Rihanna: Part of a much bigger problem

Photo courtesy of D.S.B.

50 Cent announced yesterday he is going to start cleaning up his music after hearing about Rihanna's domestic abuse incident. He says, "After I saw the photograph, that wasn't funny anymore." He added: “There will definitely be no more reference to that from me in any way." Millions of women have suffered from domestic abuse, 50 Cent. Are you just realizing this now because it happened to someone close to you?

Why do we need a celebrity to fall victim to abuse before we start talking about the issue? Why do we care more about one celebrity than millions of regular people.

MuchMusic will air a one-hour show to analyze the star duo's relationship and how the incident affects their careers. Foundations that help young teens suffering from domestic abuse "are also on hand". I don't know if this means they will actually go into detail about their services or how this issue affects today's youth. But this part is crucial and the only relevant part of the show. Young girls don't need to hear about what went wrong between Chris Brown and Rihanna. They want to know who to turn to when faced with a similar issue. People need to hear that domestic violence is highest among people between the ages of 15 and 24.

I guess it's inevitable that celebrities will always lead the way when dealing with humanitarian issues. Celebrity activists are everywhere these days. But we must stop making the celebrities bigger than the issues. Anna Hanstra, an international developments graduate student, says "The endorsements of celebrities also oversimplifies complex issues and places the spotlight on the activist, instead of on the people who are being helped."

This is an opportunity to talk about an issue that affects more than just a pop singer. But no one is jumping on it.