Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid Beyoncè supporter. I get weak at the knees at the thought of her and continuously have her 2012 Super Bowl Half-Time show on repeat. It took me awhile to process at what to make of her performance.
At first I was like “yeah, Beyoncè kill it!” But later I noticed that her and her back up dancers got into an “X-Formation," a reference to Malcom X and the Black Panthers. If you haven’t had a chance to see it then I advise that you go and watch it. Now I am fully aware that I am a white woman. But that doesn’t make me completely oblivious to my surroundings. I am a Republican, but not because of my parents. I belong to the Catholic Church but that does not make me homophobic or believe that anyone who has an abortion should be damned to hell. Now that your stereotypes of a white Catholic Republican are squashed here are my thoughts concerning a controversial manner.
The Black Panther group, yes was an anti-racism organization, but let’s not forget they were highly critical of Martin Luther King’s nonviolent movement for change. Instead of wanting change through peace, the Black Panthers promoted change through violence. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and so here is mine. The Super Bowl is the most watched television event in the nation. It brings people from all races, backgrounds, and cultures together. White men sitting next to black men… A game where black teammates and white teammates work together for one goal… Not saying that racism isn’t present in the United States because it most certainly is, but to bring up bad blood at an event that only brings Americans together, not the place for that, Beyoncè.
I watched Beyoncè’s music video of "Formation" after the Super Bowl. It has her sitting on top of a cop car as it sinks into a body of water. She also makes other references to police brutality as well in the video. But it is very ironic to me that in order for her to get to the Super Bowl she had the whole highway shut down and was armed with a police escort to the stadium. What about the fans that they let onto the field? The police made sure she and the other performers were safe. That is what the police do, they make sure an event as big as the Super Bowl is safe for all people, black and white. Yes, I am aware, police brutality is a thing. But more often times than not it is a mistake not an intention on the policeman’s behalf when it comes to killing of people. The media just chooses to publicize the white cops killing a black man. That’s another debate for another day. If you feel the need to call out the police or anyone for that matter, you should not feel so much as inclined to ask for any sort of special treatment like an escort, from those individuals. You can’t tell one group to sit down and shut up and basically anything they say is offensive to you- all while you parade around and shove your idea down our throat. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
The more I subject myself to monumental events like the Super Bowl 50 I find that liberals in the entertainment industry do all they can to capitalize off the racial divide and cop hate in America for their own personal gain. I still love Beyoncè. But with that being said I don’t agree with the way she portrayed her call for change and quite frankly, I don’t respect it at all. I am a white college student who is just starting her life. I don’t know what it is like to be a black woman. I am not going to sit here and pretend that I know the oppressions that the black community faces. But between the Klu Klux Klan and the Blank Panther group, dozens of people have lost their lives. If a white performer came out with back-up dancers dressed in white robes and hats singing about any reference toward the black community, that performer would be crucified and probably would no longer have a career, which I am in a complete agreement on. That performer would receive backlash from black and white people. So why does Beyoncè get to get away with it? Does the NFL support Beyoncè’s notion that it is okay to harm the police? She made that very clear by bringing out dancers honoring the Black Panther movement. In case anyone forgot they are responsible for murdering dozens of police officers to promote “change.”
Beyoncè, young children adore and glorify you. You essentially are implanting seeds into the younger generation of the divide against blacks and whites by bringing in the Black Panther attire. You are emphasizing conflict between two races rather than promoting unification. Maybe if you had white dancers mixed in with your black dancers behind you then you could maybe promote unification better but instead you recognize that divide that some of us are desperately trying to diminish. What you did was agitate progress and encourage division.
So by all means Beyoncè and the National Football League, promote change. I am the last person to say that this country doesn’t need it because we do. But do it in a way that someone as honorable as Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud of. Not by promoting and suggesting violence. If you find me to be racist because of my opinions in this article then you are missing the point of what I am trying to say. People will say that people like me are the reason why America has issues. Being a white woman I have to consistently watch what I say or do for the sake of my own skin color. That is racism. Racism does not apply to one culture, one background, or ethnicity. It applies to anyone who feels that they are stereotyped against based on their color of skin. Maybe once people realize that one person’s oppression is another person’s advantage then we can stop pointing fingers at which race is in the wrong. The Black Panther and Klu Klux Klan most certainly did not do America any good. Racism is wrong. Violence is wrong. Period. Two wrongs do not make a right. After all, this is 2016. Not the 1960s.
