Why the silence?

I know Chris Brown's attack on Rihanna back in 2009 was 3 years ago now, but I still feel like it's worth writing about and is appropriate to talk about in this course. For me, this is because Rihanna does not seem to take what happened to her as serious as she should. And I cannot understand how or why Chris Brown even has a career today. I can understand Rihanna wanting to move on with her life and not wanting the vicious attack to change who she is, but what doesn't make sense is why she has just recently recorded TWO songs with him, speaks about him with praise, and worst of all, is rumored to be dating him once again. Below are two statements, from 2011-2012, by Rihanna regarding Chris:

"It's incredible to see how he pulled out of it the way he did. Even when the world seemed like it was against him, you know? I really like the music he's putting out. I'm a fan of his stuff. I've always been a fan. Obviously, I had some resentment toward him for a while, for obvious reasons. But I've put that behind me. It was taking up too much of my time. It was too much anger. I'm really excited to see the breakthrough he's had in his career. I would never wish anything horrible for him. Never. I never have."

"I reached out to him about doing 'Birthday Cake' because that's the only person that really - it made sense to do the record. Just as a musician - despite everything else - that was going to be the person. You know I thought about rappers, and I've done that so many times, and the hottest R&B artist out right now is Chris Brown. So I wanted him on the track, and then in turn he was like 'Why don't you do the remix to my track?' and it was a trade off. We did two records. One for my fans. One for his fans, and that way our fans can come together. There shouldn't be a divide. You know? It's music, and it's innocent."

What happened to Rihanna is a serious problem and it's almost like since she never made a big deal about what happened to her, Chris has been forgiven. However, I think it is only a matter of time before he does this again. Most recently, Chris and singer Drake (rumored to have also dated Rihanna) came under fire for a serious altercation in a bar. Glass bottles were thrown and words were exchanged. Some of the injuries were very brutal. It was said that Chris and Drake were not the ones who started the fight, it was their entourage, but even so the connection between the two men is obvious and so is the reason for the fight.

Country singer, Miranda Lambert, has not been shy about voicing her opinions of Chris Brown. Before singing her hit, Gunpowder and Lead, in concert Miranda took the opportunity to let Chris know the song was for him,

"I just have to speak my mind, because where I come from, beating up on a woman is never OK. So that's why my daddy taught me early on in life how to use a shotgun,"
"Chris Brown twice? I don't get it. He beat on a girl...Not cool that we act like that didn't happen. He needs to listen to "Gunpowder and Lead" and be put back in his place. Not at the Grammys,"

I give Miranda a lot of credit for speaking up for Rihanna and battered women every where, but why could Rihanna never do this for herself, or her fans who look up to her? I will never change how I feel about Chris Brown, but my feelings about Rihanna have also changed. Domestic violence is not something to ever be silent about. Put your fame and horrible ordeal to good use, Rihanna! Chris should never be allowed to hurt anyone ever again.

                                                                                From this...

To This...?

Sick of "reality" TV.

The three shows up top are just a few of the "reality" shows that I believe have gotten way out of hand. They are, Bristol Palin: Life's a tripp, Beverly Hills Nannies, and Snooki and Jwoww. I can barely sit through these shows without feeling extremely angry and confused as to why they even exist. Not one person on either of the three shows comes off looking good, or improving their image. I find myself disliking them more for giving into the delusion of reality television. Isn't it time we finally went back to normal television?

I'll admit that I did get into Jersey Shore during its second season. It was hard not to. I almost felt like by not watching I was left out of a special club, full of completely new catch phrases and dialogue. I thought the show was outrageous, but it was carefree and funny. I began to get sick of the show by season 4, when the cast members all got to go to Italy and film there. Not one of the 8 roommates took the trip seriously. They had the privilege of being surrounded by beauty and rich culture, yet all they cared about was going out partying and drinking. When they did go on a tour of the city almost all of them complained at how boring it was and asked inane questions the entire time. It was disgraceful to watch. I cannot understand why Nicole aka "Snooki" and Jenni aka "Jwoww" were offered their own reality show once Nicole's pregnany and engagement was made known. Isn't it time to start taking things seriously, Nicole? Shouldn't her primary focus be on a healthy pregnancy and putting time into her very short relationship with fiancee, Jionni. For those of you who watched Jersey Shore, you may remember that Nicole met her now fiancee in a bar, after she was extremely drunk. While hooking up with him she repeatedly asked what his name was. I'm sorry but this girl is in serious need of a real reality check, and needs to back away from the cameras and get her priority's straight.

