Rihanna is Forgiving, but Hopefully, not Forgetting
In light of the recent musical reconciliation
collaboration, between Chris Brown and Rihanna, it is necessary to dissect the
relationship celebrities have with their fans.
On
February 20th 2012, the two young pop stars released two musical
collaborations they had been working on together. The collaboration represents
forgiveness by Rihanna to Chris Brown, and an effort to show the feelings they
still have for one another. Immediately, Rihanna received criticism for her
decision to team up with Brown. Most of her supporters believe this to be a
sign of disregard for her fans, and the people that sympathized with her. The
producer for the two musical tracks, Terius “The Dream” Nash, felt differently,
“For me, it’s just music –two talented people doing a record together and that’s
what it was,” The Dream told Black Entertainment Television (BET) bloggers. “The
true thing really is to forgive.” Well, Rihanna has obviously forgiven Brown
for his brutal actions on February 9th, 2009, and she is able to face
her fans without any qualms.
The
real question that Brown and Rihanna raise has been brought up for years, are
celebrities responsible for the messages that they send to their fans? These
two young stars do not feel they have any reason to stand by their decisions
for their fans. They are two individuals that make mistakes and decisions based
on their own feelings, and not based on how those actions will be perceived by
fans. They do not believe they should have any personal responsibility to their
fans, but to make quality music.
As soon
as Rihanna released her remixes with Brown, she got on the defensive. Social
media has become a direct link between artists and their fans. Media platforms,
such as Twitter, allow fans and artists to sound off on any and every topic.
Rihanna used Twitter to respond to the criticism that she received for collaborating
with Brown, but she refused to admit fault and instead became defensive and
vulgar. Which is a far cry from her responses to interview questions by Diane
Sawyer in November of 2009, “These
are young girls and I just didn't realize how much of an impact I had on these
girls' lives until that happened." These were wise words
from the young star, but it seems she has gone back on these comments. Rihanna
is making it perfectly clear that she is not a role model, and she is not
someone to be imitated. Her actions are to be learned from, not followed.
Whenever
an individual is in the public eye a heavy burden is placed on them.
Celebrities are responsible for the images they put forth of themselves, but
they are not automatically role models for the younger generation. No, this
does not mean that celebrities should flaunt negative lifestyles, but they are
not responsible for sending only positive images to young fans. Role models
should come from family and friends. The adults within the same household as a
young person should be responsible for putting positive images in from of them.
It should not be left up to people like Justin Bieber, Chris Brown or Rihanna
to represent positivity. This is especially true for young celebrities that are
still maturing themselves. These people are musical artists, they have a job to
produce music and perform. The problem starts at home and parents have to take
responsibility for who their children emulate. Reiterate that not all of the
people they see on television are to be admired or mimicked. Celebrities make
their own decisions without considering the perception they send out to fans.
