The progressing development of Chris Brown and Rihanna and the directions of their careers has placed me in a position to question where all of this really came from.
Now in no shape or form is domestic abuse acceptable or excusable in any right. In that fact, there is never a valid reason for one person to lay their hands on another with intents to doing harm to them. With that being said, the case of Chris Brown and Rihanna is a symbol of the issue plaguing Black America and relationships between men and women.
As violence has continued to ravage the urban community, the case of Rihanna is foreign territory for America who shudder at the thought that things such as this happen within a household, but it is common ground for Black men and women whose tumultuous roads take such turns more often that the mainstream eye is willing to open itself up to.
Most can look at the media to having a blind eye to the true matters eating away at the country, but fully exploiting that which will gain a buzz.
Although Chris Brown’s actions, whether they were provoked or not, are frightening, one must come to take an in-depth look at Rihanna and the character that she has been playing ever since the media attacked the story like a shark that smelled blood in the water.
As two young pop icons are dealing with the weight of fame and success and having to hit such a low with this event, the media is soaking and up and putting a spin in order to brainwash and have sides be picked.
Many questions have arisen now that she has actually opened up to share the story of what transpired that night between herself and former boyfriend Chris Brown. Why is it that she waited so long to actually make an appearance and speak on the issue? Why wait until after Chris Brown spoke before making your own voice heard?
In order to dissect this situation, a person must be able to strip away all senses of being bias and establish both sides of the fence. Much like the pending issue facing Tiger Woods, there is a heavy amount of bias going on without looking at the bigger picture.
Rihanna was a winner before she even came out the gate. Originally helmed as being a victim of abuse, the singer has become a media Slore to further expose her story of dealing with abuse and “inadvertently” portraying Brown as a monster. While she has been interviewed about the altercation and she has vouched for battered women, has she actually taken steps towards helping these women that are going through what she went through? Has she become a participant on a global scale of anything that has to do with women’s rights or empowerment?
Last time I checked she was busy trying to reinforce this tough girl persona and taking picture like this:
Now no one is saying that she should stop living her life and career, but why not become more verbal on such a serious issue. As young women are engaging in relationships where they are fearful of their mate and deal with verbal and physical abuse on the regular, why not vouch for them and become more active in addressing the issue outside of when the camera comes on and they say action? When Rihanna decided to finally speak, she took on a responsibility that she cannot deny. As a young woman that has catapulted due to the media frenzy, why not use it as a catalyst to achieve something greater outside of herself?
There has, however, been a proper platform set for the promotion of her album Rated R as a woman that suffered a bad deal, but was still able to stand triumphant through it all. Her provocative, rated R look has easily propelled her into a sex symbol and she is basking as her career has reached its highest. Numbers don’t lie and first weeks sales of 181,000 copies, becoming her most successful debut sales, show a major shift, but ask the question, how good was the album actually when looking it at the project solely for the musical aspect? The album has also been praised as being her most personal effort to date, but compare it to Good Girl Gone Bad and answer which album was really better.
Let’s see how that battered woman card plays out as time progresses and what she does before the next project comes out.
Chris Brown, on the other hand, has already stated that he is apologetic and remorseful for his choice of actions, but he will continue to feel the after effect. Whether it was the current problem in the economy or the consequences of his actions, Graffiti was not able to soar to the heights that he felt it should have and it’s not like the album is bad, even though it has been slammed by critics. Soundscan, however, projected a first week sales of 102,000 copies sold and there have been allegations of the project not being available in particular store, which would be blackballing Brown.
So, is America dictating their opinion off of the actual product or is it being over-saturated with sympathy?
The point of this is not to look at Rihanna and discredit her and make a statement that she is running with her situation in a selfish direction. The purpose is to make the statement that such a responsibility should be utilized for a greater cause when she is a public figure that females embrace for inspiration and support.
Some call it chance, I call it perfect timing to snatch success and stand on top of the world.
