Paul Porter, a spokesman for one of three councils calling for its ban, says that, "'Man Down’ is an inexcusable, shock-only, shoot-and-kill theme song. In my 30 years of viewing BET, I have never witnessed such a cold, calculated execution of murder in primetime. Viacom’s standards and practices department has reached another new low.”
He's right. Never before has anyone ever sung about killing someone for literally no reason at all. And that's just what Rihanna does in this video.
Oh wait, just kidding. It's because the man she shoots raped her the night before. This fact, combined with the uproar over the video, begs the question:
Are you fucking kidding me?
I know that I'm far from the first blogger to discuss "Man Down," but I am extremely angry about the backlash against it. This demonstrates a preposterous gender double standard for music videos. To cite one particularly gruesome example, I'd like to point out that Kanye West's "Monster" video is about a million times more offensive than this. I refuse to link to it because it's a disgusting piece of garbage, but suffice it to say that it's filled with lingerie-clad, fully made-up women hanging by nooses and laying in bed with Kanye, as well as a segment in which the rapper does his thing while holding the head of a decapitated woman by the hair. And yet very, very few people talked about its obvious misogyny, possible racism, and what effect that might have on viewers. In fact, some people are even buying Kanye's "it's art" line whole-heartedly. This video has only been edited for (not banned from) MTV.
Of course, it's not just a simple double standard. It would be only that if "Man Down" was about Rihanna coolly hanging around a house filled with the objectified bodies of the men she had murdered. It's not. It's about her character's reaction to her rape: a single incident of violence in response to violence first perpetrated upon her. I will never advocate violence as a universal means of ending violence, but there is a definite difference between Rihanna's character killing her rapist and Kanye decorating his house with beautiful murdered women. There's complexity in this video, just as there is complexity in real life.
Some critics have missed the nuances of the violence and its motive so extravagantly that they try to focus on the non-existent "double standard" that binds male performers. Paul Porter is again quoted in the PTC statement saying, “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."
Paul Porter is an asshole. Seriously. Just take a second to think about what he said. It's unbelievably stupid to make this comparison for a few reasons. First, I doubt we'll ever see a video in which Chris Brown shoots the woman who raped him. Female-on-male rapes do happen (they account for less than 1% of all reported rapes), but I doubt that Brown would ever stoop so low as to portray such a man, since popular culture would consider that emasculating. Second, the use of Brown for comparison is unwise. In case anyone has forgotten, Chris Brown beat the shit out of a woman (this woman) in real life. And when that happened, not only did the world continue to spin, but his career continued. He just released a new album.
Melissa Henson, one of the directors at the Parents' Television Council, remembers the issue of Rihanna's abuse, but slimily attempts to use it to push the video's ban. “Rihanna’s personal story and status as a celebrity superstar provided a golden opportunity for the singer to send an important message to female victims of rape and domestic violence." Henson insists that Rihanna should be "telling victims they should seek help" instead of taking violent action, and she has a point. But the truth is that when rape victims seek help, they are often faced with shame, ridicule, victim-blaming, and negligence. Sometimes, even when they have the courage to prosecute, their attackers are set free (I am convinced that those officers are guilty, but that's another story). If Rihanna's character had gone to the police and brought her case to court, it's likely that her "provocative" outfit would've led to her rapist's acquittal; in 2005, Amnesty International found that 27% of people believe that a woman is totally or partially responsible for her rape if she is wearing ‘sexy or revealing’ clothing.
One of the great things about this video is how strongly it articulates that sexy clothing or participation in sexy behavior do not equal consent to sex. In the video, Rihanna wears a short skirt to a sweaty dancehall where dozens of men and women dance in ways that would make grandmothers cry. She even briefly dances with the man who later rapes her, but then clearly pushes him away and shakes her head "no." When she leaves soon after, he follows her, pushes her against a wall, covers her mouth, and (it's implied) rapes her. While Rihanna expresses doubt about the morality of his murder ("'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him/ Coulda' been somebody's son") never does she blame herself in any way for her rape. This is such a big deal, and something for which Rihanna should be praised. There are far too many people in the world who claim that women who look or act attractive are at fault for their rapes, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. If you know anyone like this, please show them this brief sheet on sexual assault myths and facts.
That positive aspect of the video was lost on Melissa Henson, who went on to say that "A graphic portrayal of the singer getting back at an attacker by shooting him in cold blood in a crowded train station and then fleeing the scene is potentially the worst possible message that could be sent." Really? That's the worst message that could be sent? Although in this particular case it's understandable, I'll admit that murder is inexcusable. There are, however, much more damaging messages that could be sent by this video, such as the victim "deserving" her rape, or not telling anyone about it. Or it could send the messages that countless other music videos do: that (thin, big-breasted, etc.) women are items to be bought or won by an means necessary, that they are more than happy to bend to the will of any man, and that they are, at their core, simply less than people.
It's important to note that, unlike judgments on the worth and purpose of women or where responsibility for rape falls, Rihanna's "dangerous" message is not one that will likely be sublimated into the minds of viewers and reenacted in their lives. As Rihanna herself said, "I personally don't condone violence or murder. I've been abused in the past and you don't see me running around killing people in my spare time." Constant exposure to nearly nude women shaking their asses while being showered with champagne, on the other hand, is something that has affected behavior and led to assault.
It's interesting that while Rihanna is being persecuted for this video, as this vlogger with an adorable accent pointed out, Lady Gaga has gotten away with the in-video murders of countless diner patrons and three men, only one of whom directly harmed her. Maybe I wasn't listening enough, but I haven't heard a peep about these Gaga videos, other than the usual concern over a woman wearing tiny clothes. Is it because Rihanna's video takes place in a realistic-looking town in Barbados (?) instead of a "artsy" futuristic Russian brothel? Is it because we're used to Gaga being crazy? Or is it because Rihanna is a woman of color and therefore an easier target for conservative groups? My bet's on the last one.
I really believe that Rihanna has done a good thing by putting out this video. It's forcing people to talk about complex moral issues and the realities of rape in a world where the vast majority of people think that it's something that doesn't happen to "nice girls" and shouldn't be talked about. The outrage against it, which focuses on the murder instead of the rape, draws attention to how often rape victims are silenced or ignored.
I was confused to read Rihanna say, "I just really want girls to be careful. Have fun, be sassy, be innocent and sweet, be everything that you are. But just try not to be naive." At first, it rang just a bit too much of the sort of victim-blaming comments that inspired the magnificent SlutWalk movement. But in the context of another quote, it becomes clear that all Rihanna is advocating is awareness of the horror and frequency of sexual assault. What she said is really quite inspiring to hear from someone with as much star power as she has:
"Rape is, unfortunately, happening all over the world and in our own homes and we continue to cover it up and pretend it doesn't happen... Boys and girls feel compelled to be embarrassed about it, and they hide it from everyone, including their teachers, their parents and their friends. That only continues to empower the abusers."The Parents' Television Council is wrong: Rihanna is exactly the kind of pop artist we need. In a sea of videos that enforce acceptance of rape culture, she is brave enough to be a voice for its victims.
