Since IMARS just launched a month ago, I’ve been trying to refrain from hopping up on the soapbox for any and everything that crosses my mind. I’ve gotta vent right now, though.

In the midst of all the Chris Brown/Rihanna controversy, we’re seeing displays all over the Web of some pretty disturbing behavior. Fans suggesting that Rihanna must have done something to deserve the alleged assault, Chris Brown’s music being pulled off of radio stations around the country, Internet gangstas making videos threatening Brown’s personal health, etc. It’s been enough to make me wonder if this country has gone mad.

Nope. It’s been like this for a while, but now we have an anonymous peanut gallery called the Internet.

Maybe this stems from my experiences growing up in New York City and Southern California, but if you weren’t there and no one who was is talking, maybe you should keep your mouth shut. We all claim that we see people as innocent until proven guilty, but with the endless parade of “news” surrounding this mess and the parade of head-shrinkers and talking heads it’s hard to look at Brown as anything but guilty of everything but trying to assassinate President Obama. TMZ made an erroneous report on Monday, but the rest of the media outlets on the Web are still looking at these folks like they’re Walter Cronkite, which is a sad day for journalism. They have let the toothpaste out of the tube for no reason but to see it make a mess (I guess money’s a big motivator as well). Shows like “EXTRA” and “Access Hollywood” have been luring viewers in all week with rehashed and recycled interviews and rumors, all the while presenting it as if they really give a damn that two talented young people are experiencing what is probably the worst week of their lives. Everyone’s claiming on their blog to know what transpired in that car with those two people, going as far as to suggest that an STD was what spurred the alleged altercation. Even Spin.com has jumped in on the “find out what happened here!” bandwagon. Tsk, tsk. Yeah, I said it.

We’re going into some real uncharted territory on this one. Rumors say that Jay-Z (Rihanna’s former label boss and mentor) had some choice words regarding Chris Brown’s safety in the future (or lack thereof) backstage at the Grammys. It’s even gotten to the point that Brown changing his Facebook relationship status to “single” is getting traction. I have to admit that he didn’t necessarily calm down the media circus by posting “You’ll begin to see her true colors. Believe it!” on said Facebook page, but I’m also old enough to drink and wasn’t dating a global superstar. And this is all assuming that it’s Brown’s Facebook page and also that “trusted sources” that “prefer to remain anonymous” should actually be trusted. Ugh.

I truly hope that this incident is being overblown for a number of reasons. I would hate to see two promising careers stall due to violence, having grown up in an era in which that seems to be all too common in music these days. Rihanna is undoubtedly beautiful but more importantly no woman should be physically harmed by their partner – cosmetics contract or not. The fact that many are so willing to blame her without knowing if the attack even happened is alarming because it shows how so many of America’s youth look at allegations of dosmetic abuse/violence. Brown being hung out to dry by the press (and sponsors) without any real evidence having surfaced yet is equally troubling. No matter how big or small this turns out to be, no matter how much truth is out there right now or will be revealed in the future, this will haunt both parties for a long time. Don’t believe me? Ask Bobby Brown.

The bottom line is that I wasn’t there, neither were you, and neither was your cousin’s hairdresser’s ex-husband’s grandmother. Let things unfold, let the truth come to light, make your opinion, and then move on. We’ve all had our dirty laundry aired out to one degree or another, only to watch it dirtied even further by those who had no stake in it. Imagine if it were online and thousands upon thousands of people made their mind up about something that they can’t even be sure happened. Just because it’s Kool-Aid doesn’t mean you have to drink it.

- The Editor