I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that Chris Brown was released after spending over 100 days in jail. His off/on-again girlfriend Karrueche Tran even threw him a welcome home party to celebrate. I wasn’t surprised to see Karrueche still holding him down waiting for him to finish his jail sentence – she seems to be his “ride or die” chick. But then again, waiting for a super star to come home is a lot different than waiting for Pookie to finish his stint in the joint. I don’t think too many women would have a hard time waiting for a millionaire mega star to come home from the clink – especially if the sentence is only for a few months. But what about those women who are holding it down for men who are doing a solid bid…for murder…with zero money in the bank? Yes, THOSE are the women I want to discuss.
I often wondered what made a woman (or man for that matter) stay with a partner who was doing some serious time in prison. I can’t imagine a situation where I’d put my love life on hold waiting for my man to come back to me. Maybe there isn’t the expectation of fidelity with some of these unions. Maybe it’s understood that I’d be able to “do me” while he was in – who knows. But there are dedicated women out there who keep their legs closed, make weekend trips to prison and put money on books for their man faithfully for YEARS because they believe it’s their duty to be loyal. Sorry, but I can’t see it.
Maybe it would depend on what he was in for, and if I believed he was guilty. I mean, it’s one thing to stand by someone who was put in jail for a principle they believed in – like Nelson Mandela. And then there’s Ray Ray who was slinging rock. Two totally different scenarios. Do you stand by a crook like Bernie Madoff because you benefited from the lavish lifestyle his crimes were able to afford you, or do you abandon the drug dealer who was doing the same? I guess it depends on the woman and if she was “bout that life.” I most certainly am not.
Chris Brown is hardly a hardened or dangerous criminal. He’s more of a menace…and mostly to himself. Well…and Rihanna, and even she forgave him. So I guess sticking by his side while he does his time can be understandable, especially when you know his next record will probably be a hit. But for the women who are spending their money on commissaries and bail for life-long criminal boyfriends, I’ll never understand it. Unless I felt like my husband was being railroaded for something he didn’t do, there’s no way I’m doing a prison sentence with a man who has no regard for the law. My son will never visit a parent in jail as far as I can help it, and I’m not taking on the financial and emotional burden that would be necessary to stay with a man who was incarcerated.
I know that may sound insensitive, and that my loyalty doesn’t really run deep – but honestly, if the shoe were on the other foot, I wouldn’t want a man to put his life on hold for me because of my stupid mistakes. Again, I’m sure it would all depend on the circumstances, but I’m not standing by a drug dealer, a murderer, a rapist or someone who stole someone’s entire life savings. However, if you get thrown in jail for fighting a social injustice, I’m there all the way. And if you’re a Chris Brown type, I might stick around long enough to throw you a welcome home party.
