Leave Rihanna ALONE!!!

Kachina Pindell

The recent controversy surrounding Rihanna's new music video, "Man Down" has Rihanna facing criticism for the gun violence depicted in the video. But is she only being attacked because she is female? There are many videos and movies that depict or even promote violence among males (particularly gun violence, which is the kind happening in "Man Down"). However, those male artists/movie stars are not faced with the same scrutiny as Rihanna is currently battling. In the case of male artists, violence is presented as something that is almost second nature and goes unquestioned. But when Rihanna takes the law into her own hands in the same vein as her male counterparts, violence is suddenly something to be stopped.
Interestingly, few people are talking about the violence that was committed against Rihanna in the video. Why are we ignoring the violence that was committed against Rihanna? Our own gender expectations are depicted through the reaction to the video. It was only natural that he should commit a violent act but she is punished for doing so. Rihanna is expected to have taken a more passive role in what happened to her. She is punished for being a woman who fought violence with violence. None of this is to say that any kind of violence is good. But what we are seeing here is Rihanna being punished for using the same aggression that males are almost expected to convey in their own dealings with somone who has wronged them.
For those of you who havent seen the video, the link is posted below:

As I stated above, Rihanna has been faced with a lot of attention from the media about the way she handled being raped. Here is another link to the reaction CNN had to her video:

In conclusion, I feel as though the media is treating her unfairly. I do not believe she should have killed him. However, I also believe he had no right to put his hands on her when she clearly said "no". The media should pay eqaul attention to both crimes: the rape and the shooting.