It’s not like me to be writing in support of the antics of Chris Brown, but if reports about yesterday’s accident in which Brown’s Porsche was totaled are true, then I have to send my support to the music and dance superstar.
According to Newser:
After two cars cut Brown off, “the occupants jumped out, with cameras, and aggressively approached his vehicle. In an effort to remove himself from the situation, he began to back down an alley, at which point (he) was cut off by two additional vehicles.”
Being as no other cars were damaged and nobody was hurt, it would be easy to say that Brown is exaggerating these details. But as I’ve written before, I’ve had enough run-ins with dangerous paparazzi to have no doubt that this action-movie scenario is true.
It’s nothing new. Not long ago, Tori Spelling crashed her car into her kids’ school while being pursued by photographers and we all know the tragic story of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, who were killed when their car was being chased by a number of paparazzi in a Paris tunnel. Of course, Henri Paul was found to have an blood-alcohol level three times in excess of France’s laws for drunk driving, and that certainly puts the fault upon him, but we have to remember that Paul most likely wouldn’t have been driving at excessive speeds were he not chased by photographers flashing their bulbs in his eyes.
I’ve seen it more times than I can count, living and working in Los Angeles: High speed pursuits, reckless driving, flying through a crowded freeway and weaving in and out of traffic and blocking all entrances and exits of parking garages.
The problem with condemning paparazzi is that they are only doing our bidding. As much fun as it is to sit back and read trashy magazines in search of the best (or worst) photos of your favorite Kardashian, or Lindsay Lohan, or Justin Bieber, there is a very real consequence to our celebrity obsessions. And while we may not feel all that bad for Brown and his Porsche in this situation, the time will come (again) when an innocent person is killed in order to satisfy our need for gossip.
Read my story about my paparazzi stalker and the dangers of celebrity-worship here: Who is Responsible for the Death of Photographer Chasing Justin Bieber?
Joanana…I seriously doubt that Chris Brown is concerned about whether or not you support him.Especially considering the conditions you placed your support.It didn’t read authentic or sincere.It read as an attempt to slickly take a swipe at a Brown while using him to set up your article.Must be a slow day.
If you read my article, I know a LOT about paparazzi. I genuinely have concern for Brown in this circumstance, but even more so for the innocent people who are affected by the paparazzi bullshit in this city. Thing is, most celebs are complicit in this nightmare too. Their publicists often create situations for paparazzi to snap photos, revealing locations of their clients, etc. The celebs do well as a result of their publicity in magazines like OK and Life&Style. It’s more the rest of us I worry about. I have met, and really like, Tori Spelling and her kids… Read more »