Victim Or Villain?: Chris Brown Sparks Questions On Redemption Amid Cancel Culture Clash

What does it take for a person to redeem himself after past misdeeds? Also, should someone who’s well into adulthood be vilified for wrongdoing that took place during childhood–particularly sexual offenses or domestic violence?

That’s what Tameka Mallory wants to know. 

The social justice activist took to social media to ask a list of questions about redemption after Chris Brown shared some choice words following his cancellation from yet another potential gig; this time, the NBA rescinded the opportunity to perform at All-Star Weekend. 

“I’m sick of people bothering me and I’m tired of living in the fucking past,” Brown aired his grievances, possibly hinting at the largest asterisk of his career, the infamous 2009 assault on Rihanna.

Mallory, who stated she didn’t “follow Chris Brown news” but wanted to “provoke a conversation” in the community, asked the following:

•  Does there come a point when a younger person who did something wrong gets to move forward, or do we hold them to their actions forever? 
• Does it matter that Rihanna, the victim, moved on? 
• Should we pick up the ball and run with it?
• Is there something Chris Brown should be doing OR should have done to earn back the people’s respect?
• How should we talk to our young people about redemption or the absence of such? 

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A post shared by Tamika D. Mallory (@tamikadmallory)

Mallory’s comments section was filled with a fair share of responses—upward of 4,800 comments—in favor of absolving Brown and pointing out that the “Sensational” singer is a repeat offender with active restraining orders against him. Jemele Hill joined the conversation and noted that Brown is unfairly targeted in the entertainment industry but that “limiting his actions” to his assault on Rihanna is an oversimplification of the singer’s transgressions.

In legal documents obtained by TMZ in 2017, Karrueche Tran swore that Brown “punched me in my stomach twice,” “pushed me down the stairs,” and threatened to kill her. 

The “Fine China” artist isn’t the only public-facing person to suffer the consequences of his actions. Kenneth Petty, the husband of award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj, wears the scarlet label of a sex offender after pleading guilty in a rape case almost 30 years ago. Due to his wife’s controversial celebrity, Petty, now 45 years old, cannot live down his past. He recently caught a stray in Nicki’s rap beef with Megan Thee Stallion when the latter alluded to his association with Megan’s Law. Despite his sex offender status, Petty maintains that he isn’t a rapist: 

“I pled guilty to attempted rape, despite my innocence, because I was a scared 16 year old kid and was told that my sentence would be 20 years to life if I did not plead guilty to attempted rape.” 

Outrageous accusations launched against Sean Diddy Love Combs by his former, longtime beau Cassie Ventura involved alleged rape, forced “freak offs,” fists and black eyes. When word got out about all these misdeeds that occurred in the past, Combs settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum in 24 hours. Slowly but surely, the Bad Boy music mogul began to lose major deals. According to Rolling Stone, 18 companies canceled contracts with Combs.

And though he may be out of sight and out of mind, somewhere in Bali, Russell Simmons is perfecting his yoga anatomy amid sexual assault accusations dating back to 1988. 

Does Robert Sylvester Kelly have redeeming qualities? 

While Mallory’s questions about redemptive justice aren’t novel, sometimes the answers to those questions are buried in the math.

Statistics show that “35% of Black women experienced some form of contact sexual violence during their lifetime,” before the age of 18, one in four Black girls will be abused sexually, roughly 40% to 60% of Black women report that by the same age they were coerced into some form of sexual activity.

In 2011, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found that during their lifetime, 41% of Black women had experienced physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Sometimes, that violence actually leads to death—an estimated 51% to be exact. Redemption ain’t stopping any of that.

Women, particularly Black women, remain the most vulnerable demographic when it comes to physical and sexual violence. The more the statistics remain steady, the more they reflect how little concern there is about Black women’s safety—and how unhinged their abusers are willing to become with or without consequences.

If there are no other ways to protect Black women and tamp down the rate of varying violence against them, perhaps making an example of the abusers and canceling the fuckoutta them into perpetuity makes a smidgen of sense–to them and–their allies. Has anyone ever considered that cancel culture just may be the restorative justice victims of domestic violence and sexual assault seek?

Redemption is for victims.

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