Was Rihanna Out Of Line With Tweet Regarding CBS?

[Deleted]

as you know by know, or if you haven't heard, the NFL had banned the song "Run This Town" featuring Rihanna from the CBS Thursday Night Football because of the Ray Rice domestic abuse situation and in response to that, Rihanna tweeted back using the F word and saying it was absurd. Now I always think the media make too much of something when it comes to stuff like this, but at the same time I found Rihanna's tweet to be immature, classless, and very obnoxious, especially since she has a legion of young fans watching, and also sounded like she had a sense of entitlement. I know I'm supposed to feel bad for her, but when most of your career has been putting a negative image, sing about sex and act very arrogant ,you can't expect any sympathy from me. What's your opinion on this matter?

[maine]

What does "Run This Town" even have to do with Ray Rice?

[Deleted]

nothing, except the fact that Rihanna was a featured artist and she was a victim of domestic abuse, and Ray Rice was cut that same week because of domestic abuse.

[Web]

If that's really why they cut it, it's one of the most obtuse and random reasons for banning a song. Is it really considered supporting domestic abuse by playing a song by a victim of it? Maybe they're just trying to remove any remotely possible association with it. Either way, it's a little too late to make these sweeping changes, the NFL's brand has already been heavily damaged.

[jenglisbe]

Sept 16, 2014 14:28:35 GMT -5 Web said:

If that's really why they cut it, it's one of the most obtuse and random reasons for banning a song. Is it really considered supporting domestic abuse by playing a song by a victim of it? Maybe they're just trying to remove any remotely possible association with it. Either way, it's a little too late to make these sweeping changes, the NFL's brand has already been heavily damaged.

Yeah, it was a move to separate the NFL from any form of domestic abuse, and I get that. It's like when Kesha's "Die Young" fell in airplay after that school shooting.

I would have liked for Rihanna to at least show some acknowledgment of abuse victims in her response regarding the decision. I can get her saying the exclusion of the song is a stretch, but her move shows her yet again not seeming to care about victims of abuse.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

She was right to speak out about it. Her choice of words could have been a little more appropriate, but given her lack of filter, we can't expect appropriate.

If they cut her performance because of time or other issues, that is different, but if they did it because she was a survivor of domestic violence, that just doesn't make sense. She isn't condoning it. Canceling her performance/not airing it because she experienced it in the past basically re-victimizes her. She has already moved forward from the incident and this doesn't help it at all.

[Lahey's Lucky Star]

Both sides are on the wrong on this one. Yes, Rihanna could have handled it better, and yes, the company shouldn't have done that for those reasons, as I'm pretty sure it offended RiRi herself.

Sept 16, 2014 14:39:59 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Yeah, it was a move to separate the NFL from any form of domestic abuse, and I get that. It's like when Kesha's "Die Young" fell in airplay after that school shooting.

So that Pitbull/Rihanna collabo is for sure to happen then?

[Juanca]

I usually don't like Rihanna's aggressive and classless tweets, and find her quite annoying and even disrespectful... But I can't criticize her reaction this time. There's ZERO relation between Rihanna or run this town and that NFL player. I assume CBS will not air any of the matches by the team of that player, considering there are allegations that the team management had seen the video, and acknowledgment of managers about the incidence. That'll be more consequential than banning a song by an artist who was beaten up by an abusive boyfriend. Yes, she forgave and went back to the abuser and then gave the finger to anyone who dared to criticize her --but she was the victim!
Messed up

[#LisaRinna]

She has no class whatsoever.

CBS said they are never ever gonna use her music in any shape or form. Serves her right.

[#LisaRinna]

Crying on Oprah about wanting the man who abused her back certainly doesn't help her cause. Nor does actually getting back together with him and stalking his social media when he's moved on and has another girfriend.

[Deleted]

Sept 16, 2014 14:39:59 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Sept 16, 2014 14:28:35 GMT -5 Web said:

If that's really why they cut it, it's one of the most obtuse and random reasons for banning a song. Is it really considered supporting domestic abuse by playing a song by a victim of it? Maybe they're just trying to remove any remotely possible association with it. Either way, it's a little too late to make these sweeping changes, the NFL's brand has already been heavily damaged.

