Chris Brown in Denial
September 9, 2009 by Pearl
In his first television interview since his arrest last February for assaulting his former girlfriend, Rihanna, pop star Chris Brown told Larry King that he didn’t remember abusing her and that he is still shocked that the incident happened.
When King asked Brown about his reactions upon seeing police reports, Brown replied, “I — I don’t — like, I’ll just look at it and like, wow, like, I’m in shock. Because, first of all, that’s not who I am as a person and that’s not who I promise I want to be. And so I — I just — when I look at like the police reports or I hear about the police reports, I don’t know — I don’t know what — what to think. I just don’t know what to think. I’m just like, wow.”
King asked, “Do you remember doing it?”
Brown replied, “No.”
“You don’t remember doing it?” King asked again.
“I don’t — I don’t — it’s like — it’s crazy to me. Like, I was just — I’m like, wow. When I look at it now, it’s just like, wow, like, I can’t — I can’t believe that — that actually happened.” Brown said.
Chris Brown dodged Larry King’s questions by saying he did not remember. His responses showed no acknowledgement of wrong-doing.
William Routher of examiner.com responded to the interview in his article, Chris Brown and the Strategy of Denial, “In the cases of Chris Brown and Mel Gibson, there’s no indication given that they learned anything, except that they’d better say something quick or their career will be over. And what they say is, ‘That’s not me. I don’t know who that was, but it wasn’t me.’ If there’s no self-reflection, no admission of responsibility, no self-knowledge in someone’s apology, what’s it worth? Nothing. My question is, ‘What’s so hard about just admitting to the truth? Everybody already knows it.’”
Routher further recommended that Brown could’ve made the following statement instead, “I obviously have a serious anger management problem. What I did to Rhianna was unforgivable, out of control, cowardly and not worthy of anyone who calls himself a man. This incident has shown me that I need to take this problem very seriously, and now I am. I’m getting professional counseling and praying about it. I ask everyone to please forgive me. I have resolved never to allow myself to do anything like this again. I deeply apologize to Rhianna, all women and all my fans.”
In the comments following Routher’s article, his readers supported his recommendation. The statement would satisfy viewers of the interview by providing an acknowledgement of fault and a call to action. Lack of recollection is not an excuse to avoid answering a question.
It has become more and more common for celebrities and politicians to dodge tough questions by claiming poor memory. It didn’t quite work for Alberto Gonzales. In April 2007, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing investigating the firing of federal prosecutors, the former Attorney General invoked the phrase, “I don’t recall,” 64 times, according to the Washington Post. Four months later, Gonzales resigned his position.
That same tactic in the business world, will quite likely lead to equally undesirable results. “I don’t remember” will not help your company raise financing, sell a product, or win a customer.
When you are guilty as charged by a tough question in business, honesty is the best policy. Adopt William Routher’s advice. Take responsibility for your actions; and once you’ve done that, go on to end on an upbeat note by saying that you have also taken action to make amends and correct the issue.
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It’s all very sad, but dazed-and-confused doesn’t play well, even on Larry King’s show. William Routher of examiner.com was right on it when he scripted, “What I did to Rhianna was unforgivable, out of control, cowardly and not worthy of anyone who calls himself a man.” That’s certainly a good start, especially if you say it in person vs. a prepared statement read by a spokesperson, while you’re hiding out in rehab. When you live in a fishbowl, you shouldn’t throw stones – or is that a glass house?
But, wait, there’s more, as we say in radio-land and as, according to CNN: “Chris Brown vs. Oprah! Brown is taking a break from his “Apology” tour to pick an argument with TV’s most famous woman!” NOW Chris Brown is putting on the victim face, suggesting that “Oprah owes him one!” Like a free pass, Chris? Like because you’ve done feel-good charity work for O, then she should look the other way? Chris, you’ve picked the wrong enemy, a woman formally your friend. Where is Chris’ agent, his professional PR damage-control team, in all of this? I suspect Mr Brown is out there, all alone, spinning out-of-control. Maybe he should hire Jerry Weissman . . . no, on second thought, what Jerry does so well, so professionally, so mindfully, is help people . . . in advance . . . from stepping into . .. minefields.
There is really nothing Chris could have said that would have made it better. Going on Larry King to air your laundry still airs your laundry. He could have said, “It’s a personal matter” and been done with it.