It's Just Abbey

Disclaimer: This is an extremely touchy subject. If you are prone to fits of rage with anyone who says something you dislike, kindly move along.

Okay. I want to start this out by stating that I really don't want to do this, but I've been pushed. So I will attempt to keep this short and sweet.

Beyonce is not a single lady. Yes? Johnny Depp is not a pirate. Agreed? Just because Rihanna sings about being a strong, no bullshit woman doesn't mean she is always gonna be one. Just because Chris Brown plays up a clean cut image doesn't mean he is actually a white knight.

Arg. Where do I start?

First off, unless you have actually been beaten by a man don't act like you are smarter than victims of abuse and/or that you understand their pain. And before you ask emotional abuse doesn't count ladies. Every woman who has ever been in a relationship can claim emotional abuse. I will vouch for that. But a man pinching your tummy and telling you to lay off the cupcakes is not (repeat NOT) the same as being slugged in the face.

Second, Chris Brown will continue to work soon and we will all have to deal with it. Sex offenders, abusers and drug addicts all have jobs. They may be horrible dogs and need stricken from public but they still have to support themselves and pay bills. Tough to swallow but its the truth. His job just happens to be very public and reliant on the peoples' love of him. If he wants to throw a monkey wrench in his clean image by "allegedly" beating his girlfriend, that's no one elses problem but his own.

Bill Ward, the editor in chief for Billboard said, "People's memories are short and I think sometimes an amazing hit can trump people's expectations." Sad but true. In three months, several of these anti-Chris Brownists will be jamming in their car to his latest track without a second thought. We are an ADD generation and something else dramatic will happen in Hollywood to make us forget whats-his-name punched that one chick a while back. I'm not saying its right, its just an observation.

We need to let this die. We do. I know blogging about it is completely counter productive to my cause but I don't care right now. There are women dying everyday of abuse and men going along without even a slap on the wrist (pun intended.) The fact that this case was reported is the first step in the right direction. Rihanna is a twisted role model for women hiding and scared. She is showing that there is something you can do. Her choices afterwards are no one elses business but her own. She may go back to him, marry him, have a ton of kids and a great career yadda yadda ya. She may go back to him and get herself killed in an argument about meatloaf. She may leave him and never look back. Either way, it is up to her and her alone. The fact of the matter is that she stood up and said something. That alone took some guts. He is being charged and his dumb ass has been exposed. There isn't much more anyone can do outside of that. That's just life.

Abuse is not punishable by death, no matter how much anyone thinks it should be. And victims are not always the ball busting saints we wish they were. But please, continue to rant and rave that you are right, she is an idiot, he needs shot in the face. Its a lot easier to coach the game from the couch than actually play it, isn't it?