Yeah, it was a move to separate the NFL from any form of domestic abuse, and I get that. It's like when Kesha's "Die Young" fell in airplay after that school shooting.

I would have liked for Rihanna to at least show some acknowledgment of abuse victims in her response regarding the decision. I can get her saying the exclusion of the song is a stretch, but her move shows her yet again not seeming to care about victims of abuse.

Ditto to this entire post. I love some of Rhi's music, but since 2009, she has come across as crass, rude, and obnoxious, as if she's trying to prove something to everyone.

Frankly, her attitude seems to suggest she's still hiding a lot of hurt and pain underneath her anger, and it's sad.

[Deleted]

I don't get how you could be anything but on Rihanna's side for this one? Like it's not the same situation as Die Young at all, (whose lyrics served as an unintended reminder of a national tragedy) Run This Town has nothing to do with domestic violence and no domestic abuse survivor needs a TW for Rihanna's vocals. If it was Love The Way You Lie then I could slightly see since that song is about an abusive relationship but penalizing Rihanna, a survivor of domestic violence, just because the NFL showed it's ass with regards to the Ray Rice situation is ridiculous. Also what the f**k is she supposed to say in this situation regarding victims of abuse?

Rihanna's tweets can be juvenile (but are mostly awesome) but I would tell CBS to f**k off too if I was her. It makes no sense why the song would be removed (in relation to this incident) and she shouldn't have to "understand" why they would want to distance themselves from domestic abuse (that they have given a pass to for years) by distancing themselves from a victim of abuse. Also, I hate when people try and shade/discredit her because she went back to Chris.

EDIT: Obviously all of the above is operating under the assumption that her performance was removed to distance the network from the situation, not for time or other constraints. If that was really the reason, she can sit but I can't imagine she's going off like this because she thinks she was cut for time.

Also to the OP: it's nice to see you so blatantly demonstrating internalized misogyny by saying that you don't respect a woman who makes her career singing about sex.

[Linnethia Monique]

She overreacted. They pulled the song, not PERFORMANCE as many people are saying, due to the growing development of the Ray Rice story. They scrapped the whole production with the song and the Don Cheadle voiceover and was going to air it starting this Thursday instead. With the growing situations that are occuring in the NFL, they didn't want to go the jovial route for the first Thursday Night Football game of the season due to the severity of what is currently going on. Roc Nation came in this afternoon and pulled the song clearance after her tweet. Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye would've got their coins regardless due to contractual reasons.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Sept 16, 2014 13:59:38 GMT -5 @billboardfan1 said:

I know I'm supposed to feel bad for her, but when most of your career has been putting a negative image, sing about sex and act very arrogant ,you can't expect any sympathy from me.

Elaborate pls

[Mic Technique]

The ignorance espoused here is astounding. It's one thing if, to put into delicate terms, you defend the NFL's actions to remove the song from their pregame broadcast because of any association the average viewer would make with the issue of domestic violence. But it's another to go on an outright victim-blaming tangent as some of you appear to be doing. Have a little shame.

Sept 16, 2014 15:15:03 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

Crying on Oprah about wanting the man who abused her back certainly doesn't help her cause. Nor does actually getting back together with him and stalking his social media when he's moved on and has another girfriend.

Take off your stan blinders for like a moment, please.

Sept 16, 2014 15:24:05 GMT -5 @carrieflattsfan said:

Frankly, her attitude seems to suggest she's still hiding a lot of hurt and pain underneath her anger, and it's sad.

And it is on these grounds she should be punished...?

Sept 16, 2014 15:44:43 GMT -5 @soblu said:

I can't imagine she's going off like this because she thinks she was cut for time.

