Quick Hit: Five mistakes we make when we talk about Rihanna
Shockingly good article from Newsweek on the way the media has been talking about Rihanna and Chris Brown.
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This is a great article! Yay to Newsweek for not supporting the myths of domestic abuse.
Just don't read the comments unless you are a masochist. I'm normally the cynical type but the reaction to the Chris Brown assaulting Rihanna has really shocked me. Although I didn't support the picture being leaked, I did believe that seeing the severity of her injuries would quiet most of the arguments that this was a two-sided, fairly light physical altercation in which Chris Brown was the only one arrested simply because he was the man. I did think it would spawn some very sexist paternal reactions (the whole, 'How dare he hit a fragile, delicate woman flower. She needs a man to step in and beat the shit out of him). But I've been blown away by just how many people out there seem extremely invested in finding a way to assign the blame to Rihanna. Many of these people don't even want them to share the blame (which is obviously also wrong), they want to put the entire burden of what happened squarely on her shoulders. It's crazy to read all the mental gymnastics of "maybe she did xyz" to avoid the possibility that he's just an abusive asshole that beat the shit out of her. It really exposes the deep-seeded hatred many people hold, even if they don't consciously think in those terms.
I know this was a bit off topic, it's just been upsetting to watch the public reaction as this story unfolds. I'm glad Newsweek ran this article but unfortunately the people that need to hear it most have closed their ears and minds.
I had a similar reaction to the comments. I don't even know why I read comments sections--I always find some troll trying to turn something positive into an excuse to air their sexist/racist/etc. world-views.
It's so annoying to see how many people are so eager to try and assign blame to Rihanna here. I think one poster even said that the author of the article was "a propagandist with an agenda" just because he or she declined to entertain the theory that Rihanna "had done something to provoke a butt-kicking" (or something to that effect).
People always wonder why DV victims could possibly feel GUILTY about their assaults, but people like this (and Kanye West, BTW) just reinforce the notion that DV sufferers are responsible for their injuries.
It's really sickening.
Ahh the comments made my eyes bleed.
That is a good article. We are trying to shift the focus back to Chris Brown at my organization. I'd like to share w/ feministing the open letter we released to him today:
http://www.safehaventc.org/content/PDF/OPEN%20LETTER%20TO%20CHRIS%20BROWN.pdf
I sometimes think that Rhianna went back to Chris Brown because she didn't want to be a victim and that somehow going back to him made her feel like she wasn't. I was in a similar situation once where I had been in denial for months before I finally admitted to myself (after confessing to my friends what happened) that I had been wronged. Sorry, for being so vague. I'm sure you can use your imagination though :D
Thank you. We will read and discuss this in my English class next week, and any learner who still insists it's Rihanna's fault isn't passing 8th or 9th grade. Not now, not ever.
That article was superb. What a refreshing read. Sadly, we can't make it compulsory reading for everyone.