What Messages Are Your Kids Getting From Chris Brown and Rihanna?

As a female high school teacher, I am appalled and amazed at the reaction my 10th - 11th grade male students had to this story. I work in a private academy for athletes and have a very small group of 12 students that I work with. There are only 2 females in this crew. The ages range from 10-17 years old. My younger boys were sad for the situation and concerned (5th and 8th grade boys) but my 10th and 11th grade guys were saying things like "She deserved it!", "If she said those things to me, I would have done the same thing!", "Women need to be put in their place!" and so forth. Their comments took my breath away! Something happens to young men between the ages of 10-14 when they start to go through puberty. Once that happens, the need to feel powerful and in charge can really take over. I had to correct them intensely with all seriousness and tell them that their comments were not acceptable and their perspectives were off. I am pretty convinced that it went in one ear and out of the other for at least one of the guys (also from Barbados like Rihanna). Often times, teaching concerning violence against women needs to come from strong male role models. Unfortunately, there were no strong male singing or acting role models who have come forward in this whole issue with Chris Brown to help set the record straight about how one governs one's anger and passions in such a way that does not end in violence. Until men rise up and really mature, mentor, and model positive manhood, there will be more Chris Browns. Also, Rihanna seems to have been conditioned to put up with physical abuse and deem it as normal. Someone needs to tell her that it is never okay for someone to hurt her physically or abuse her verbally. She has learned to play the victim. No one has the right to take away your life. She needs to stay far away from him because right now is the calm before another storm. When he erupts again, it may cost her, her life.