I have been on Tumblr since roughly 2007 when the site was created. How much this form of social media has changed in 9 short years. What was once a small community of appreciators of art and literature has evolved into this magnanimous monster of social oppression and distension.
Tumblr is always on the forefront of social awareness. When I want to catch what will days later show up on Facebook and Twitter, I turn to my dashboard. The most common [and alarming] trend that I am noticing about this site over the past few years especially, is how trivial the main headlines are becoming. And how trigger-happy defenders against criticism of these headlines are becoming.
Full-disclosure: I am a young, white, female.
To elaborate any further on my intricate background would be a moot point. My audience will judge me solely on these three characteristics alone. My opinion will be labeled “invalid”. And my ask box will soon be swarmed with what satirical news websites are referring to as the “Bey Hive”.
I had a Tumblr before my current main blog. I got virtually ran off of my own page from all of the backlash from a post that I naively created speaking about how drugs have affected myself and my family in such a negative way.
That was over 6 years ago.
As much as I enjoy this website, I have found that it is completely impossible to voice an opinion with validation with little to no backlash from those whose opinions differ.
The irony is that the vast majority of the voices on this site preach “peace”, “equality” and generally the acceptance of all sentient human beings simply because “we are made of stardust”.
Not so much when the opinion differs from the general consensus.
When I logged in yesterday morning to commence my daily ritual of cruising my dashboard, I was bombarded with the news that Beyonce had premiered a new album.
Having been a huge Destiny’s Child fan as a kid, and a lover of all music, I have always regarded Beyonce as a reputable artist. Sure, some of her biggest hits are tinted with vulgarity and often express the strife of being a woman engaged in a relationship with an untrue man. But her music never particularly bothered me.
When everyone was discussing her Super Bowl performance, my only criticism was that Coldplay received next to no credit for their performance due to being overshadowed by Beyonce’s controversial display. Those that know me, know that I am an immense Coldplay fan. My place of concern was one painted with only my love for Coldplay, nothing to do with or to be held against Beyonce.
To give you an idea, I follow approximately 523 blogs. None of which are pornographically-related (for the record). I mostly choose to follow a blog based upon its aesthetic appeal, meaningful quotes, funny memes, or photographic appreciation. Naturally, these types of posts are peppered in between the necessary political, religious, and entertainment-related posts.
Yesterday, I stopped trying to count how many Beyonce-related posts I saw. I scrolled through a number of pages of my Dashboard, with no relief from the onslaught of praise and appreciation emanating from the moderators that I follow. Trusting in their aesthetic opinions, I decided to take a closer look at Beyonce’s latest album: “Lemonade”. It was being critically acclaimed across the board for being a huge step forward for the Black Lives Matter movement, along with women’s rights, and the often touted opinion that black women are the most underrepresented class of human beings in American society.
Being a woman and member of American society, I felt that it was my duty to investigate further into this apparently empowering album of poetry.
I place a large amount of stock in the quality of the lyrics to determine the overall quality of a song.
The lyrics that are acclaimed to be so riveting, so “brilliant”, and all-around “empowering”, turned out to be [as mentioned before] centered on vulgarity and express the strife of being a woman engaged in a relationship with an untrue man.
Let me clear with what I am about to say:
All opinions, back stories, and conspiracy theories aside, one solid truth stands tall amid the pebbles of controversy and back-lash that this album has caused.
There is no denying that Beyonce has a powerful voice. Both figuratively and tonally. Her words and empire stand as a beacon to women in society, specifically the under-represented woman of African-American descent.
“Who the fuck do you think I am?
You ain't married to no average bitch boy
You can watch my fat ass twist boy
As I bounce to the next dick boy”
become hailed as some of the greatest lyrical rhetoric of all time.
It is not that I am offended by the lyrics of this album.
I am downright disappointed by the lyrics of this album.
Beyonce had an incredible opportunity to be a voice for a long-oppressed, misunderstood, voiceless class.
And she squandered her opportunity by stooping to the level of sub-par lyrical quality, sustaining shock value, and an all-around derogatory message.
Whether or not I, or anyone else for that matter, agrees with the latest civil rights movement, women’s oppression, or any of the other issues that this album supposedly tackles, is completely irrelevant.
I am a defender and advocate of basic human rights.
So, of course, this means that Beyonce is entitled to freedom of speech and expression in this incident.
However, her lyrics and the illustration of them, paired with the overall message that “Lemonade” delivers, are a derailment of the progress that has been made for the voice of a woman in the mainstream media.
Bitterness, obscenity, and abuse are all central motifs of “Lemonade”, and have permeated our media completely in less than 72 hours’ time.
In my humble opinion, all that this album has done is attempt to reinforce that being an “empowered” woman entails behaving in an aggressive and vulgar manner.
Every artist is entitled to their own freedom of expression, however, so I will allow Beyonce the same courtesy that artists that are notorious for violence and vulgarity enjoy (I.E.: Eminem, etc.).
My issue is with the media’s unparalleled reaction to this album.
Endless Facebook posts and Tumblr posts, along with segments on several national news outlets have given this album the ammunition that it craves to gain resonance with American society.
Not to mention the violence and backlash it has generated from mindless superfans, acting under the notion that they are defending “Bey”.
I’m sure that this post will gain me a substantial amount of similar consequences.
To the future commentators, my statement is this:
Our planet is perishing and our world is in a state of constant crisis and terror. All stemmed from hatred and greed. Children are enslaved, women are raped, and men are tortured in the name of belief. Instead, we choose to argue over which class is the least represented in America. Instead, we choose to squabble over which music genre is the most quality. Even more disgustingly, some even believe that publicly handing out death threats to strangers can be justified in the name of belief.
If we all have one common enemy, and that enemy is hatred, why do we choose to use it as a weapon against each other?
We are all a part of the problem, and like Beyonce, we all have a voice and the ability to become a part of the solution.
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