And I believe she was paid royalties in advance of the NFL season so, yeah, it's probably/definitely not about money.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

Sept 16, 2014 13:59:38 GMT -5 @billboardfan1 said:

sing about sex

What's wrong with singing about sex and sexuality? It's nothing new. She is not the only artist who has. Beyonce, Britney, Christina, Cyndi, Dannii, Kylie, Madonna, Mariah, etc. have done it at one time or another.

Is it wrong for her to do that because she's a woman? Would it sound better if she were a man? Why is it okay for a man to do that but when a woman does it, it's wrong? This is such a disgusting double standard. When men rap or sing about whoring around, it reinforces their masculine sexual prowess, but if a woman does the same, she is seen a slut, a whore, a freak, a strumpet. WHY?! It takes two to have the sex, but it's always the woman that is shamed for the sex. Disgusting. He was there enjoying all 60 seconds of it, why should she be seen as immoral?

Are you saying that women should be punished for being in control with their sexuality and not being afraid to be sexually brazen and adventurous?

#QuestionsExisting

[Deleted]

Plus the Queen Caribbean Goat herself has hardly made a CAREER out of singing about sex. I can think of only a handful of singles from her that have explicitly dealt with her Rihtoris. Not that there's anything wrong with making a musical career based around your cooch (peep the Trina avatar), but calling out Rihanna who decidedly has not totally falls into the sexist notion that once a woman even experiments with/addresses her sexuality she is branded an amoral slut whore.

[Deleted]

Sept 16, 2014 16:50:17 GMT -5 JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME said:

Sept 16, 2014 13:59:38 GMT -5 @billboardfan1 said:

sing about sex

What's wrong with singing about sex and sexuality? It's nothing new. She is not the only artist who has. Beyonce, Britney, Christina, Cyndi, Dannii, Kylie, Madonna, Mariah, etc. have done it at one time or another.

Is it wrong for her to do that because she's a woman? Would it sound better if she were a man? Why is it okay for a man to do that but when a woman does it, it's wrong? This is such a disgusting double standard. When men rap or sing about whoring around, it reinforces their masculine sexual prowess, but if a woman does the same, she is seen a slut, a whore, a freak, a strumpet. WHY?! It takes two to have the sex, but it's always the woman that is shamed for the sex. Disgusting. He was there enjoying all 60 seconds of it, why should she be seen as immoral?

Are you saying that women should be punished for being in control with their sexuality and not being afraid to be sexually brazen and adventurous?

#QuestionsExisting

I'm not condoning men singing about sex, either. As a matter of fact I have a problem with most rap and R&B these days because of that. I'm against songs that degrade women. My problem isn't that artists sing about sex, the problem I have is when songs about sex get to a point where you're either degrading yourself or a woman or sound very rapey. I also don't have a problem with singing about your sexuality, there's artists I like that have done it, but is how you do it that's the real issue. If you want to express your sexuality and hotness and wanting to make love to a guy, that's one thing, but when you brag about your private parts or how men want to get into that or how many people you had sex with, that's too much, that's basically the problem i have with someone like her or Nicki Minaj. I feel those type of songs sets women back 100 years, but that's just my opinion. As long as they're simply singing about sex and making out, or being smooth I could care less, but when you overdo it, that's when I take issue with it, and Rihanna's songs about sex are all fall in the category where she doesn't really seem to have self-respect, and that's what bothers me about her in that sense. I know that sex sells, but that doesn't mean I always have to agree with how a person goes about it.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Sept 16, 2014 20:38:19 GMT -5 @billboardfan1 said:

Sept 16, 2014 16:50:17 GMT -5 JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME said:

What's wrong with singing about sex and sexuality? It's nothing new. She is not the only artist who has. Beyonce, Britney, Christina, Cyndi, Dannii, Kylie, Madonna, Mariah, etc. have done it at one time or another.

Is it wrong for her to do that because she's a woman? Would it sound better if she were a man? Why is it okay for a man to do that but when a woman does it, it's wrong? This is such a disgusting double standard. When men rap or sing about whoring around, it reinforces their masculine sexual prowess, but if a woman does the same, she is seen a slut, a whore, a freak, a strumpet. WHY?! It takes two to have the sex, but it's always the woman that is shamed for the sex. Disgusting. He was there enjoying all 60 seconds of it, why should she be seen as immoral?

