STAY OUT OF GREAT BRITAIN!
Those are the words from British officials, who barred R&B Singer Chris Brown from entering the United Kingdom for concerts this week, fearing he might pose a danger to British citizens. Or in translation: the UK is holding a grudge from Brown’s felony charge of assaulting his then-girlfriend, pop star Rihanna, so they revoked his work visa as further punishment.
“We reserve the right to refuse entry to the UK to anyone guilty of a serious criminal offense,” said Barbara Woodward, director of the UK border agency’s international group. “Public safety is one of our primary concerns.” The 21-year-old Brown was scheduled to perform several concerts in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, London, then on to Cork, Ireland next Tuesday. But all dates have now been pulled indefinitely.
In a show of defiance, Brown vented his anger via Twitter messages posted online to his fans earlier this week:
“U ever feel like the storm clouds are too thick for any sunshine to get through?”
“think ima go away!!!!”
Chris Brown was arrested following the Rihanna incident, and received a plea bargain so as to avoid jail time. According to the United States legal system, he has effectively paid his debt to society and is free to live his life. But according to worldwide public sentiment, he may never fully pay his debt to society as many still hold a grudge that steadily seems impossible for him to ever overcome.
Chris Brown has not helped himself with a series of poorly planned and badly executed PR appearances, including the infamous non-interview on CNN’s “Larry King Live” that ended up doing him more harm than good. His perception of having a cavalier attitude by attempting to act as if nothing ever happened, combined with angry, profanity-laced rants against anyone seemingly not ready to grant him full forgiveness and return him to professional greatness has also been a factor. But lest we forget, as of last month Chris Brown is merely 21-years-old, and at the time of the assault was only 19. Now that is not legitimate reason to excuse his crime, but it does pose the question: Will there ever come a time when the world can forgive him for being a cocky, rich, successful, incredibly talented teenager who literally had it all but made one hell of a dumb juvenile mistake? Or will Chris Brown live out the rest of his years as a piranha, with a permanently ruined career, treated as if he were a leper, who may never find forgiveness?
