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In defense of Beyonce....

Lemonade is without a doubt the most personal, heartfelt album/visual that Beyonce has ever released. Everyone has been able to apply to music and its emotional up and downs to their own experiences of life and love. What’s so special and important about this album is how everyone has formed their own idea of how this album and the stories within its music relate to Beyonce’s personal life. Everyone wonders about Beyonce and Jay-Z’s relationship. Everyone wonders to what extent the stories on this album apply to Beyonce’s own love life and what is simply just her mastery of the human emotional experience. Beyond Lemonade, for the most part, fans have ALWAYS been left to interpret Beyonce’s personal life based on their own assumptions or observations. She’s an extremely private person who doesn’t engage with the paparazzi or sell herself to interviewers. She doesn’t comment on controversy when it surrounds her, her husband, or her loved ones (Jay-z + Solange incident as one example). I think it would be remiss to forget that Beyonce is also a business woman- and one of the most amazing marketers in the music industry. I argue that Beyonce has suffered greatly from public assumption and discussion over her personal life, and that she chooses to capitalize on the public’s insatiable thirst for knowledge on her life- especially for Lemonade. Lemonade is important for this argument because of the rumors that were surrounding Beyoncé at the time regarding Jay-z’s infidelities and a potential divorce. For anyone who is experiencing difficulties in their love life like that, getting through the day can be pretty hard. Life can become very draining. In Beyonce’s position, she doesn’t even have the chance to process or grieve in times of emotional unrest and romantic trouble… she’s consistently bombarded by the media, despite her near consistent refusal to ever engage with the media on any real personal basis. Some believe that Beyonce is upholding capitalist systems and benefitting from them while others below her suffer, but it must be taken into account how others cause her suffering… Furthermore, why shouldn’t Beyonce capitalize off a capitalist society that has no regard for her personal privacy or that of her loved ones? One could look at the monetary rewards she sees from her albums as a settlement for the emotional stress she experiences from the same people who buy and love her music.  Below I’ve included a segment (4:00-7:00) from the Wendy William’s show of her discussing Beyonce and Jay-Z’s marriage. Her inflammatory remarks and flat assumptions-stated more as a matter-of-fact are just one example of how Beyonce is discussed in mainstream media. Wendy Williams has always been extremely problematic in how she discusses celebrities’ personal lives- without any regard to the truth or how her discussion might be hurtful- Beyonce is no exception to that tendency.

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Chris Crocker, and the importance of pop-culture climates for success and support

The documentary Me at the Zoo offers an intimate view into a growing genderqueer teenager Chris Crocker’s life as they come to terms with their identity and struggle to make their family and society at large understand and accept them. Growing up in a rural area with little support or understanding of their position as a genderqueer teenager, Chris used the Internet as a coping mechanism. Chris has been aware of his extence as an outsider, and has suffered greatly throughout their childhood from bullying and even discrimination from adult/authority figures. The only way out of the social isolation that Chris Crocker experienced during their childhood and middle school years was to talk to the Internet, to make them known to the world in a way that would not place them directly in the path of physical harm.  I believe that while the internet provided Chris an outlet to express themselves in the way they naturally desired, it ultimately placed them back into the path of physical harm and led them to more social and mental suffering.  I argue that Britney Spears played a major role in the social degradation of Chris Crocker by not offering any semblance of support or appreciation for their sentiment. Furthermore, I believe that Chris Crocker’s rise-to-fame on YouTube coincided with a time where there was growing, however still limited support of LGBTQIA fans in pop culture. These social factors of the time played a role in viewers’ reactions to Chris Crocker’s leave Britney alone video- and the negative and abuse responses were confounded with the fact that Britney Spears, at the time, had not explicitly come out as a champion for LGBTQUIA folks. Pop stars such as Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, and Sia have made their positions on equality clear. If Chris Crocker’s rise to fame occurred in the current climate of pop culture, and was dedicated to a more supportive pop star, I believe the public response to his videos and outright personal expression would be different, namely more positive. Despite the lack of support Chris Crocker has received from Britney Spears, despite the fact that she stayed silent as they were slandered and physically threatened, they have continued to be an undying fan/supporter of Britney. It’s ironic to me that through all of Chris Crocker’s suffering, partly at the hands of Britney Spears and the entertainment industry that supports her, he doesn’t see the self-damage he is incurring by not severing ties with his fandom for her. Below is an example of the transformations that pop culture has made in support for the queer community. Here is Lady Gaga visiting fans at an LGBTQIA center, and some of those fans’ stories of suffering because of their identities.

