Rihanna's Murder of Rapist in 'Man Down' Video: Empowering or Dangerous?

[poetic_pixie_13]

TW for rape, violence

Rihanna, who hit headlines in 2009 after being severely beaten by former boyfriend Chris Brown, has now come under fire for encouraging extreme violence in a new music video.

In the video for “Man Down,” which premiered on the BET network this week, the popular songstress is involved in an implied rape scene with a man she

Comments

[dawn9476]

The PTC are nothing but a bunch of right wing hypocritical crazies. These are the same type of people who get their panties in a bunch over Michelle Obama telling parents that their kids should eat more healthy but have no problem telling parents what their kids should watch on TV.

[carmy_w]

If that's the group they're from, they fully believe that the cure for any woman's problem is for her to shut up, cover up and be submissive to her man. Oh, and have another baby.

[muse_misery]

This feels very 'how dare a 'lady' who has been victimized act out in any unacceptable way; revoke sympathy now!' to me, and they are also utterly missing every point, as you summed up nicely in the end. I mean, I saw Ke$ha in her video shoot James Van Der Beek or whatever his name is, at the end, and no one made a big deal of that. Like, at all. Because she wasn't acting out against a man as a victimized woman. Which is apparently the most scandalous thing ever. Even more so than ... can't even go there. And the whole BET thing is gross, too.

It all seems circumstantial in a creepy, telling way ... IDK. I feel like if she were not portraying herself as a rape victim, no one would care what she did. It's like a weird warning to women, in a way; don't think you can fight back, ever, in any way, not even symbolically, so stfd, because you can't. I am having a super hard time articulating all of this.

In sum, I get weird vibes from this.

[muse_misery]

sorry for the double comment, my internet is wonnky and I didn't think it went through the first time, bleh.

[angstbunny]

I totally feel you on this, that it's a "don't you dare react" sort of deal. I'm going to suck at articulating myself, too, but I definitely get the feeling, too. It's like the OH NOES that followed Madonna's video for "What It Feels Like For a Girl". God forbid women express anger at the men and the system that oppress, violate, and hurt us.

[muse_misery]

Yeah, you said it way better than me, though.

[eversofar]

If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass and BET should know better.

because these situations are totally the same.

[ladypolitik]

(1) This song is fucking HOTNESS, for the record. BRB, dancing to it all summer long.

(2) No one gives a fuck. Worry about teaching young men not to become entitled rapists, instead of a fucking hypothetical story about a victim who fights back.

[sillysallyfckup]

I haven't heard the song yet, but your second point is absolute YES YES YES

[poetic_pixie_13]

1) Ikr? Fucking fierce.

2) But it's so hard~ Then we might have to see victims (and, god forbid maybe my extension women) as real people who are victimized through no fault of their own.

[tifa]

Rihanna is fierce in general ♥

[sillysallyfckup]

I've been sitting in front of this for ten minutes trying to find words for how this article makes me feel but after about five words it gets garbled by exhausted frustration.

So, I just wanted to applaud everyone for being able to say things that are awesome and I agree with the general sentiment in here.