Rihanna's "Man Down" video

[SaraJayne]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/cel...own.controversy/index.html?hpt=hp_p1&iref=NS1

The music video for Rihanna's newest single, "Man Down," is "an inexcusable, shock-only, shoot-and-kill theme song" that should not be aired on television, according to a group that campaigns against violence on TV.

Rihanna defended her video Thursday with a posting on her Twitter account: "U can't hide your kids from society, or they'll never learn how to adapt! This is the REAL WORLD!"

"The music industry isn't exactly Parents R Us! We have the freedom to make art, LET US! Its your job to make sure they dont turn out like US," she tweeted.

The hip-hop singer, who was herself a victim of a beating by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, portrays a woman who guns down a man who sexually assaulted her.

Has anyone seen her new video? Opinions?

 

[Jennasis]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/cel...own.controversy/index.html?hpt=hp_p1&iref=NS1


Has anyone seen her new video? Opinions?

I don't recall the world getting up in arms over "Janey's Got a Gun".

But if someone has a problem with the video, it shouldn't be much of a problem to avoid it...MTV hardly plays videos anymore.

 

[lizabu]

Its a good video but not meant for kids. I don't think it's Rhianna's job to keep kids from watching her videos though. I think that's up to the parents.

 

[SaraJayne]

Its a good video but not meant for kids. I don't think it's Rhianna's job to keep kids from watching her videos though. I think that's up to the parents.

I agree with you.

I'm just wondering if people's perspective would be different if it was a man murdering a woman in cold blood, kwim?

 

[LilyWDW]

Its a good video but not meant for kids. I don't think it's Rhianna's job to keep kids from watching her videos though. I think that's up to the parents.

Agreed. I get sick and tired of people complaining about these sorts of things. If you don't want to watch it or don't want your kids to watch it... then DON'T. No one is forcing you to do so.

Censorship is bad! Personal responsibility is GOOD!

I agree with you.

I'm just wondering if people's perspective would be different if it was a man murdering a woman in cold blood, kwim?

Wouldn't matter to me.

 

[npmommie]

I agree with you.

I'm just wondering if people's perspective would be different if it was a man murdering a woman in cold blood, kwim?

Didn't vampire Eric toss Lady Gaga over a balcony in one of her videos?
or maybe it was the other way around, I forget, LOL
anyway,
I don't believe in censorship either, I monitor what the kids see and hear.
and I don't think much of Rhianna anyway and her music isn't meant for kids to see or hear imo.

 

[ccgirl]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/cel...own.controversy/index.html?hpt=hp_p1&iref=NS1


Has anyone seen her new video? Opinions?

My opinion, I think she is trash and change the station every time I hear her. Personally, I don't feel an S&M song is appropriate, even for me - nevermind my children. This new song is just as bad. I realize she had a right to make the song just as I have a right to change the channel.

I think this quote is ridiculous:

Rihanna defended her video Thursday with a posting on her Twitter account: "U can't hide your kids from society, or they'll never learn how to adapt! This is the REAL WORLD!"

In my REAL WORLD things she sings about are not acceptable. I realize different people live in different "world" though. I may not be able to hide my child from society but I can teach them what is right and what is wrong. and, her trashy mouth, trashy look is wrong. My children can adapt just fine - to things that are right and can work to change things that are wrong. They don't adapt to something we feel is wrong. Again, this is MY opinion. Vent over.

 

[luvmy3]

I don't approve of many videos out there so I solve that issue by not letting my kids watch MTV. Seems pretty simple to me

 

[SaraJayne]

My opinion, I think she is trash and change the station every time I hear her. Personally, I don't feel an S&M song is appropriate, even for me - nevermind my children. This new song is just as bad. I realize she had a right to make the song just as I have a right to change the channel.

I think this quote is ridiculous:

Rihanna defended her video Thursday with a posting on her Twitter account: "U can't hide your kids from society, or they'll never learn how to adapt! This is the REAL WORLD!"

In my REAL WORLD things she sings about are not acceptable. I realize different people live in different "world" though. I may not be able to hide my child from society but I can teach them what is right and what is wrong. and, her trashy mouth, trashy look is wrong. My children can adapt just fine - to things that are right and can work to change things that are wrong. They don't adapt to something we feel is wrong. Again, this is MY opinion. Vent over.

I totally agree with you. My kids don't watch videos anyway, so I'm not worried about them seeing it (who even shows videos anymore? ).

Just an interesting topic to discuss.

 

[SaraJayne]

Didn't vampire Eric toss Lady Gaga over a balcony in one of her videos?
or maybe it was the other way around, I forget, LOL
anyway,
I don't believe in censorship either, I monitor what the kids see and hear.
and I don't think much of Rhianna anyway and her music isn't meant for kids to see or hear imo.

I don't know. I don't listen to (or watch) Gaga, either.

 

[Arielle22]

The dixie Chicks song "Goodbye Earle" was about a wife and her friend killing her husband after she ends up in the hospital due to being beaten.

Garth Brooke's song "Papa loves Mama" was told from a child's persceptive of his father driving his truck into the motel where the mother was cheating on him.

I don't remember anyone protesting those.

 

[npmommie]

My opinion, I think she is trash and change the station every time I hear her. Personally, I don't feel an S&M song is appropriate, even for me - nevermind my children. This new song is just as bad. I realize she had a right to make the song just as I have a right to change the channel.

I think this quote is ridiculous:

Rihanna defended her video Thursday with a posting on her Twitter account: "U can't hide your kids from society, or they'll never learn how to adapt! This is the REAL WORLD!"