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“I mean I love my dad, but I literally don’t know what I would do without my mom.”

After watching Class Dismissed, the way I view our current class system has been affirmed. Present-day class lines in America are extremely blurred, almost invisible-especially between the lower/working and middle class. The lines have become increasingly blurred in the past century in part by the class depictions made by popular culture, and in part by mass consumerism. While it was clear at one point in history that a family who took a cruise was of higher culture and class, the same isn’t true now. People purchase groupon cruises or use their credit card for flights to a beach destination. The rich and poor in America wear Nikes and own iPhones. Class distinction is extremely difficult in modern day America. Class depiction on television has historically been detrimental to marginalized members of the working class such as African American, Latinos, Asian Americans, and women. All middle-class depictions of non-white ethnic families on TV overlook the discrimination and class struggles of those families in real life. All middle-class depictions of any American family on television have always painted a grim picture for the role of the woman/mother in American society. The depiction typically goes like this: Funny but emotionally unavailable father/husband holds a job that provides the basic means for his family plus a little extra, while the mother/his wife is at home rearing all the children and tending to household work. Upon any debate over the need for mutual rearing and tending to household work, the husband reminds the wife it’s her only job, so she should do it without complaints. The show Roseanne specifically addressed the role of the woman in American society at the time. The backlash she faced from production and public critics over her attempts to keep an accurate depiction of working-class families and the struggles of a modern-day mother is proof of the need to continue improving class depictions on television. Roseanne, at its time, was the only show accurate depiction the financial and social circumstances of (white) working-class families. I find the depiction of most mothers on television to be specifically interesting because of its stunning accuracy. While class-depictions have generally been inaccurate and whitewashed, the role of the American mother has always been affirmed through TV, and depicted correctly. What’s interesting is that many women are so used to what’s expected of them as mothers and members of society that seeing their lives mirrored back to them doesn’t sound any alarms.  Attached below is a clip of Ruth, a mother on the show Six Feet Under. Ruth is a terrific depiction of a widowed woman who has become outspoken in the absence of her husband. I think it’s interesting to think about what her behavior would look like in a sitcom show, and how characters like her are avoided simply because of their “complexity” and unwillingness to simply listen and do.

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Plight of the American Player

The documentary Not Just a Game explores the history and entanglement of politics and sports. The complementary relationship between American sports and American politics has existed since both institutions’ inceptions, but its existence is largely debated and often ignored by the media, and thus the majority of the American people. I argue that sports institutions, specifically the NFL, have played a major role in gaslighting serious domestic and global civil rights crises, including the Iraq War and the Black Lives Matter movement. First, it’s important to note that until recently, the relationship between American Sports and Politics existed mainly only on an institutional level. There has been a longstanding institutional expectation that American sports players stay politic-neutral at all times. This expectation is in line with the promoted idea that Sports is an escape from politics and all things serious, when in reality Sports is a tool to manipulate the public’s perception of American politics. In Not Just a Game, Dave Zirin discusses Pat Tillman, late former professional football player who died in the line of duty while serving in the Iraq war. Pat Tillman enlisted after the onset of the Iraq war, ant that in itself drew major attention from the media and public. The NFL proudly backed their player, and his service was often acknowledged at games and events throughout the country. As Pat Tillman was fulfilling his duty he began to notice the discrepancies in America’s justification for War, and he sought to learn more about the potential war crimes he was helping to commit. Pat Tillman unfortunately was killed in the line of friendly fire. Both Tillman’s family and the American people were told of the heroic actions leading up to his death, how he was hit by enemy crossfire while rescuing his unit. The false story of his death circulated for over a month before the truth was revealed that he had in fact, died from friendly fire. In the month that Tillman’s true story was hidden from the public, his death was used as military propaganda in Sports and Public media. The entire nation was mourning the death of a real American football hero, and they wanted the enemy held accountable. While the truth of his death and its revelation were controversial, the NFL continued to memorialize him, never with a mention of the cause of his death and the falsehood surrounding it.  Pat Tillman’s truth was dismissed by the American government and military and the NFL upheld that dismissal and distracted the American public by memorializing and sensationalizing Pat Tillman as a war hero. While ultimately the War continued and Americans forgave (or forgot) the lies they were told, recent controversy in both the government and the NFL shows a less forgiving American public, and more outspoken Sports players. Recent controversy surrounding former NFL football player Colin Kaepernick and his on-field protests for the Black Lives Matter movement have sparked outrage in the football community on a public and institutional level. Kaepernick is left unemployed this season and more players are beginning to follow in his footsteps. Those who are angry about Kaepernick’s protest against a growing human rights crisis aren’t the only ones boycotting, however. Shaun King, a prominent civil rights activist and journalist, has called for a national boycott for the position, or lack thereof, that they’ve taken on Black Lives Matter movement and the lack of support they’ve shown for players who exercising their first amendment rights. Through all of this, one thing is clear. The NFL is losing, and their players are gaining a voice. The debate over whether or not politics is a part of sports is over. Whatever line there was has been crossed by many and no longer exists. The video below discusses the controversy surrounding Sports commentator Jemele Hill’s explicit protest of the president-elect on twitter. The White House’s response to Hill’s comments is a startling indication of our current administration’s take on our first amendment rights, and also further indicates the government’s direct involvement in American sports. 

