Pajiba

Chris Brown has a major label contract and new album to push. That means his record label will prop him up, throw him up on stage and demand he dance for his supper. He's got units to move and downloads to sell.

Is he a piece of shit? Without a doubt. But the idea of a "comeback" is meaningless in this case since: A) he never went away and B) it's not like he was dropped by his record label.

In the end, he's a name. And in America, having a name people recognize is all that matters -- regardless of whether it's for getting pissed on, being a vicious asshole or willingly showing the world you are unhinged.

Charlie Sheen is right. He is winning. And he is cause 3,000,000 can't help themselves. And he's smart enough to know that.

Chris Brown and Charlie Sheen are both abusive asshole pieces of shit. I'm not rooting for them to make a comeback, I'm rooting for them to go bankrupt and/or jail.

It helps to be pretty. On more than one occasion, I've heard women reference Chris Brown's looks as, if not a reason to forgive him, certainly a reason to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I think the key to any real "comeback" is being honest, open, humble, and willing to accept forgiveness, otherwise don't call it that.

I second that. The post makes it sound like ther eis this mystifying factor that earns reemption, but honestly, if a person dmeonstrates a willingness to change, nobody is gonna hold much against them.

As far as the persons of topic, Sheen is, as I understand it, a humongous joke. He still doesn't have his job back. Just about any mention of him is about how pathetic he is acting. And the only remotely positive support for his antics seem to come from overgrown misogynist man-children and opportunistic attention whores who wish to photograph themselves in front of a celebrity Hindenberg. Brown is one of those man-children, going on a far-too-long temper tantrum and honestly convinced that he didn't do anything that bad. He is much more frightening, because there are people who still encourage this mentality. Look, I know GMA isn't bastion of journalistic integrity, but come on, they can't be that flippin' desperate to ride that dickhead like a two-dollar whore.

There is the concept of "rock bottom": everybody has their own limit, their personal rubicon. the point where they finally look around themselves and say "Okay, this is it. This is what I got. Am I satisfied with this? What a i going to do with it NOW?" RDJ hit that point and bounced up again. Rourke smashed face-first into that point, and slowly crawled his way back. It is clear that Brown and Sheen are still falling, and until that point is reached for them, nobody else can do anything about it.

To tell the truth, I haven't read nor watch word one about Sheen or Brown since their respective scandals hit. the only things I know are through pop culture osmosis, and even that is very low. i still don't know where the "winning" thing came from. And the important thing is I DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I don't CARE about Charlie Sheen. I don't CARE about Chris Brown. they can be hit by a bus in the next five minutes, and I can honestly say I won't even bother to read the headline.

I will say that there is a massvie double standard between Brown and Sheen in the media now and certain female celebs during their moments of insanity.

And I am immensely pissed that I typed this much on the subject. But I subscribe that more to boredom than anything.

I'm just completely disgusted at ABC. They want him back?! I mean just holy shit talk about enabling an asshole. Most networks at least pretend like they're disapproving--at least for a while. But this shit is just reprehensible in so many, many ways. Flat out disgusting.

I usually assert at this point that I don't really care what these people do in their personal lives, as long as they are doing their jobs...which is to entertain me. Me. mememe. Me!

Is it backtracking if I ammend that to say I'm sorta dicey on the illegal activities? Am I a total douche if I say Hold up a second...Chris Brown is not entertaining me? He's homogenized lame spiked with ubiquitous autotune...does that make me a hypocrite? Charlie Sheen has NEVER entertained me. Never, I say.

Is it the quality of the offense? Or, as you state, is it the quality of the apologia?

Chris Brown has never made any sincere mea culpa. He has rationalized better than any spoiled teen.

But as this issue spawns ever-more facets, I am left wondering about the hypocricy of my own professed detatchment. Is it my responsibility to throw away (and hate) my copy of Apocalypto? Is every man to be judged by his own worst act?

Curse you Chris Brown and Charlie Sheen for making me put myself to the acid test (wooowooo college memories!).

I hate these guys for making me actually think beyond my own bubble.

Here is my issue I have said it before and I will say it again. While I am NOT a Chris Brown fan I have noticed that people seem to NOT want to forgive or give him a second chance at all. In my opinion he is the someone who I think would be able to get a second chance he f's that up oh well. My reasoning is that out of all the douchebags in the public eye he is at least still young enough to at least say you know what lets give him a second chance.I also have to pick up my deck of cards and just ever so slightly throw in my race card because of the things that have been said about him and the attitudes that have been consistently directed at him. I have seen more vitirol thrown towards Chris Brown than Mel Gibson. I do wish someone would pull Chris aside and help him. Excuses have been made for everyone and practically a get back on the good side list has been printed for Charlie Sheen and is just waiting for him to read. I honestly don't think Chris brown could do anything to get back in the publics good graces.

blacksred

He could be accept full responsibility for his actions.

He could apologise.

He could be contrite.

He could exhibit a scintilla of self-awareness.