In my REAL WORLD things she sings about are not acceptable. I realize different people live in different "world" though. I may not be able to hide my child from society but I can teach them what is right and what is wrong. and, her trashy mouth, trashy look is wrong. My children can adapt just fine - to things that are right and can work to change things that are wrong. They don't adapt to something we feel is wrong. Again, this is MY opinion. Vent over.

Did anyone see her perform on the Billboard awards.
I turned it on for a minute and that was enough, it was so raunchy, and so inappropriate.

 

[SaraJayne]

The dixie Chicks song "Goodbye Earle" was about a wife and her friend killing her husband after she ends up in the hospital due to being beaten.

Garth Brooke's song "Papa loves Mama" was told from a child's persceptive of his father driving his truck into the motel where the mother was cheating on him.

I don't remember anyone protesting those.

There was plenty of controversy about those songs back in the day, as well as Garth Brooks' song "The Thunder Rolls".

 

[WDWisTheBest]

My opinion, I think she is trash and change the station every time I hear her. Personally, I don't feel an S&M song is appropriate, even for me - nevermind my children. This new song is just as bad. I realize she had a right to make the song just as I have a right to change the channel.

I think this quote is ridiculous: Rihanna defended her video Thursday with a posting on her Twitter account: "U can't hide your kids from society, or they'll never learn how to adapt! This is the REAL WORLD!"

In my REAL WORLD things she sings about are not acceptable. I realize different people live in different "world" though. I may not be able to hide my child from society but I can teach them what is right and what is wrong. and, her trashy mouth, trashy look is wrong. My children can adapt just fine - to things that are right and can work to change things that are wrong. They don't adapt to something we feel is wrong. Again, this is MY opinion.

Good post and I agree with most of it. Rihanna called into a BET show Thursday night to discuss the controversy. " 'Man Down' is a song about a girl who has committed a murder that she regrets and is completely remorseful about," she said. "You hear her crying to her mama, saying why she did it. It could have been somebody's son. She didn't mean to hurt him."

She didn't mean to hurt him? What lesson does this teach?

 

[tlbwriter]

There was plenty of controversy about those songs back in the day, as well as Garth Brooks' song "The Thunder Rolls".

In fact (showing my age here) I remember hearing that Garth added the last verse, where you find out she was abused, after the fact.

I don't recall the world getting up in arms over "Janey's Got a Gun".

I haven't seen the Rihanna video, so I don't know how violent it is. And it's been a very long time since I saw 'Janie's Got a Gun." Did it actually show her shooting him, or did it just show his body afterward? It may be that Rihanna's video is much more violent. Or it may be that I'm just too old to remember.

 

[wvjules]

Good post and I agree with most of it. This video is indicative of what I feel is wrong with comtemporary videos. I hope it has low sales totals.

Do videos go on sale?

 

[tlbwriter]

Do videos go on sale?

You can buy them on iTunes.

 

[Jennasis]

The video is actually quite tame. Much less violent than any of the shooter video games out there. There is one violent act at the beginning of the vidoe before the song starts. Then the song is essentially her apologizing for it. Then the video ends with her being assaulted/raped by the guy she shot at the beginning.

Another non-issue. I actually thought the song was kind of meh, lame.

 

[hipchickie]

I agree with most of the posters here - it is not her job to monitor children, and I don't want it to be. I like the song S&M, and if my kids are not with me, I will listen to it. I wouldn't want it not to be able to be played on the radio because it is "not appropriate for children" - quite honestly, I am sick of having my entertainment choices limited because of that!

I remember an acquaintance of mine railing against Disnay and saying they should be boycotted because they owned Miramax and she did not feel Miramax made films suitable for kids

On another note, I don't think of Rhianna as trashy, I feel bad for her. She had/has a not great relationship with her father and IIRC domestic violence growing up, and it shows. I know so many woman that did not have positive male relationships in youth that turn out to be very promiscuous, inappropriate sexual conversations in public...they think their only worth to a man is as a sex object.

 

[ccgirl]

Wow! And I thought I was going to get flamed for my opinion. What a pleasant surprise.

I totally agree with you. My kids don't watch videos anyway, so I'm not worried about them seeing it (who even shows videos anymore? ).
Just an interesting topic to discuss.

My kids don't even know what MTV is.

I don't know. I don't listen to (or watch) Gaga, either.

Yup. She's another one banned in my house.

The dixie Chicks song "Goodbye Earle" was about a wife and her friend killing her husband after she ends up in the hospital due to being beaten.

Garth Brooke's song "Papa loves Mama" was told from a child's persceptive of his father driving his truck into the motel where the mother was cheating on him.

I don't remember anyone protesting those.

I think they were protested. I also remember a song way back when about se$ with animals.

Did anyone see her perform on the Billboard awards.
I turned it on for a minute and that was enough, it was so raunchy, and so inappropriate.

Turned it as soon as I saw her coming on. Doesn't surprise me. I wasn't so quick to censor Lady Gaga. My DD8 walked in while she was ummm..touching herself and my DD wanted to know if she had to go to the bathroom.

Good post and I agree with most of it. Rihanna called into a BET show Thursday night to discuss the controversy. " 'Man Down' is a song about a girl who has committed a murder that she regrets and is completely remorseful about," she said. "You hear her crying to her mama, saying why she did it. It could have been somebody's son. She didn't mean to hurt him."

She didn't mean to hurt him? What lesson does this teach?

I guess violence never pays off and to think before you act. Both things I already continaully teach my children. Certainly don't the assistance of her raunchy video for that.