What kind of message?

Like many people, especially those who have experienced or witnessed domestic violence, I have been following the Rihanna / Chris Brown situation pretty carefully. I don't normally follow celebrity news or gossip, but this one really got to me.
Domestic violence isn't something that's normally reported on so diligently - although approximately 1 in 4 women have been or will be abused by a spouse or partner in their lifetime, domestic violence tends to grab far less headlines than shark attacks, shootings or lightening strikes ... all of which are far less common.
Domestic violence has always been something I've felt very strongly about. I've witnessed emotional and physical domestic violence before, a couple of my friends used to be in abusive relationships, as well as seen the long-term effects that it has had on them. It can effect someone for years, maybe even decades. Some people never get over it.
But since I have never been in an abusive relationship myself, it's hard for me to look at it from a sympathetic viewpoint. I personally have virtually no sympathy for abusive people, and do not have any room in my heart to include them in my life. I also do not believe that couples should stay together after any abusive confrontations.
It's true: when someone abuses you, they're going to do it again, because they know they can get away with it. The only solution for any abusive situation is to leave. Let that person get therapy on their own, and hopefully develop a healthy relationship with someone else after they've cured their own demons.
Nothing can ever be the same after abuse comes into the relationship. It's exactly the same with cheating. Once you have brought mistrust, doubt and fear into a relationship, it can never be completely vanquished. You can patchwork it together into a working relationship, but it will never be healed. I know that probably sounds harsh, but it's just my opinion on the matter.
I hoped that Rihanna would follow that advice and end things with Chris Brown. After all, she's a woman who's a role model for countless young girls out there, girls who need to be shown that it's okay to say no to abuse, violence and degradation. It would be the best decision, for both her personal health and her career.
So when I heard that Rihanna, despite being beaten almost to death, got back together with Chris Brown after just a few weeks, I was crushed. What kind of message does that send to young girls, other than that abuse is okay?
I can just imagine the scores of young teenage girls suffering from abusive boyfriends and saying: "Yes, he may have physically harmed me to the point where I may have permanent brain damage, or tell me I'm stupid long enough where I lose my scholarship and am forced to work the Returns at Walmart, but I know he didn't mean it. He's going to get better and I am going to help him. That's what Rihanna and Chris Brown did."
That kind of thought behavior is criminal. If Rihanna or Chris Brown have any kind of real successful careers after this, they are going to be built on failure to truly understand what it means to be role models for others and themselves. Abuse is a viscious cycle that never ends until someone comes in with a pair of scissors and just snips.