I tweeted a few weeks ago about the Irishman that put a halt to the Rihanna video shoot for “We Found Love” because he felt her behavior on his property (specifically removing her clothes for the camera) were inappropriate.
The video was completed despite the delay and released last week. And after sitting down to watch the finished product, I’m guessing a topless Rihanna would be one of many things the farmer would disapprove of. Honestly, I’m not even sure where to start in describing the video, except to say that I think all the major vices are covered … at least once.
Update: I’ve moved the video further down in the post. If “We Found Love” were a movie, I’m guessing it would be rated “R”. So read through the synopses (from two mainstream pubs) below before you decide if you want to watch the entire video.
At least it’s not just me
You can read the lyrics for “We Found Love” here (although I’ll admit there’s nothing shocking in the words themselves.) Check out what a few mainstream online blogs have to say about the video:
This raunchy video is going to have more than just devotedly religious people’s knickers in a twist. The video features Rihanna and the gorgeous boxer Dudley O’Shaughnessy partaking in smoking, drinking, heavy petting, stealing, and bathing together! Drugs and vomiting in the video also abound. (irishcentral.com)
The singer and some hot dude squabble, get high, make out, goof off and look strung out and lovesick in a filthy council flat. Oh, and Rihanna gets a homemade tattoo on her a**. Enjoy the video on the internet now, since there’s no way it will be shown on television without extensive censoring. (rollingstone.com)
“I don’t want to be a role model”
Rihanna told British Vogue that she’s not trying to be anyone’s role model, she just wants to make music. If only it was that easy. In today’s celebrity obsessed culture, the term “role model” is overused and misunderstood. Students (and kids and adults) are fascinated with those who have a public platform. Artists, actors, bloggers, athletes, politicians and pastors – we look up to them with (at best) mild admiration to (at worst) obsessed hero worship.
Looking for real heroes
My daughter is only three, but as she grows I pray that she’ll look to our community of friends and family members to find people whose faith, aspirations and actions are worth striving to emulate. I want her role models to be real people who we know, and who know us.
I hope my daughter gets to know people like Alan Graham. Mr. Graham is the Irish farmer who was willing to stand firm in his beliefs in spite of the whirlwind of camera crews and celebrity that took over his pasture. His wife told CNN in an interview:
“What she [Rihanna] was doing became more inappropriate. When she started to go topless, that’s what Alan was particularly objecting to – things were getting out of hand. There was a man as well, and the behavior was getting more inappropriate … It wasn’t the sort of thing Alan wanted young people (those watching) to see on his land. We are Christians.”
Graham himself later told the BBC:
“From my point of view, it was my land, I have an ethos and I felt it was inappropriate. I wish no ill will against Rihanna and her friends. Perhaps they could acquaint themselves with a greater God.”
Graham handled the situation with grace, while standing true to his convictions. Rihanna may be the star of the video, but in my mind, Alan Graham is the real hero of the story.
I don’t understand why a Christian organization that is trying to get our youth to fill their minds with God-centered music instead of the values promoted by the world would put Rihanna’s actual video on their website. In your article you say:
“after sitting down to watch the finished product, I’m guessing a topless Rihanna would be one of many things the farmer would disapprove of. Honestly, I’m not even sure where to start in describing the video, except to say that I think all the major vices are covered … at least once.”
You also quote Mrs. Graham as saying:
“It wasn’t the sort of thing Alan wanted young people (those watching) to see on his land. We are Christians.”
Yet somehow you felt compelled to put this same video on your website for people to see, in essence promoting it on your “land”. I doubt that Mr. Graham, who you so admire for standing up for his beliefs, would have posted the final video on his website (if he has one) saying, “This is what I wanted to keep young people from seeing.”
I understand that as people who minister to youth in our culture we need to be aware of what is going on and the things that kids are being influenced by, but I don’t need to be exposed to it myself. I can advocate against kids going to porn sites and staying away from drugs without myself having to view those things or experience their effects. I am so disappointed that you chose to embed the video in your story instead of just giving us the text of your evaluation.
Proverbs 5: 8 says, “Keep a path far from [the adulteress], do not go near the door of her house.” Someone who really wanted to see the video itself would have no problem finding it on YouTube (I’m sure it’s high on the rankings by now). As it is, you have given a space to the adulteress on a corner that you control and where I hoped I would have been safe from her.
Thanks for your comment, Eric. I do understand where you’re coming from. And the verse you shared is so very true.
