Frustrated? Don't Blame Rio

What happens when a man feels unwanted and rejected by the woman he loves? 

Where does he go? 

What does a man do when the women in his life tell him he's not good enough? 

He gets frustrated and he leaves...and he goes to Rio. 

When you think of Rio de Janeiro, the beauty of the beach, the culture, and the food isn't the first thing on the minds of African American women. To them, this is the thing luring their black men and dangling unlimited opportunities for extra-marital affairs and rampant prostitution. Sisters see Rio as an impoverished country with uneducated women taken advantage of by black men who take their meager earnings and live like kings unbeknownst to their girlfriends and wives back home. Rumor has it that when a man becomes frustrated, he goes to Rio.

Inspired and appalled by the 2006 Essence Magazine article “Blame It On Rio”, film maker Al Greeze wanted to know what really drove men to the Brazilian town of Rio de Janiero and what keeps them coming back? With so much attention garnered towards the article, Al decided to make the trip to Rio de Janiero and see for himself if there was truth to the rumors and while there, film a documentary to give life to the subject of such frustration.

It should be noted that “Blame It On Rio” was written by William Jelani Cobb, a professor at Spellman College which is an all female institution. It must also be noted that Essence Magazine is a predominantly black female-read publication. So it goes noted that when this article was published, the black female reader would have none of their men taking hoppers to Brazil for a guys weekend. As a matter-of-fact, going anywhere for a boys weekend after that article was published was a source of contention for many couples.

 Once black men learned of the article “Blame It On Rio” and saw the impact it was having on their women, many felt as if they were being unjustly judged and attacked. Many men believed that without questioning the validity from where the article originated, women drew the line in the Brazilian sand and forbade their men from taking the trip and any overnight trip away with the guys.

So other than the sheer curiosity of the unknown, what drives a man to Rio? In the documentary 'Frustrated', men openly express their disdain with the way women judge them for their career path, level of education, their financial contributions to the relationship and their refusal to be the submissive and dutiful wife they believe they need in the home.

So ladies as you read this, answer this question quietly but honest. The summer is coming to a close and your man has been very good, or not. He and the boys want a few days away to do the guy thing. In Rio. Do you block him from leaving? Do you question his motives for going? Or do you let him go? And if he goes, how are you really feeling about his trip? You've heard the rumors.

Men, you have a loving woman at home, or not. The boys want to have a few days away in Rio. Do you avoid the obvious argument this will create and stay home? Do you go on the trip and wonder if she'll be there when you get back? What are you really going for? Watching 'Frustrated', women can finally be the fly on the wall to see how men really feel about them and their chosen roles they have decided to play in their relationships. Take a look at the trailer and keep the conversation going and to get your own copy of Frustrated go here (https://www.createspace.com/313679)

Take a listen to the conversation I had with filmmaker Al Greeze.