Will People Ever Get Over 'The Incident?'
10:00AM ET March 25th, 2011
Contributor : Jecquea Howsie
A Rocky Williform Company

The road to redemption isn’t always paved in gold, just check the laundry list of recent celebrities turned front-page cover stories and anyone can see that oftentimes R&B stars are given a harder rap than their mainstream and hip-hop counterparts; case-in-point, Chris Brown’s two-year-old relationship drama vs. Charlie Sheen.

Could the differing media coverage boil down to race? Possibly. But it could also be said that the varied press coverage stems from the public’s disdain for a celebrities’ ‘fall from grace’ being centered around abuse.

Let’s check the facts:
A jail sentence didn’t stop Weezy’s fans from ceremoniously welcoming him back as he attempted to reclaim his crown at the top. TI’s currently serving his second year-long sentence for violating his probation, but the public will no doubt welcome him with open arms upon his release.

Although Charlie Sheen makes weekly phone calls to national radio stations, which recognize his unstable mentality, he still gets a free pass in the media and is brushed off. After all, he’s the glorious Charlie Sheen, currently the highest paid television actor, so he’s allowed to act like an ass.

The list goes on and on regarding rap artists and mainstream celebrities having their time in the spotlight yanked away from them after making yet another bad mistake, but the media continues to dismiss their antics. However, the public wants to act as though a childish mistake somehow means a certain celebrity should be forced to repent 10 times over despite already admitting his clear lack in judgment.

Of course there’s no condoning what Chris did, but at what point will people and the countless former Team Breezy fans forgive him? He’s issued a public apology, performed community service, repented to his ex, and begged, cried and pleaded in his Michael Jackson BET performance and acceptance speech, but still some people refuse to let him move on.

Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that celebrities are placed on pedestals and the minute they get a little dust on them the media deems them no longer worthy of sitting on their mantel. We’ll admit busting windows and dying your hair are probably not the best ways to vent your frustration, but then again Breezy’s ready to experience something different, and maybe by not acting like the pop star people had hoped he’d become, he’s finally being who he is.