Are you saying that women should be punished for being in control with their sexuality and not being afraid to be sexually brazen and adventurous?

#QuestionsExisting

I'm not condoning men singing about sex, either. As a matter of fact I have a problem with most rap and R&B these days because of that. I'm against songs that degrade women. My problem isn't that artists sing about sex, the problem I have is when songs about sex get to a point where you're either degrading yourself or a woman or sound very rapey. I also don't have a problem with singing about your sexuality, there's artists I like that have done it, but is how you do it that's the real issue. If you want to express your sexuality and hotness and wanting to make love to a guy, that's one thing, but when you brag about your private parts or how men want to get into that or how many people you had sex with, that's too much, that's basically the problem i have with someone like her or Nicki Minaj. I feel those type of songs sets women back 100 years, but that's just my opinion. As long as they're simply singing about sex and making out, or being smooth I could care less, but when you overdo it, that's when I take issue with it, and Rihanna's songs about sex are all fall in the category where she doesn't really seem to have self-respect, and that's what bothers me about her in that sense. I know that sex sells, but that doesn't mean I always have to agree with how a person goes about it.

But the concept of finding something or someone 'degrading' is an issue with how you choose to see it, not how it actually is. It isn't your place to say a woman, or anyone, is degrading or embarrassing themselves because they choose to sing about their vajayjay or boobs or whatever. It's alright if you're not comfortable with the idea of sex, especially when a woman sings about it, but to put all of your insecurity onto them is what sets women back 100 years.

Now I'm going to go prepare for World War 1 because Ginuwine set men back 100 years when he released Pony in 1995.

[Green Baron]

There's nothing wrong with singing about sex.

There's nothing wrong about sex, period.

[Deleted]

Sept 16, 2014 20:55:49 GMT -5 Green Baron said:

There's nothing wrong with singing about sex.

There's nothing wrong about sex, period.

you completely missed the whole point of my comment.

[Green Baron]

Sept 16, 2014 21:10:57 GMT -5 @billboardfan1 said:

Sept 16, 2014 20:55:49 GMT -5 Green Baron said:

There's nothing wrong with singing about sex.

There's nothing wrong about sex, period.

you completely missed the whole point of my comment.

I didn't read your comment

I just saw people talking about how sex is bad and I just had to clear it up

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Oh good lord, who cares if they pulled the song. They overreacted, she overreacted, everyone is overreacting.

[Evergreen]

Sept 16, 2014 15:02:57 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

She has no class whatsoever.

CBS said they are never ever gonna use her music in any shape or form. Serves her right.

I looked and couldn't find this CBS statement. You have a link?

[43dudleyvillas]

Sept 16, 2014 16:19:52 GMT -5 Linnethia Monique said:

She overreacted. They pulled the song, not PERFORMANCE as many people are saying, due to the growing development of the Ray Rice story. They scrapped the whole production with the song and the Don Cheadle voiceover and was going to air it starting this Thursday instead. With the growing situations that are occuring in the NFL, they didn't want to go the jovial route for the first Thursday Night Football game of the season due to the severity of what is currently going on. Roc Nation came in this afternoon and pulled the song clearance after her tweet. Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye would've got their coins regardless due to contractual reasons.

What you described is definitely CBS's official characterization of its decision. Via SI.com:

CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said the network has also pulled an opener featuring actor Don Cheadle doing narration over Jay Z's “Run This Town," which is sung by Rihanna. A comedic segment was also jettisoned.

“It’s important to realize we are not overreacting to this story but it is as big a story as has faced the NFL,” McManus told SI.com from Baltimore Thursday afternoon. “We thought journalistically and from a tone standpoint, we needed to have the appropriate tone and coverage. A lot of the production elements we wanted in the show are being eliminated because of time or tone.”

