Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Carrie Underwood Promotes Domestic Violence

Carrie Underwood, winner of American Idol 4, and several CMA awards has a new number one hit single with "Before He Cheats". On the surface, this song encourages women to take a stand against unfaithful lovers. In the video, between scenes of her "boyfriend" kissing another woman, Carrie attacks his truck with a baseball bat, shattering glass and damaging the truck's body. The video is very powerful, and, coupled with the lyrics, you cheer for Carrie as she commits felonious destruction of property as retribution for a cheating heart.

But what are we really encouraging? What if the roles were reversed, and a man takes a baseball bat to a woman's vehicle because she left him for another man? A cursory review of the domestic violence laws in most states indicates that if the roles were reversed, the man would be prosecuted and jailed for domestic violence and stalking.

I would also offer, that if the roles were reversed, there would be outrage. If Garth Brooks or Tim McGraw sang a song called "Her Cheating Heart" coupled with lyrics about burning down her house, or even just scratching the paint on her car, and then created a video of one of them spying on her through a window, the women of N.O.W. would be picketing their concerts. You'd hear Congresswomen lamenting the woes of women and how promoting domestic violence in music and video is dangerous and unforgivable. Oprah would interview female victims of the "McGraw Effect".

When the man is the victim, however - or, more directly, his personal property - there is no outrage. Who will speak of the inequity? Tom Leykis and Jerry Springer? Maybe. More likely is that men will do what they always do: sit back, take it like a man, and know that some guy, somewhere, is scoring with Carrie and plans to leak the video on the internet. I'm thinking her next song will be "Before He Leaks".

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