Perhaps the most shocking thing to come out of the whole sad Rihanna and Chris Brown abuse story is the public's reaction, along with how many people are quick to quip that Rihanna surely must have done something to deserve it.
The latest rumor is that Rihanna got herpes from Jay-Z and gave it to Chris Brown. How anyone can even pretend to know that is ridiculous, yet it seems to be going around at a higher rate than the virus itself. Even MTV sees no problem in writing about the topic.
Enter tasteless local shock jocks Enrique y Joe with "I Just Gave You Herpes," a spoof of Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop the Music," titled "Chris Brown Mug Shot / Rihanna Herpes Song" on YouTube, for those extra page views. No, we're not directly linking to it. Apparently they see no problem with publicly mocking a woman who's obviously going through an incredibly tough personal time. No, in fact it needs to be publicly implied that she did something to deserve it, based on baseless rumors. At least that's how Enrique y Joe see it.
As for those looking to explain the situation away by blaming it on Rihanna, the idea that anything excuses domestic abuse is sad. The idea that
passing on herpes excuses it is even sadder, considering at least one in five Americans carries the genital herpes virus. Fact is, nothing excuses hitting your girlfriend. And considering that a man just got 25 years in prison for killing a woman he mistakenly thought gave him HIV,
we shouldn't be implying it's OK to beat a woman for giving you an
STD -- let alone aimlessly speculating on the topic, and using it as an
excuse.
But much sadder than abuse apologists are people willing to make light of the situation to bring attention to their
tragically juvenile radio show.
