Rihanna criticized for ‘Man Down’ music video violence

Rihanna’s new ‘Man Down’ music video is under fire from a range of groups after it shows her shooting someone in the back of the head at a train station.

However this is not the first time the singer has been criticized for her messages about violence and revenge. Her ‘S&M’ music video drew the ire of the PTC (Parent’s Television Council) which accused it of glorifying overly sexual content to a young audience. There was also some critics who felt that her collaboration with Eminem on ‘Love The Way You Lie’, made domestic violence acceptable, which was not the message of the video.

Whatever your interpretation of ‘Man Down’ is, Rihanna is still grappling with her personal battle of violence against women. However, adding the idea of ‘revenge killings’ takes it to an extreme that will definitely upset some viewers.

There are almost no rules for music video censorship on youtube which has encouraged artists to be more edgy than ever. Of course, youtube does have some editorial vision when it comes to offensive content, but overall, people are free to do what they like, and maybe there needs to be some kind of MPAA for the web?

What do you think of Rihanna’s latest take on the subject of violence? Do you like her music videos or should we stop watching them?

Rihanna ‘Man Down’ Music Video