Another young woman who I feel needs to step away from the cameras is Bristol Palin, daughter of Sarah Palin. She is only 20 years old and has a three year old son with her ex, Levi. As soon as I heard she was getting a reality show I knew it would be just like all the others that are on right now. To me, Bristol does not come off likeable at all. She appears to feel entitled to all the fame she has gained because of her mother, and often whines and complains about every little thing. I'm personally not a fan of the Palin family, but I thought this show would focus on the good things she does in life, and was willing to give her a chance. Her show reminds me of Paris Hilton's epic flop "The World According to Paris". Before it was released all Paris was quoted saying was that it was going to show her in a new light and how much she has changed for the better. That could not have been farther from the truth. Paris was arguably the most unlikeable she has ever been. The show was cancelled after 8 episodes for poor ratings. I can only wonder if Bristol Palin's show will face the same fate.

Finally, I must say that I am shocked at ABC Family for succumbing to bad reality TV. They introduced their new show "Beverly Hills Nannies" just the other night and it is no different from "The Real Housewives" series. It is just another show where the help is too often berated for their hard work and forced to do disgusting and humiliating things. I myself am a nanny and if I were ever treated the way they are just once, I'd be out the door. I don't understand the point, and I can't understand anyone watching this and feeling enjoyment.

We women should be taking a stand on how we're portrayed, in all aspects of our lives. These three shows do not set a good example, and we certainly don't want the younger generation taking on these habits, do we? If reality TV shows like these went away for good I wouldn't miss them. I think our society would be much better off.

Karen Klein Bullying

By now I'm sure many of you have seen or at least heard about the 68 year old bus monitor named Karen Klein who was viciously bullied by middle school boys on the bus ride home from school. This took place in June, during the last week of school, in Rochester, NY. One of the boys, who claims he did not make any remarks during Karen's bullying, recorded the horrific insults on his cell phone then uploaded it to YouTube and his Facebook page. There was an immediate public outrage and the boys' evil words and actions were exposed. Four 13-14 year old boys continuously tormented Karen, calling her a "fatass", "poor", "ugly", among many, many other things. There is even a point in the video where one of the boys touches Karen's arm, further insulting her for being "fat". One boy pushes the limit when he tells Karen that her family killed themselves because they didn't want to be around her anymore. Karen said that was a "low blow" because her son did in fact kill himself 10 years ago.

Bullying is something that has always existed, but how often do we ever hear of a senior citizen being bullied?! As I said, the video went public and people across the country were disgusted and demanded justice for Karen. A website started on Indiegogo.com started a fundraiser for Karen to send her of the vacation of a limetime. The funder set a goal of $5,000 which was surpassed to $120,000 in just 24 hours. To date, the fundrasier has reached $680,000! As much as the video and the actions of these boys disturbs me and makes me furious I think it was a good thing because it opened so many eyes and proved just how out of hand bullying is getting. After receiving countless death threats, and harrassing text and Facebook messages, the boys have since been suspended from school for an entire year, but will go to an alternative school to learn about the negative affects of bullying, and they must do community service for senior citizens.

Karen Klein has certainly had the last laugh. She has been featured in countless interviews, rallies, and talk shows, where she bravely speaks about her ordeal. Karen said 2 of the 4 boys issued apologies but she does not believe that they were heartfelt. Together with Southwest airlines, Anderson Cooper gave Klein and 9 of her family members a trip to Disneyland, and Disney World in Florida also extended an offer for Klein to come down there as well. Karen said she plans to donate half of the money from her charity to Autism research.

Karen has remained strong through all of this and is shocked at how nice people have been and is filled with happiness from all the loving messages and support she has received. I was so outraged over this whole thing that I donated to the charity that was set up for her. I couldn't image someone treating my grandmother that way and it proves that we should NEVER be silent when it comes to bullying.

Below is the video of her bullying, as well as the website that was set up for her to make donations.
http://www.indiegogo.com/loveforkarenhklein

Stay strong, Karen!