Defending Chris Brown
I have a tendency to take what people say to me at face value. Maybe it’s lazy, but I really don’t have time to decipher the hidden language behind what you’re saying to me. If you want to speak in code then I’ll let that be your problem and not so much mine. So the subsequent words will be built upon the following assumptions:
That Chris Brown in fact performed at the BET awards last night.
That everyone who has an opinion on it has actually seen said performance.
That some people truly question whether his emotion was real.
That MJ ultimately deserves a paramount tribute in whatever way humans are blessed to give it.
The truth is this: Chris Brown’s performance at the BET awards was poetic and revelatory.
I had to re-watch it about four times. The first time I watched I was leaving my body so I couldn’t properly pay attention. The second time was to absorb all the the sweet spots in the choreography that Brown delivered just right. The third time was to watch the nuances, nuances that proved Brown not only admired Michael and took from him like Usher, Ne-yo, Justin and so many others, but that he was watching him. Brown copies MJ moves I’ve not seen another artist copy, either because they couldn’t do it or didn’t pay attention hard enough, and it makes me think for a nanosecond, “can the void be filled after all?” And the fourth time, well, I’m a sucker for raw, spontaneous emotion. There’s only one other dancer I’ve ever felt compelled to rewind like this. And that was Michael Jackson.
I’m a sensitive person. Always have been– sometimes to my social detriment, perhaps to the dismay of a parent or two, but mostly to my benefit as a person of strong individuality and conviction. By nature I am a quiet, cautious observer. Consequently I know bullshitter from miles away, especially one under pressure. There were several on the show last night. Chris Brown was not among them.
I’m surprised, in fact, that the theory of “faking it” has made it far enough into the collective conversation to even be mentioned by major media outlets. Sure, because we all know from his court appearance and powder blue stint on Larry King that Brown is a master of PR! He waited over a year to blow us away with his devious half sing half cry ploy, yeah that’s it! Because he doesn’t have a real place to drum up that emotion. It’s not like he lost everything that a man can’t afford to lose– friends, his girl, possibly family, his sole means of making his way in the world, and a reputation to build it all back– and then lost a mentor a few months later, one who would’ve still been kind to him even if the rest of the world was not, because he too knew what it was like. No, it couldn’t have been the culmination of all that. Chris Brown wasn’t fooled by BET giving him a major performing slot, wasn’t fooled by all the cathartic applause after he DID the damn thing, NO! That sneaky Chris Brown knew that in order to be accepted back into the arms of the public, he had to stop at nothing to make us cry. Dear reader, if Chris Brown truly had that kind of foresight, he wouldn’t have been angrily driving in the middle of the night, alone in an expensive car with a screaming girl from the islands.
Chris Brown "deceit"?: Operation Ugly Cry
When skepticism reaches unhealthy, fruitless heights it becomes far more outlandish than a lie could ever be. If we’re going to accurately assess what we see, let’s be realistic. The truth is, the Chris Brown we’ve come to observe is flawed, young and impulsive, with a passion and sincerity that informs his art but makes walking the tightrope of public opinion something awkward and painful to watch. For these reasons he was damned. Yet these are the very same traits that will redeem him.
If you’re still not convinced, well you’re a cold hearted bastard but let me say this. It was this kind of skepticism, this kind of ambivalence that wouldn’t let Michael Jackson be great. We cradled those doubts, let them prey on our hearts and withheld love so that we could be mentally safe, only to find that after death none of us really gave a shit. We figured out that there was too much to love, too much good to remember, and the negativity we once held on to for posterity was so thin and full of holes, we wanted to set every seed-planting tabloid story on fire. And anyone who formed their lips to say another word about the man who died trying bring the world the highest quality of joy he could give got a warning, or a loud “MAMMA SAY MAMA SA MA-MAKOSSA!” They weren’t trying to bring a balanced view, they were being a hater. Plain and simple. Who else would talk ill of a dead man, a man incapable of hurting anyone else now, or helping them for that matter. We remember that feeling acutely; but not a moment later, here comes the same damn situation. Ya’ll…it’s the same damn thing. What are you going to do? You gonna wait til Chris Brown is put in the ground to give him the benefit of the doubt? He won’t need it by then because he’ll be in the arms of Jesus. You’ll still be throwing darts of judgment at love thinking it’s a trick, meanwhile Chris will have learned his lesson and yours too. Best believe Chris won’t be judgin’ nobody. He’d have to be as calloused as…well, you.
Here’s what I’m getting at. Now’s a good time to pull out that judging passage that people just love to quote (Matthew 7:1, for those who don’t actually know where it is). I know most people think it’s a fancy way to say “leave me alone,” but there’s actually meaning to it, pertinent to this very situation. You know why Jesus had to tell us that? Because we like to judge people. You know why the son of God had to issue a threat to mankind? Because judgment is detrimental, not for the other person but for us. Just hearing people say, “eh, he was faking it.” It’s literally disgusting. Brushing it aside because it’s so quick, so easy, so smart, so safe. Not only is it leaving a putrid trail of needless doubt and negativity in its wake, but comments like that make people sound like blind idiots who don’t know a damn fuckin thing about life. Always believing the worst of someone is just as naive as believing that someone is always good. Yet only one is better on your soul. So, when in doubt believe the best about someone. Chris Brown got to do what he wanted to do, and it was beautiful. MJ would’ve been on his feet, no question. He poured the last year and a half into a tear-laden tribute, and did what everyone else thus far had been scared to do in their tributes: try to match the heart, the ambition, the magic of Michael Jackson’s dance. Even scarier? When you think about it, Chris Brown isn’t even at the top of his game right now.
There. I’ve said my peace. Now, go watch it again.
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