Did you watch the Grammy’s this year? Adele kicked ass as predicted, Foo Fighters took home an armful of awards and some band named Bon Iver popped out of nowhere. Whitney Houston was mourned and the red carpet reeled in fashion horror at head-turner Nicki Minaj. And Chris Brown took home the R&B album of the year.

I don’t really care about the award itself. I don’t really know anything about the other nominees either, except R. Kelly, and that he believes he can fly. I’m not mad that they lost. I’m mad that they lost to Chris Brown, who was greeted by screaming crowds as he danced across stage and sung to millions of viewers. Not only was he invited to perform his latest hits “Turn Up the Music” and “Beautiful People,” but his  2011 album F.A.M.E. took home a Grammy for R&B album of the year, the rapper’s first Grammy.

It’s funny how people’s memories fade over time. It was only three years ago, three measly, minuscule years ago, that Chris Brown beat then girlfriend, Rihanna, on the way to a pre-Grammy celebration. For choking, punching, bashing and biting her, Brown was charged with a felony assault. Even though he was released on bail, issued five years probation and a restraining order, everyone seems to have forgiven Brown of all charges.

In recent years, Chris Brown has been attempting his “comeback,” stating profound gratitude for his fans who stuck by him and all the while continuing his successful music career. Although he posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he issued a public apology for the Rihanna incident, numerous reports of his erratic behavior have surfaced, including his trashing of a Good Morning America dressing room and multiple proclamations of homophobic slurs, which he again apologized for.

As unlikable as Brown is, a horrifying show of support flooded the Internet following his Grammy appearances. A plethora of tweets from young female fans affectionately praised him while referring to Brown’s domestic violence incident. “Call me crazy buttttttttt I would let Chris Brown beat me up anyyyy day,” tweeted one fan, who by the looks of her Facebook page seems to still be in high school. “Everyone shut up about Chris brown being a woman beater…Shiiiittt he can beat me up all night if he wants,” tweeted another, who again, from my investigating appears to also be in high school.

I don’t know what’s worse: that Chris Brown is so openly accepted back into the music world as if nothing happened, or that young fans are viewing his actions as normal, even attractive. Every time we play a Chris Brown song in the Dive, we are neutralizing his act of domestic violence. Every time his song is played on the radio, the image of Rihanna’s beaten face fades more from our memory.

These attitudes toward Chris Brown are not just our fault, they are partly Rihanna’s too. To the public’s dismay, she failed to press charges and even dropped the restraining order against Brown. They even admit to being friends and tabloids continue to speculate on a rekindled romance. Rihanna’s failure to use this opportunity to speak out against domestic abuse appears to already have its affect. Says another tweet, “I don’t know why Rihanna complained. Chris Brown could beat me any time he wanted to.”

These sick voices of support, if they can even be classified as support, must be the reason why Chris Brown still has a career.

* Tweets taken from: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/horrible-reactions-to-chris-brown-at-the-grammys