The Moral Maze

That's Entertainment!

By Rhum Runner

There is a scene in the movie “Gladiator” where Proximo (Oliver Reed) is talking to Maximus (Russell Crowe) about his ring craft. Maximus is a stone cold killer but there’s the rub, as Proximo (Reed) painstakingly explains, he is simply too clinical. To win his freedom he has to win over the crowd; best to toy with his opponents a little then move in for the kill. However, Maximus has ideas of his own and in his next bout of mortal combat shows his anger and contempt for the entire spectacle. He carves his way through five adversaries as though it were the Sunday roast. He ends with an astonishing double sword decapitation; hurling one sword at the VIP guests in the balcony, he tosses the other to the ground, spits and yells to the crowd:
“Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?”
Far from being offended by his impetuosity, it drives the crowd wild; he gets a standing ovation as they chant his name,
“Spaniard, Spaniard, Spaniard...”

So what has this got to do with entertainment? Well, judging from some of the comments on the Chris Brown and Robyn Rihanna Fenty altercation, it seems that the public (nor media) hasn’t lost its appetite for blood sports, and attitudes don’t seem to have changed much since the fall of the Roman Empire.

For those of you who missed it, Chris Brown is charged with assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna following an argument. When I first heard the news I thought, 'ah well there goes another promising career down the tubes'. This guy has messed up big time, totally lost his mind, he’d better prepare for musical gulag. Don't get me wrong he was dropped by sponsors and outrage expressed for his actions, many leaving comments on Rihanna’s website expressed sorrow and anger over the incident. Then there were many on Chris Brown’s website congratulating him for damage he inflicted on her. In their eyes he was a hero and far from banishment Chris’ popularity was about to climb. This view represents the more sobering aspect of the tragedy. The Chicago Tribune reported some teenagers were expressing comments like, “I would have punched her around too”, and “she must have provoked him”! What is of interest is that the teenagers making these comments were female. Others doubted whether anything happened at all, well I guess she could have repeatedly banged her head against Chris Brown's fists, it happens!

I was somewhat saddened by this and from the fact that there seems to be an acceptance amongst some groups of young women that this sort of behaviour is just a normal part of relationships. In this setting Rihannia is seen as the architect of her own downfall, and those sceptical about the incident seem further confused by the gossip. The couple who had initially separated, according to the gossip columns were not only reconciled but were going to be moving in together. Now it appears they’ve now finally split up. C'est la vie or as they say ‘whatever’. There is no doubt a financial imperative to all of this and the powerbrokers of the music industry are hardly going to sit back and allow such a valuable investment to be lost without putting up a fight (apologies for my rather unfortunate turn of phrase). The Tribune article also related a story where one teen saw the facial scar she received from her boyfriend hitting her as a badge of courage, something to boast about. Little wonder that Chris’ behaviour which once would have been career limiting, now is de rigueur. He revealed on the Tyra Banks show that his mother suffered domestic violence for many years. I wonder what she makes of all of this.
I’d say that it’s also linked to our current preoccupation with celebrity. It seems to me that the value system has been totally screwed up. I am also broaden the term to include not just those in the entertainment business, singers, rap artists but also the Reality TV stars, the new breed of celebrity that are famous for merely being famous and not being able to do anything.

I am not blaming the media for all societies’ ills, but the impact on the young and impressionable should not be underestimated. The entertainment industry, the world of celebrities is but one manifestation of this but not the only one by any means. In the main I classify it as having two facets, hyper-masculinity emphasising violence and aggression targeted at males and hyper-sexuality essentially exhibitionism aimed at females. Simplification, I’ll admit but I can’t help but I believe that the behaviour of young men is not influenced by this. We’ve also had the Paris Hilton sex tape posted on the internet; Britney Spears flashing her genitalia to the paparazzi and the singer Beth Ditto removing her panties live on stage, and tossing them into the crowd.

How is all this influenced on young women? It’s probably hard to say definitively, but there are pointers. In the UK research conducted in the past ten years shows that girls are modelling their behaviour on women in the media. A poll conducted by the Lab TV website of 1,000 girls asked who they considered a “good role model”, the glamour (topless) models Abi Titmuss and Jordan were at the top of the list. The poll also revealed that, 63 per cent of girls said that they aspired to be glamour models rather than doctors or teachers, and a quarter thought that lap-dancing would be a “good profession”.
Once women were focused on climbing the corporate ladder, breaking the glass ceiling now they seem to be fixated on wearing clear plastic platforms whilst sliding up and down a greasy pole!

In truth entertainers have been behaving badly for some time and it didn’t start with R Kelly (incidentally if that isn't him in the video then I’m Santa Claus). I do not want to further stigmatise the young these attitudes are not universal but the fact that they exist at all is very worrying. It’s also a challenge to us as parents and guardians to educate our young people because if we don’t challenge these issues as some experts claim they can carry on into adulthood. Unless we can intervene and educate the young, far from engaging in loving and supportive relationships the reality will be a continuation of the aggression and violence that started whilst young.

The mixed messages from his adoring fans, living his life in the glare of publicity, all of this doesn’t help Chris any. I do hope that he’s seeking and getting professional help, particularly since he witnessed his mother on the receiving end of such violence. He seems to be repeating the same type of behaviour, but he has to take responsibility for his actions. He needs to come to terms with his behaviour. He's a talented guy but he needs help, quick.

(Rhum Runner is a is a contributor to Island Vibes Magazine and writes about social issues, from his perspective. Check out his blog - rhumrunner.blogspot.com. For comments, please feel free to contact him at rhumrunner@islandvibesmag.com.)