He could be appropriately embarrassed.

He could apologise again and again and again until he seemed to mean it.

He could refrain from public rages.

He could refrain from public rages and destroying property.

He could refrain from public rages, destroying property and defending himself by saying he didn't hurt anyone.

Well, I see Mrs. Julien has this one covered.

blacksred, he made the mistake of beating a girl a lot of people like. No one really cares what happens to Denise Richards or Officer Sugartits but no one wants to see pictures of a bloodied pop star.

I'm joking of course but the fact that there were such graphic photos and the victim is also famous with a lot of fans probably plays a part in the public outrage. A picture is worth a thousand angry comments on the internet.

I definitely agree with becks that the physical evidence of his crimes is a big part of why he's so reviled. People find it much easier to forgive and forget when all you have is the accusation and no proof. It's a disgusting part of every abusive situation, I think - it's just so much easier to ignore it and pretend that nothing happened if you don't see it.

blacksred,

Don't feel bad about that card. We wouldn't get to use it if they hadn't dealt it to us in the first place.

*shrug* I'm just saying...

I thought about this a little longer (a little too much, actually) and my big problem is when they are not sorry and insincere and play the victim.

WHILE I AM NOT EXCUSING THEM, Mel Gibson at least at one time was publicly saying "I don't want to be that guy," and RDJr was saying "I need help," and I cannot particularly recall, but many of these idiots had (ass)hat in hand and seemed contrite.

It's the Rebecca Gayhearts, the Chris Browns, who never seem sincere and actually make it about them. Audacious!

Did Roman Repulski ever apologize? I forget. Or I wasn't paying attention.

Hey can we hold politicians to this same standard? Just askin.

Rebecca Gayhart killed a child with her car when she zipped around two cars that stopped to let the child cross the street.

JuiceinLA, I'm finding it hard to make the connection between Britney Spears and any of the abusive, borderline psychotic men we're talking about here.

Then in the aftermath she boohood that the whole thing had been very hard on her.

Yeah, see, that's what gets me. Thing is, I have no doubt that it was hard on her. Taking a life can't be an easy thing to bear. Still, she should have sucked it up and understood that the family was grieving ten times harder than she ever would. So like you said, Brown caterwauling about how much he's been through, and crying on stage during an MJ tribute, and whinging about how hard his career has been since (when there isn't anything to really support this - his albums and singles are doing as well as they've ever done) is, in and of itself, a firestorm of evidence that he hasn't learned anything and that he still doesn't grasp the seriousness of what he did; therefore, if there is anyone who doesn't deserve redemption yet because they still don't fucking get it, it's him.

Gamal makes a great point about evidence being a key. Has anyone followed Ben Weasel's incident at SXSW last weekend? In a nutshell: he got pissed at a heckler who hit him in the face with an ice cube, so he left the stage and decked her in the face. Then, while being restrained by security, he landed a punch on another woman. The whole thing got caught on video (it's on YouTube) and the members of his band have all quit and bands have pulled out of playing future dates with Screeching Weasel.

The backlash is much more powerful and immediate when there is irrefutable, easily obtainable evidence. And I'm willing to bet that a shot at redemption will be a hell of a lot harder for someone without megastar status.

@ Peter G: Do you believe that being truly sorry for one's actions is abasement? Do you think that taking responsibility for your actions in public, because you work in the public, is abasement. OR JUST BEING MATURE?

Is this a generational thing? Because I find a lot of the young crowd think that being sorry, being accountable, facing up to your fucked up shit is somehow bad because it's embarrassing because it makes you feel like shit.

Here's the thing: it's SUPPOSED to. That's how you know you're a normally functioning human being and not a sociopath. You're SUPPOSED to feel bad and ashamed when you do harm, hurt others, act unprofessionally, etc. And part of growing up is LEARNING from that so that you don't do those things again so you don't feel like that again. Not just because they're wrong, but it just doesn't do you any good either. How else are you going to learn and become a fully-functioning adult, instead of grown child (and why so many adults persist in behaving that way without embarrassment is beyond me).

It's unfortunate for Brown that he's facing this in the public eye and that he either isn't listening to good advisors or isn't surrounded by anyone who can tell him like it is.

Evidence DOES make a difference.

And I think people are also seemingly extra hard on him because HE MAKES IT SO DAMN EASY. I mean, someone get him a good father-figure, stat.

@ cinekat: THIS

I don't think there's many people who have forgiven him. I wouldn't be worry in your place.
There's always going to be stupid girls or women and they will keep on buying his music. That's Ok. Let them go and enjoy the music while covering their bruises.

Interesting points, I just wonder at what time does someone need to continually abase themselves for prior conduct. When is it morally OK for an offender to say "fuck off, that's off the table"?

Breaking shit is simply childish, and his reaction pegs him as a dick (though perhaps not as much as, say, bashing his partner in the first place), so my question probably needs to be considered in a vacuum.

Which, considering where this thread is located on Pajiba, is where it actually is!