Chris Brown’s Big Publicity STunt: Why Did Everyone Fall For It?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I spent yesterday a bit disappointed with entertainer Chris Brown after his alleged tirade on 'Good Morning America.' After being one of the few voices defending Chris Brown on CNN a couple of years ago, I quietly wondered if I was wrong about him. It's not that I thought Chris Brown was a good man. It's that I saw him as a 19-year-old kid who was not beyond redemption. America has a nasty habit of destroying the lives of young black men when they make mistakes at an early age.

My mind tried to wrap itself around the Chris Brown/'Good Morning America' incident. I figured that Chris would be on his way to jail, given that busting out a window is not exactly legal and nearly any decision to break the law amounts to a parole violation. But I saw and heard almost nothing indicating that Chris was going to experience any significant legal consequence from his behavior.

 

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