Please understand our heart. In no way are we trying to “promote” songs and videos like this. Our purpose is to help youth leaders better understand the music and media students see and hear daily. I know anytime we include content like this we risk that misunderstanding. Our intent is to give you a “heads up”, and not a “go look.” I do usually embed videos in the blog post, mainly for convenience, but the reader can always choose whether or not to click on it to start.
The verse you mentioned comes from Proverbs 5, which begins with these verses (from The Message):
THAT is our prayer and our intent. By talking about these things and giving you the chance to see for yourself (if you so choose), we want to increase your wisdom AND equip you to encourage your students to seek that same wisdom.
I agree with Eric on this one. It was unnecessary to include the video itself in the article. Simply informing us of its content would have been sufficient. Embedding it in the story makes it immediately available and could be a “stumbling block” to some of your readers.
@ Eric… you do realize that almost everyone that receives these e-mails are youth leaders, pastors, etc?
Sometimes to understand the culture you’re in, you have to at least see a “glimpse” of what they (students) are watching. In no way do I condone the viewing of these videos for personal pleasure however, to make the point of the article i believe at least a clip has to be show to have the effect it needs to have.
Thanks for the heads up on the video. I watched a few seconds of it and skipped around a bit and was saddened and disgusted. There is really no need to watch anymore thanks to your descriptions. It really saddens me and grieves God that this person is looked up to as a role model. If you hadn’t of posted it, I would probably not know anything about it, so thank you. And I do understand not wanting to embed it on your site, but I don’t think I would go and search for it.
We are in the world but not of the world, which sometimes is really messy and uncomfortable because of the junk that world is promoting. Our response should sadness and action with our students. This is an opportunity to teach and spur one another on to Godliness.
Eric,
I hear what your are saying. I’m a youth pastor who connects with kids through relationships more than culture. So I don’t dive into their world of media that often. I appreciate when christian websites (I know a website cannot accept Christ as Savior, but you know what I mean) exposes me to what’s going on without me having to go to a site that is… well, not “Christain.” Also just a simple search for such things can be dangerous.
My two cents. Have a great day all and my each of us take the boldness we have on blogs and inject it into our EVERYDAY lives to share Christ with the lost!
Craig
Walla Walla
Great article. Thanks for the head’s up on the video (and including it, so I didn’t have to hunt it down).
Thank you Interlinc for all that you do to equip us as Pastors and Youth Leaders. I appreciate that your organization always goes the extra mile to give us as many tools as possible to better serve our students. You never force us to view any content, but you always provide the evidence that we need. May we never forget that Abraham had to go into Sodom to rescue Lot; and hopefully our discomfort will give the sense of urgency that we need to seek and to save those that are lost.
Thank You for your amazing ministry.
Thank you for sharing. As a youth leader, I feel to have authentic and honest discussion about content, it’s important to view the material/listen to the song, etc. To say “I heard it exploits this or promotes that” is not going to cut it with teens. Thanks again and kudos to the farmer!
First of all, as someone else said, this is an email for youth leaders not for teengers. Second, your teenagers will have a chance to see this video. Third, I am embarassed that I want to see the video and have to deal with that. You guys putting it there didn’t make me watch it. I don’t need to see it to help identify with young people. It is poison to me as it is to them, and I don’t have immunity from the lust of the flesh.
I agree that your description of the video was enough for me – no need to watch it. Sometimes even leaders fall into traps in the name of getting a “heads up,” using the excuse that I need to know this for the students. We do need to be aware of what is really going on, perhaps without going there ourselves. I do appreciate the article and the stand Mr. Graham took. It is another sad indictment of our celebrity focused culture that is made to be role models whether they want to be or not. Doesn’t wanting to make a lot of money off the public from your music make you some kind of role model? If she does not want to be a role model, why is she making videos?
I have to admit Eric’s point is well taken. However, just hearing something is inappropriate has never had the same effect as seeing it for myself. Lot’s of people even within the interlinc community talk about different red flags in modern music but each one has a different level of inappropriateness … for me this was one of those instances. In other words, when I read the article I thought great another sexed up music video … we have seen gobs of those. What I was not prepared for was the content in this video, actually watching it made a greater impact of my mind in looking out for my students conversing about the song or video than if I had read the article and went about my business. Simply talking about the content will draw the curious teen out to check it out for themselves, for a youth pastor like myself the imbed has a more likely chance of giving me the opportunity to check it out, Im not spending the time searching on youtube myself. (My 2 cents, or what they’re worth to you)
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