(Pictures courtesy of Chris Brown and Sandra Rose.com courtesy of NY Post...haha)
A fellow blogger, political consultant, and commentator
Jehmu Greene posted an article on the Huffington Post,
Brown vs. Monkey, that causes scrutiny, questioning, and rebuttal from any concerned person in the black community. Here’s an excerpt:
“It is time for the black community to adopt a zero tolerance policy against domestic abuse. Bottom-line, what Chris Brown did to Rihanna was a teachable moment - an opportunity for the black community to coalesce and show the world we are taking action to address a pressing issue affecting us all. Cartoon-gate is a misguided media stunt that will further create a chilling effect on free speech and ultimately have little impact on the lives of black people. To my friends at Colorofchange.org, Al Sharpton's National Action Network, and the NAACP please put the protest signs down and refocus the media spotlight on issues that actually matter. If you have to boycott something, boycott Chris Brown.”Comparing the recent incidents of Chris Brown’s domestic dispute and Rupert Murdoch’s oversight/political cartoon fau paux, Greene calls the cartoon
misinterpreted, the “silence [of commentary on the Chris Brown case] deafening, and all of the major civil rights organizations “
misguided.”Misguided? Misinterpreted? We say misunderstanding.Domestic violence is no small issue. It is one that repeatedly hits the social scene, whether it’s locally with Juanita Bynum and Bishop Weeks, nationally with Chris Brown and Rihanna, or hisorically with Ike and Tina. It is one that repeatedly causes mental, emotional, and physical distress for all involved; and permeates through all races, cultures, ethnicities, countries, states, cities, etc, etc etc.
But it cannot be compared to a deliberate attack on an entire race. Though the article argues that offering aid to this effort may not exactly"save" a "life," this interpretation really depends on your definition of "save" and "life."
We have to disagre with the article. As a black woman, I identify with my race before my gender- and so does the rest of the world.
Brown vs. Monkey, is a blog post that gives the writer an opportunity to stand on a soap box and speak about an issue near and dear to her heart. This is fine; no one debates this heartfelt problem. But to bash many civil rights orgs such as the NAACP, Colors of Change, and the like is taking it a bit too far.
Many feel that the aforementioned organizations should do more. They say, we saw them nationally support Jena 6, but what happens locally when the cameras go off. We saw them nationally protest the
New York Post, but what about all other issues and injustices that occur? Where are they then? My answer to that is where are you then? Are you there nationally? Are you there locally? Are you even there physically?
Civil Rights/Social Service organizations cannot exist without the help of others. The same others that criticize it should be the same “others” that become “members” and build these societies up. That’s what local chapters are for. That’s what websites are for. That’s what we are for. Public organizations are often underpaid, understaffed, and MISunderstood, as the young woman does in the previous blog. They don’t have the resources to address each and every issue that comes across the table, but they could if we all played a role in helping address them.
Now, just to be clear, there are no “Chris Brown” enthusiasts here, or Rihanna-haters. But to say a man’s award should be taken away because of a common mistake that we all are capable of is being a little insensitive. We’ve all been mad. We’ve all
misunderstood something. We’re all human. We have faith in CB and Rihanna. If they are smart, they will hire
TI’s publicist and find their own road to redemption!
