Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2016 20:34:09 GMT
Beyoncé took the world by storm last week when she released her new single and video, "Formation," before performing the instant hit during the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary halftime show. Between the stunningly powerful imagery featured in the video — which Beyoncé directed and shot in New Orleans — and the equally compelling statements made throughout her Super Bowl gig, it was a huge moment for Beyoncé fans and black Americans alike. And while some were busy celebrating the history-making moment, commenters from the dark corners of the Internet were attacking the singer for what they felt was a "racist, inappropriate" performance that "had no place" at one of the country's biggest sports events.
I failed myself by going into the Facebook comments on various posts the next day, all of which I felt were eye-opening and thoughtfully done. I regretted it immediately, but as we all know, once you open the door to a social media wormhole, it's almost impossible to sneak back out unharmed. It took only seconds before I spotted a few choice racial slurs, but I was mostly overwhelmed by how many people were calling Beyoncé a racist, a cop hater, a "black supremacist" (what, girl?) and, perhaps rudest of all, a "fat b*tch in sausage casing." Well, damn. The rebuttals came to me instantly. Some were controlled and factual — Black people can't be racist because racism is tied to oppression. / The Black Panther Party of Self Defense didn't promote the killing of police officers; it actually worked to protect endangered communities and end police brutality. — and some were less so — You're ignorant and awful. I feel so sad for your children. Why don't you have a profile photo? Leak your IP address. Of course, I didn't actually respond to anybody, but the damage was done; I was deflated, discouraged, and offended that people were offended.
Beyoncé dropped a song that inspired people of color to celebrate their hair, their features, and their uniqueness. She literally gave her haters the finger and responded to all the garbage people that made fun of her daughter's beautiful bushy hair and her husband's prominent nose. She told us ladies to get "information," all while shaking her perfect ass and flaunting her flawless fashion sense. She let you know that she was going to slay and invited the rest of us to join her. But those comments . . . those comments were vicious, and I let them affect me more than I should have.
Listening to Beyoncé has always given me a boost of confidence, but "Formation" — besides being a certified banger — has filled me with more self-respect and satisfaction than I've felt in a pretty long time. Being black in this country isn't easy, and I honestly don't think it will ever be. But at least for this moment, in the midst of so much chaos and pain, I (and people who look like me) can find a little bit of comfort and dignity in what Beyoncé's offering right now. And guess what? No amount of backlash, criticism, or racist remarks will make me love her or this song any less. I'm staying in formation.