Melissa Harris-Perry gets me talking about Chris Brown again

For anyone who has always wanted to watch political commentary on MSNBC so you could feel smarter but  couldn’t make it through an entire show without falling asleep, I have a solution. Black feminist scholar Melissa Harris-Perry has a new show on MSNBC that debuted this weekend. I’m already hooked. It’s amazing. You can catch new episodes each Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. EST or 9 a.m. CST. I urge you all to support this show.

On Saturday’s episode Harris-Perry touched on a topic that I’ve honestly been forcing myself to not write about anymore here on GeorgiaMae.com — Chris Brown.

Last Sunday during the Grammys I and many other young feminists across the nation made the choice to not watch Chris Brown’s performance and to instead read this article: “Why I’m Not Okay with Chris Brown Performing at the Grammys and I’m Not Sure Why You Are.”

Before I go on let me say that I am not suggesting that Chris Brown should never be forgiven for what he did to Rihanna. But in the two years since the brutal assault Brown has shown little remorse (unless you count his pitiful sobbing during his performance of “Man in the Mirror”) and even acted out in a fit of rage when questioned about the matter by a nationally renowned reporter.

But this is bigger the Brown. What is making me sick to my stomach is that two years later Brown’s fans, particularly his female fans, are not only defending his actions but also blaming Rihanna. “We don’t know what happened in that car,” some fans say, as if that matters, as if anything Rihanna could have said or done to Brown that night could justify what he did.

But there’s more. While I was reading the above article during Brown’s performance, some of his young female fans were tweeting that they would be willing to let Brown beat them if it meant they could be with him. Harris-Perry had this to say:

Harris-Perry believes this shows how dangerous it is to perpetuate the idea that a woman needs a man by any means necessary and at any cost. I agree with her and I think this also shows the danger of celebrating an abuser and blaming the victim. Because Chris Brown has somehow become the hero in this saga, these young girls still dream of being the woman in his life even if it means being nearly beaten to death.