Chris Brown

Okay, so don't freak out on me for what I'm about to say... but I think people should give Chris Brown a second chance.

Via MSNBC: Chris Brown tapes video apology to Rihanna



He's young and dumb and he made a terrible mistake. But he seems to realize what he did was wrong and is seeking counseling for his issues. And I'm not making any excuses for him, but he did grow up in a violent household, perhaps that messed him up more than anyone imagined. And yes, I realize that many people who are raised around violence don't grow up to beat on women, but still. We don't know what's going on in this kid's head—he's still really young and obviously not well-enough equipped to deal with his apparent anger-management/rage issues.

I guess I'm just saying that coming out of a situation like this Chris Brown can do two things: He can either apologize for what he did and seek help, or he can ignore it and not. But if we want him to realize that what he did was wrong—and I would hope that that's what people would want (even if you want him to be jailed/punished, isn't the goal of punishment to have people learn from their mistakes?)—then we need to be willing to forgive him.

I mean, I remember right when this happened. Everyone wanted him to release a statement, and then when he finally did, it just wasn't good enough. Well, of course it wasn't, because what would have been good enough? Nothing, really—I mean, there's no excuse for what he did. But if people are going to demand that he take responsibility for his actions, then they need to be willing to move past him doing so and on to what comes next, which is forgiveness and rehabilitation.

I don't know... I'm sorry if you disagree, but I said what I believe. I'm a forgiving person, I guess, perhaps too forgiving sometimes.