Protestors to Host Anti-Beyonce Rally at NFL Headquarters

[Kayla 7,595]

20 hours ago, Whispering said:

Those are extreme cases. I really wasn't referencing the marches and riots in Ferguson and Baltimore. I was referring to protests against policies or something else in entertainment...like the Oscars, which is why I also stated that minorities also use social media also to express their displeasure. 

I actually think that few people on the side of Beyonce's team even considered the violence of the Black Panthers. They just looked at it as a symbol to use to make a statement during the Super Bowl. I sincerely doubt it was even Beyonce's idea or that she was trying to promote violence of any kind. You can't really dress up like an MLK marcher, so the outfit of the BPs was an available symbol. I don't think she thought through it too much, tbh, or that her intent was to promote violence. 

For the record, there are two current opinions I have on this whole issue. (Current, because I could change my mind, with more information) I believe this whole protest is silly and useless. If people were offended by the presentation to a great extent, they should use social media as an outlet to express their feelings or they should write letters and place calls to the NFL and the network. Secondly, personally I don't want to see the halftime show becoming politicized. I'm not against the message, but I don't want to see the halftime entertainment become a time to protest. That's just my personal feelings, but it doesn't mean I'm going to take to the streets over entertainment that I can simply turn off. (IF one year, I didn't agree with the message, which WASN'T my feelings this year!) 

 

Good post, and I mostly agree.

The Oscars example is an example of an actual problem, though. Not saying that the Oscars team is racist or intentionally keeping black people out, but it is showing itself to be a system where perhaps black talent just isn't recognized for one reason or another.

I mean, we get butthurt whenever Gaga doesn't win or isn't nominated for something we think she deserved, right?
Remember when she lost to Arcade Fire and many people here criticized the Grammy panel, saying the choice was because they value Rock over Pop?
Imagine how that feels when an entire race of people sees multiple examples of talent coming from their own community not getting the recognition they feel is deserved. And they have centuries of history backing up their concerns about what's going on, a history of real racism to support the idea that maybe the Oscars panel chose someone else because they value White over Black. 

Great point on the use of BP attire because of it's obvious visual representation. You're right that you can't really dress up like an MLK marcher, lol. (Which, even if they did they'd probably still get criticized for it...)
I also agree that the halftime show shouldn't be a time to protest, but I wouldn't say Beyonce was really protesting anything. Both the performance and the video seem to be examples of black excellence, not protest. The BP attire is arguable in that front, but like you brought up- it was probably more because it's a recognizable symbol, not meant to be violent.  

Unfortunately, a lot of people view black pride as a diss on white people or a protest against them when it's not. Nothing about Beyonce's video dissed white people. The song itself is about being successful, not taking down anyone else. But no matter how point-blank the lyrics are or how obvious the video is, people see her supporting black culture very openly and have a lot of criticism for it. No one has to like the video, so I'm not saying "If you don't like the video you hate black people!" Not the case. But if people are going to call it "trashy" or "offensive," then yes- I do question their deep down feelings of other cultures.

[Whispering 18,865]

@Kayla I noticed something from the big Oscar pic the other day besides the lack of POC...there was also very few women! The system is going to have to change from the top down. 

Last year, a good case could be made with Selma. This year, the available movies and actors didn't have any definite snubs. If producers don't make the movies and movies don't have the best roles for POC, I don't know what we expect from voters. I woukd have voted the same way this year on the offerings, with a couple of exceptions, but those exceptions weren't POC. Now, the year before, I would have included Selma in a few categories. Changes are going to have to be made in getting more movies and roles written for or cast with POC, and that will take a while. The movies for next year's Oscars were already filmed months ago and the campaigns for 2017 have already started. 

Beyonce's video is a different subject all together. I can see the halftime show as being an issue, for a couple of reasons, but the video is a creative expression that I always approved of. The people that are protesting were protesting against the halftime segment, not the video, right?