I've worked myself up into a tizzy today about this Chris Brown and Rihanna purported domestic violence situation. I can't say more than has already been said...I hope that Chris Brown didn't physically assault Rihanna. Truly. I hope that he can stop the cycle of violence that he witnessed as a child. I hope that Rihanna has not experienced intimate partner violence. Now and ever. I hope people start to think about the way they talk and think about domestic violence, and how men and women relate to one another.
If you've been online and reading Facebook statuses, blog comments and Twits, then you have probably seen some ignorant commentary insinuating that Rihanna as a "mouthy, Caribbean woman" deserved it for pissing him off. Or that she gave him herpes and he should have fought her. Ay, and the jokes with "Umbrella, ella, ella...". Super wack.
With the rise of domestic violence affecting the Hip-Hop community, or at least the light is actually shining on it, I hope we can talk about the pervasiveness of gender and intimate partner violence, particularly in communities of color. How are young fans of Chris Brown and Rihanna processing this? Some people think it's trivial to even talk about these celebs because their lives are insignificant to the rest of us. When I read a comment from a concerned mother whose 12 year-old informed her that "Chris Brown beat up Rihanna," I knew that this is bigger than gossip. In our celebrity crazy society, they become role models for young people. I hope there areinformed adults around to talk to these young folks about violence in their relationships and how to denounce it! Love hurts sometimes but your partner should not be inflicting pain on you. I have been on both sides of the coin...it is something that needs to be stopped and cycles must be broken. Another comment said "Barack wouldn't treat Michelle that way." enough said.
I said I wasn't gonna get all into it so here's some links to domestic violence resources, and some blog posts of note to check about this.
Family Violence Prevention Fund
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Guttmacher Institute
afrobella
jezebel
Giant
Happier times...
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