This is just a response to a particular strain of argument that Chris Brown apologists have been making lately in defense of his recent re-appearance at the Grammy awards, from which he was banned three years ago after savagely beating his girlfriend Rihanna. The argument is as follows: "he's a musician! Let him be a musician!"
... That's it. That's the argument. And it's not entirely without merit! I mean, there are plenty of musicians, and artists period, who have done awful things throughout the past, and we don't judge their music any differently for it. And why would we? I mean, whatever happened to "separation of art and artist"?
So let me first just say that there's nothing wrong with Chris Brown as an artist. I mean yeah, I haven't enjoyed any of his music ever in my entire life, but the point is that none of his physical transgressions hold any weight when evaluating it; if I liked Chris Brown's music five years ago, there's no reason for me not to like it now (and if I hated it then, I probably don't hate it any more now than I did then).
That's not what the Grammys controversy is about, though. The decision to allow him back on their (terrible and boring) award show is perfectly valid insofar as he is indeed a well-regarded musical artist. But the Grammys aren't just about "well-regarded music"-- they're also about celebrity.
The message of allowing Chris Brown perform on stage in front of millions of people and touting him as some sort of self-redeemer isn't "we're the Grammys, and we have respect for high-quality musical art." It's "we're the Grammys, and we are perfectly willing to forgive someone for a terrible crime. So much so, in fact, that we are rewarding them with positive attention in the public sphere."
It's unacceptable, plain and simple. There are tons of talented musicians out there. Why reward one of the despicable ones?
I generally agree with you, but if I like someone's music and then that person goes and beats or rapes or does something really bad, I don't "hear" the same music anymore. I used to like Bing Crosby's stuff, but once I learned that he was physically and psychologically abusive to his family, I lost respect for him and now I can't stand to hear his crooning.
ReplyDeleteI partly agree with 9:43. I believe art and the artist are more closely connected than you'd like to believe, tortilla. The lyrics artists write, the sound they craft... it's all a part of their persona - their life experiences and emotions made manifest through music. But if their persona is a disgusting, selfish and shallow one (like Chris Brown), then their music usually follows suite.
ReplyDeleteOf course, this doesn't always apply to 100% of musicians. Jimi Hendrix abused women, but was able to speak more eloquently through his guitar than Chris Brown, Rihanna, or Katy Perry could ever hope to with their superficial, market-tested music. He may have been an awful person, but I can't deny I love his music.
The line isn't always clear in this argument, but I believe that completely cutting off the artist from the art they create is to be ignoring a very important factor.
And to answer the question of "There are tons of talented musicians out there. Why reward one of the despicable ones?" - It's because these particular "despicable ones" happen to be the most profitable. I don't see award shows like the Grammys or the Oscars as the end-all-be-all, final destination of artistic recognition. These shows are predominantly marketing events meant to promote these already profitable artists for even more profit. Because that's what the game is all about - money.
What do you want to do? Kill him. He was charged, sentenced, and he did what the courts asked of him. So stop being a damn hypocrite. Besides, you don't like him or his music, and you find award shows banal and don't watch them, so it makes no difference to you if he is even attending these shows. Just for the record, he did win a Grammy so he had a right to be there over and above your infantile arguments.
ReplyDeleteYes, we should shoot him down like we did Bin laden. This is a Christian nation and black rappers do not belong.
ReplyDeletewell that is just a stupid and shallow thing to say. way to be narrow minded and a bigot.
DeleteI agree with 8:51! Obvious troll.
Delete"What do you want to do? Kill him. He was charged, sentenced, and he did what the courts asked of him."
ReplyDeleteRight. And now he's being successfully marketed as an inspirational story of "redemption," when in fact there is little evidence to suggest that he's done anything to redeem himself other than pick up some trash by court order. This is a problem.
It is like if I murdered someone, got out of prison, and then was publicly forgiven by the family of the victim. In this scenario, nobody would be saying "wow, what a redemption story! I mean, after all, Tortilla Central went to prison (by court order) and was forgiven by the victim (because they were nice)! Wow, what a great guy. What a comeback." That is what is happening in this situation, though. Strange.
Then if you are so unhappy with a situation that you do not have a clue about then go get a gun and shoot him yourself. Regarding the victim, they just made two song together. Ha ha. She is over the beat down and he will be hitting that ass again. They will end up together again.
ReplyDeleteProf Chaos
The person who previously posted as Prof Chaos above is not the real Prof Chaos. I am. It never really came to me that someone might steal my internet handle on a website that doesn't require registration and all users post as anons. Quite honestly I thought no one would care enough to steal a handle instead of coming up with their own. Seeing as the situation is now what is and a troll has taken over my handle I will be abandoning it and will find a way to register under a different name.
DeleteIt was fun well it lasted but I thought the people of blog deserve to know that I would never post such garbage as the post above.
I suspected that wasn't you, Chaos. No worries. ^_^
ReplyDelete