In this video, Rihanna tells the story about avenging a sexual assault by shooting the perpetrator in the head. Fortunately, the sexual assault isn't portrayed in detail, yet the shot to the head is. This sparked masses of complaints with the first official complaint being from the Parent Television Council, who protested that the video is violent and inappropriate, and they called for BET and MTV to stop airing it. Rihanna then turned around and tweeted, "I'm a 23 year old rockstar with NO KIDS! What's up with everybody wantin me to be a parent?" and again later: "U can't hide your kids from society, or they'll never learn how to adapt! This is the REAL WORLD!" This sparked even more controversy but BET refused to pull the video, stating that "While we all agree rape is a terrible crime, 'Man Down' offers no positive solution for rape victims except vigilant justice."
I think the most controversial thing in this video obviously is the suggested rape and the border-line graphic shot to the head, however I feel it is something we are so used to seeing in films etc, that it doesn't appear to be a big deal. I think the real issue here is how some people see Rihanna as a role model, therefore seeing her shoot someone isn't something many people feel young children should look up to. I think the video also sparked so much outrage as it can be so easily viewed as there is no age-rating or anything, and that is something people have to consider when creating a possibly controversial music video.
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