Rihanna Defends Controversial 'Man Down' Video, But Is It Really Art? (POLL)

Rihanna's new video for her song, "Man Down," has become the focus of an exchange between the artist and media watchdog groups like the Parents Television Council. The video, in which the singer's character shoots a man in the head, goes on to depict the events--including an implied rape--that led up to the murder.

Rihanna initially responded to criticism via twitter with a series of messages, including: "U can't hide your kids from society,or they'll never learn how to adapt!This is the REAL WORLD!"

Later, she appeared on the BET program 106 & Park, calling the video "art with a message," and saying, "I wanted to make a mini-movie, something raw and artistic. And if I can be a voice for so many that aren’t heard, then I win twice."

ABC News quotes Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, who was among the video's critics: "we would hope that Rihanna and her music label would consider the potential impact of sending a message that violence should beget more violence."

Rihanna, herself a victim of domestic violence during a much-publicized incident with R&B singer and then boyfriend Chris Brown, insisted that the video had a "very strong underlying message 4 girls like me."

Quick Poll

Is Rihanna's "Man Down" video art or exploitation?

Art! At least somebody in the music industry is addressing domestic violence.

Exploitation! She didn't have to shoot him in the head.

Other. I'll explain in a comment.

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Comments

[Katie McLaughlin]

12:30 AM on 06/07/2011

If the song had some more meaning than "Oh no I shot a guy, I better go on the run." I'd consider it art, but it doesn't. It's just annoying and shallow, and attempting to be art. It's not thought out at all and it does in fact show "violence begets more violence". It's sad that she thinks that this somehow teaches a lesson. Does she want the other girls out there that have been through the situations she has to attack the person who did it to them? Leading them into prison? Really?

[KaliKross]

01:41 PM on 06/06/2011

Rihanna is such a nightmare. I can't stand how sweet, young Chris Brown's career was railroaded all because SHE picked a fight with him. We're so hung on the concept of 'woman as victim' in our society that we ignored the physical damage she did to him. Of course, now we're playing the victim card for her again instead of seeing this as evidence that SHE was an abusive and violent person all along. Ideally, she keeps up her 'rude boy', 'chains and whips excite me' act until we all see her for exactly what she is, and we embrace and apologize to the good-country-boy-painted-as-Ike-Turner, CB. Rihanna DOWN!

[BeeGagaBarbie]

05:59 PM on 06/12/2011

I'll be damned if you defend Christ Brown...."good country boy painted as Ike Turner" yeah in case you didn't know he was painted like that because oh wait why oh yeah HE BEAT A WOMAN duh when you're in a predicament like that i hope you don't expect people to feel sorry for you cuz they'll just return to this and see oh she's not a victim she advocates men beating and women so boo who not for you, and furthermore please explain the physical damage she did to him because i think the media and the cops forgot that part please elaborate...

[art525]

11:00 AM on 06/05/2011

The word "art" gets tossed around too easily.

[GaBu2]

08:16 AM on 06/05/2011

To quote the late great Gil Scott-Heron "...America was shocked. America leads the world in shock, unfortunately America does not lead he world in deciphering the cause of shock"

I agree with Rhi Rhi 100%, she grew up in a society where people were exposed to the real world from an early age, they understood what was happening, and were better able to adjust and adapt without having emotional scars.
Here, America is shocked at everything, want to hide everything from their kids, then can't understand why kids / people react the way they do when confromted with the problems of real life.
Go Rhi Rhi... do your thing.

[GaBu2]

08:12 AM on 06/05/2011

hi

[John Zorabedian]

06:26 AM on 06/05/2011

It's hard not to make a sexist comment when it comes to a woman as beautiful as Rihanna.

[Noble]

03:31 AM on 06/05/2011

Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun" featured incest/rape and a girl shooting and killing her rapist father complete with blood splatter. If you want your children to watch shows for children, put on the Disney channel where they'll inevitably see some really scary and twisted stuff. Really, is this song any worse than "Hey, Joe" or "I Shot the Sheriff"? Wasn't it a Ke$ha video in which she killed the Dawson's Creek guy and had his head mounted to the wall?

Mama, just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead,
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away-
Mama oooh,
Didn't mean to make you cry-
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow-
Carry on,carry on,as if nothing really matters-

Yeah, so whatever, carry on people.

[L. Rozner]

01:29 AM on 06/05/2011

I still say there are some certain, extreme cases where a battered woman should be allowed to kill the abuser as a matter of defense if the abuser can potentially threaten the life of the woman. After all, the original version of the sixth commandment read "Thou shalt not MURDER". It never said anything about not being able to kill (exclusively for self-defense, I mean), otherwise, Christianity would have died out years ago if it had explicitly interpreted that commandment as a pacifist message.

[mmkay]

01:18 AM on 06/05/2011

It's both.

[cgin]

01:00 AM on 06/05/2011

The video was done exclusively and implicitly with the commercial intent to shock and awe for the sole purpose of making money, not for the benefit of battered women nor for any community service message.

[mmkay]

01:30 AM on 06/05/2011

But if it has that benefit for the community, then she wins twice, she said. Winning here and winning there. Charlie Sheen made a disciple.

[raw280]

02:05 AM on 06/05/2011

I have not seen it but I believe that is the premise of show business.

[Cloud30]

12:36 AM on 06/05/2011

A man shooting a woman in cold blood in any music video...whether it be Eminem, Bono, or any artist would not be okay...and people would find a problem with it no matter the circumstances. No matter where you stand on the issue...that's just what it is

[dvm]

12:35 AM on 06/05/2011

Why does this single video deserve a headline when scads of music and videos have lyrics and images of violence against women, and nary a peep from HuffPo?

[Cloud30]

12:32 AM on 06/05/2011

Though I understand the lyrics and general message of the song...at the end of the day the overall message is a woman taking the law into her own hands and killing a man

And although many would consider revenge okay in that situation...if many more young girls follow that logic they'll end up in jail and their lives will be more ruined than it already is. In the end...the video can be summed up as woman gets raped and shoots a man...period

I also don't like that she went to another country that isn't her own and portrayed an image of being raped in that country....but that's an entirely different argument all together

[DavidET]

12:07 AM on 06/05/2011

Yes this is the real world. Stop hiding from it and instead do something about it.

[houseofd]

11:26 PM on 06/04/2011

I don't remember Janey's Got A Gun getting this much criticism.

[Shikamaru]

12:16 PM on 06/08/2011

or Queen's song... Bohemien rhaspody .... i know i just butchered the spelling but you get the idea.

[Shikamaru]

12:17 PM on 06/08/2011

ps... i love that song, "janie's got a gun"