It’s Time We Cancel Chris Brown

Via: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/timeline-of-chris-browns-history-of-violence

TW: Domestic Violence, Trauma

Public figures like musicians, actors, and athletes all have a large platform that influences their fans and followers for better or worse.

Despite having allegations of abuse against them, our society and media continue to give many abusive public figures an undeserved platform.

On June 18th, the R&B singer Chris Brown was accused of hitting a woman. Brown is no stranger to abuse allegations, having received an extensive list of them. With Brown’s past, his consistent toxic patterns should not come as a surprise to us.

“He’s been accused of stealing a woman’s phone, shoving a woman to the floor, forcibly ejecting a woman from his bus, punching a woman in the face in a Las Vegas nightclub and threatening a woman with a gun,” remarked an editorial in the UK.

In 2009, Brown assaulted singer Rihanna -- leaving her bloody and bruised. After the incident, he pleaded guilty to felony assault and received five years probation, six months community service, and a restraining order.

Despite committing all these crimes against women, Brown continues to keep his platform and carry on with his career, which can be upsetting for some to see.

It can be especially triggering for survivors to see this behaviour be justified over and over again with little legal action or accountability. These injustices are reminiscent of Hollywood, where we see a long history of thriving on and off of actors with abuse allegations.

When we fail to hold Brown accountable for his actions, we lead youth to believe that they can also get away with abusive relationships.

Via: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQePNpqBgXY/?utm_medium=copy_link

When celebrities release public responses to their assault allegation(s), they abuse their power and platform yet again. We continue to see public figures with millions of fans who will support them -- even after being discovered to have committed various forms of abuse.

This unhealthy devotion to a public figure can blind fans from seeing both the truth behind their idol's actions and how their undying support further traumatizes survivors.

It takes a lot of courage and strength for a survivor to report and share their abusive experience(s) which is why it can be triggering and invalidating for them when people choose to support abusers.

All of this needless “debate” further opens a crucial conversation about artists with an abusive history: Can we separate the art from the artist?

This question asks whether or not you choose to support a piece of art after learning that the artist is someone who has exploited their power.

Do you separate the two because you think the artist still deserves to be rewarded for their art? Or, do you put the two hand in hand because you think the artist did wrong and does not deserve your support?

Some argue that the person who made the art should not matter because you should judge the art for what it is rather than who made it.

Others argue that by supporting their art, the consumption of their art benefits the artist, giving them undeserved fame, wealth, and power.

Considering all this, I leave you to decide if you can separate the art from the artist, but to make sure you do so while respecting the experiences and trauma of survivors.