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I haven’t been outside in two days, but I’m ten steps closer in line.

After watching Generation Like, my concerns and suspicions of adolescent social media use were confirmed. They were validated by facts in the form of video documentation. Throughout the duration of Generation Like, one is forced to see how many American teenagers are spending, or not spending their time. One recurring theme in the documentary discusses how many American teenagers who become online members of fandoms for celebrities and their work (such as Hunger Games, Taylor Swift, Pretty Little Liars, Beyonce). The main motivation for joining these fandoms and avidly interacting online with those celebrities’ platforms is the chance of being “noticed”. I argue that social media, celebrities, and their promoters are exploiting American teenagers in order to maximize profit and visibility for their cause.  Generation Like shows several teenagers who spend significant amounts of their time (5+ hours) interacting online, attempting to be noticed by the celebrities they love. They’re also encouraged to do so by the platforms that support these celebrities. Many of them have “reward” programs aimed at teenagers who will liberally post to the public in support of their fandom. While it’s true that they may receive rewards such as a signed CD, discounted tickets, or an early released album, most of the rewards stay on the side of the celebrities and their promoters. One victim of this exploitation, Ceili Lynch, loves the Hunger Games so much that during its promotional period she would spend up to and over five hours click baiting, posting, and doing more work than the movie’s promoter in promoting the film and its stars.  She mentioned in the documentary that she was even experiencing pain in her hands from the amount of time spent interacting with the online Hunger Games fandom. The point to be driven here is that she was still being filmed in her bedroom, behind a computer screen. Not in a movie studio, not with the Hunger Games cast, not on a red carpet. All of the recognition she is seeking from these online interactions will most likely never occur. The formula for success in this exploitation is making sure there is a new motivation, or “rewards program” for online interaction before the young user realizes that nothing is coming from his or her social media promotion. A new rewards program is a perfect distraction from the old one that wasn’t giving them any recognition. This system has so much perfected keeping American teenagers busy and satisfied with false claims of potential recognition that even Ceili Lynch’s parents seem to overlook the negative implications of their daughter’s social media usage.  Taking it a step further, even when rewards are given to frequent social media users, no real change in social or financial status occurs in the lives of these American teenagers.  Because of the vulnerability that comes with their age, they don’t yet understand that being noticed by a celebrity at a meet and greet or on twitter, in most cases doesn’t mean in any real way that you hold space in that celebrity’s mind. It’s usually a second-minute interaction that’s easily forgotten, but it leaves young fans feeling empowered and important. A recent example of this exploitation method is Taylor Swift’s recent partnership with Ticketmaster. Fans are motivated to participate in online activities such as joining fan lists or promoting the album on their social media accounts. Doing so will provide them with “points” that boost their place in line to buy a ticket for one of her shows. One step further, one can get a “significant boost” compared to the online activities, by actually purchasing Taylor Swift Merchandise. While it seems like a foolproof plan, one’s place in line doesn’t change much when millions of teenagers are participating in the activity. While not much changes for fans and their opportunity to see Taylor live, her partnership with Ticketmaster has provided her with millions of free promoters and has increased her ticket and merchandise sales without much effort. While it’s truly concerning how American teenagers are being exploited by entertainment marketers, parents and educators can only break the cycle. It is their job to protect America’s youth, and to shine a light on the abusive tactics of the social media and entertainment industries. The video below shows Essena Oneill, a previously famous social media influencer who has since publically denounced all popular social media platforms and quit using them. This is a video she posted explaining why she made the choice to leave social media, and is only one story of millions of young individuals losing themselves to the online world.