mother, or your sister, or your daughter. Think about how you would feel knowing that someone brutally attacked your loved one with a clenched fist. Until people stop making pathetic excuses for domestic violence while reacting nonchalantly to it, nothing is going to change.
A real man never hits a woman.
