In February of 2009 Chris Brown was found guilty of a domestic violence assault against his then-girlfriend Rihanna. The photograph of Rihanna’s pummeled face circulated so quickly it was impossible to avoid. Whenever I hear his name mentioned in the news or see him on tv, that image of Rihanna with swollen lips and black eyes is triggered into memory like a horrible subliminal flicker.
Brown completed the six months of community service to which he was sentenced and publicly expressed his regret over the incident numerous times… but really, he has never stopped paying for that crime and probably never will.
You don’t hit a woman.
In a world that continuously romanticises and excuses the socially-unacceptable – if not felonious – misdeeds of celebrities (see Pete Doherty, Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder), there are two things that are considered beyond attrition in the eyes of a readily cheek-turning public: one is sex with children, and the other is hitting women.
These are the two ‘point of no return’ behaviours that no amount of apologies, jail time or some kind of ‘cultural value’ can ever atone for.
Michael Jackson lived as a recluse for over a decade up until his death, which was largely on account of his sullied public image following child sexual abuse allegations in the 1990s that you’re no doubt at least vaguely familiar with. Despite Jackson’s vehement insistence of innocence and the face he was acquitted of the allegations, there still exists a lingering ‘I guess we’ll never know’ suspicion.
The reason I even bring up the Michael Jackson case is because of the fact he was never found guilty of the crimes he was accused of and yet we still wonder whether or not he was this iniquitous predator. Chris Brown on the other hand admitted his guilt so there’s no two ways about it, and as a result the wider public perception of Brown (with the exception of his diehard fans) is that he’s a violent abuser. And they want to give him a piece of their mind.
This week Brown shot off an angry Twitter rant (which he has since deleted) about the personally-directed hate he continues to receive, writing:
“TWITTER GETS WACK REAL FAST… People please grow up. I’ve never dealt with so much negativity in my life! It’s to the point now that it’s just ridiculous! I’M NOT A POLITICIAN! MY MUSIC DOESNT PROMOTE VIOLENCE nor will it ever!”
Regardless of your personal take on the whole thing, Chris Brown has been marginalised as a ‘woman beater’. In all likelihood he genuinely does regret his actions and is truly sorry for what he has done, but irregardless of that he is stained with a tarnish he won’t be rubbing off any time soon.
Matthew Newton is similarly maligned.
Newton’s personal dramas involving substance abuse, mental health issues and domestic violence charges on two former partners will be addressed tonight in an interview on A Current Affair (the same program his parents Bert and Patti appeared on in August 2012 to discuss his mental health).
In tonight’s interview he speaks out about the incidents of domestic abuse. In one quote via the Daily Telegraph Newton voices his regret about his actions saying, “Harming anyone is horrible. It’s intolerable to harm a woman. It’s intolerable to harm your best friend, several of your best friends, and it’s intolerable to harm yourself and I’ve done all of those things and I utterly regret it.”
Matthew Newton understands what he did. He has said he is sorry. And tonight on ACA we will hear him say he is sorry again. But just because someone is remorseful about what they have done that doesn’t mean they are a changed person.
Women’s crisis centre Dawn House says that one of the myths about domestic abuse is that after acts of violence against partners regret or remorse on the man’s part means he has changed. The reality is that many men feel regret or remorse after hitting their partner. These feelings, apologies and promises to change, are part of the cycle and do not indicate change.
I guess this raises the question: can a person change? And can Matthew Newton ever atone in the eyes of the public?
Matthew Newton interview screens on A Current Affair tonight at 6.30 on Channel Nine.