That seems reasonable. But I think it's also reasonable to at least question whether to take this at face value, and to wonder whether the fact that Rihanna is a survivor of abuse really had nothing to do with the segment being pulled (in this follow-up story, Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch thought that it "would no doubt be a fair supposition" to assume that Rihanna's history factored into CBS's decision-making). And to the extent that Rihanna's status as a survivor of abuse factored into the decision-making, it seems problematic to me that her agency was taken away by the network. We have a widely publicized case of domestic abuse and part of a network's response is...to silence a survivor of it, possibly without consulting her first, due to potentially poor optics and further controversy? I don't think it's crazy to be concerned about that.

But I don't know how this was handled behind the scenes. Did CBS brass try to talk to Rihanna before pulling the segment? Is Rihanna angry that the decision was taken out of her hands? Is she angry that her past is being dredged up again? Is she angry because she thought her participation in a segment would be a powerful statement about survival? Is she angry because the exposure was taken away from her?

Twitter isn't a great forum for airing specific concerns, and Rihanna's tweet wasn't the most thoughtful way of handling her grievances. But I would want to know more before dismissing the grievances themselves.

[#LisaRinna]

Sept 16, 2014 16:43:04 GMT -5 Mic Technique said:

Sept 16, 2014 15:15:03 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

Crying on Oprah about wanting the man who abused her back certainly doesn't help her cause. Nor does actually getting back together with him and stalking his social media when he's moved on and has another girfriend.

Take off your stan blinders for like a moment, please.

I stated facts. Did she not do all those things I said?

I don't care about you judging me or whatever (based on what btw) nor do I care about this stupid issue. They both are wrong. CBS for doing it and Rihanna for having no class about it.

[#LisaRinna]

Sept 16, 2014 21:31:58 GMT -5 Evergreen said:

Sept 16, 2014 15:02:57 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

She has no class whatsoever.

CBS said they are never ever gonna use her music in any shape or form. Serves her right.

I looked and couldn't find this CBS statement. You have a link?

UPDATE, Sept. 16, 11:33 a.m. A CBS spokesperson tells Mashable that they will not be using the Rihanna song in any games going forward.

Beginning this Thursday, we will be moving in a different direction with some elements of our Thursday Night Football open. We will be using our newly created Thursday Night Football theme music to open our game broadcast.

CBS did not confirm if the change was due to Rihanna's comments on Twitter. They also did not comment on what the new music would be.

[Deleted]

Okay, back to the story, from the articles I've been reading, CBS the decision to pull "Run This Town" was I guess to talk about the Ray Rice situation, they say it wasn't actually because Rihanna was a victim herself, apparently this was all coincidential. However because this has gotten too far, and taken out of context, CBS will pull the song altogether as the theme song for Thursday Nights and will move on with a new theme song, most likely an original theme music. So from my understanding, if this is true, Rihanna overreacted, but at the same time, she should been notified of this move and they should have explained to her why they made the decision to avoid misunderstandings, so they're both at fault in this case.

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Sept 17, 2014 9:27:54 GMT -5 @billboardfan1 said:

Okay, back to the story, from the articles I've been reading, CBS the decision to pull "Run This Town" was I guess to talk about the Ray Rice situation, they say it wasn't actually because Rihanna was a victim herself, apparently this was all coincidential. However because this has gotten too far, and taken out of context, CBS will pull the song altogether as the theme song for Thursday Nights and will move on with a new theme song, most likely an original theme music. So from my understanding, if this is true, Rihanna overreacted, but at the same time, she should been notified of this move and they should have explained to her why they made the decision to avoid misunderstandings, so they're both at fault in this case.

Notify her for what? That's not even her song. They could've changed their minds regardless and still not owe any explanation. It is a business, if they feel the need to pull the song that's their choice.

All Rihanna does is do her little rants on twitter...grow the f**k up

[Relaxing Cup]

RUN THIS TOWN the song sucks, I'd want to change it too.

They  need to make Joseline Hernandez - LA NEGRA the new theme song imo.