Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift

[PACGAGA 1,275]

4 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

I notice that it's perfectly fine for a white person's supposed white supremacy statements to get the third degree but critique a black person's clear suggestions of black supremacy and you get accused of being too deep and reaching. I just wish the same standard got applied. Is a deep dive into song lyrics only welcome when it's positive and only when it points out problematic statements from white artists? But I admire you for saying I sound educated because a lot of people around here have called me uneducated and stupid just for having a different opinion to them which is highly offensive when I have a university degree. As a woman, I've noticed that people are very quick to drop their feminist stance and call an educated woman uneducated just because she's said something they don't like.

I've seen more black people call themselves black than brown. Most don't have an issue with it. If your skin is deeper than Asian skin, it only makes sense, after all, that you should call it a word that connotates something even darker to distinguish the difference. I believe that's the reason to call the skin black even when it's varying shades of brown. Even if it was a label given to you, many of you use it. White skin isn't white either, it's more a very pale pink/peach but we don't quibble the intricacy of it. We were all taught to give our skin colour a name, not just non-whites. It's clear that the word "pearls" was chosen because it was the only word anyone could find that rhymed with "girl," let's just be real here. Even if it didn't quite make sense (as most people will summon a vision of a pearl in their head as opposed to the feel of a pearl), they wrote it anyway, which is an element of modern songwriting that I can't stand. If it rhymes but doesn't make sense, don't write it. I understand how it's about loving yourself as a black person and I'm not knocking that, but I just don't approve of any references to seem to suggest that black is best. You can make your people feel good without making it into a competition against another people. That's precisely how feelings of racial inadequacy began and continue. If the aim is inclusivity, why make songs singling out any one race at all? How about making a song that encourages all races to love their natural appearance? We're all encouraged to change our skin regardless of race anyway. Dark people want to lighten it, light people want to darken it. Ironically, both methods can cause skin cancer,  so we're all killing ourselves in the name of beauty. I have encountered numerous white girls who are gorgeous but have no confidence in themselves (not thin enough, not all tall enough, not tanned enough, nose too big, lips too thin, chest and bottom too flat, hair's a mess are the most common complaints) and it's rare to find a white woman who will confidently rate her appearance highly and it makes you think, well, if whiteness is held up as the ultimate standard of beauty, why are so many white women so low in self-esteem? It's because it doesn't matter what messages society sends, a person's mental state will steamroller over all of it. So, I think that everyone could benefit from a song that tells you to love yourself no matter what your race is. If you want a song that references loving your skin but isn't just aimed at black women, check out Queen by Jessie J. That is one of the very few self love appearance anthems I've found that actually does it right.

another reach. who are YOU to say which self love anthems do it right? Have you been on the internet AT ALL when the song came out? Have you seen all those little girls singing the songs so happily? or the mothers singing with their daughters?? It literally created a hashtag challenge where of course the whites and light skins found an issue with. I CANT!! For centuries, dark (and I mean DARK) people were constantly oppressed and looked down upon. If you watched the ABC doc Monday night, the segment of BSG was BEAUTIFUL!! We got to hear black girls explain their feelings on the song and how important and relevant it is and how much a song like that is needed. We even a met a black MAN who went his whole life telling schoolmates that he was Jamaican and not African so that people would like him.... and it still seems like this "pearl" lyric is still not clicking. These people have all the rights to believe their race is higher than everyone else FOR ONCE, they're allowed to feel that way, after living in a time where it is STILL not 100% accepted. 

Sorry there are different definitions of beauty and sorry there's not one mention of white people in this song. Have fun being the only person on Earth who will find something negative about such a beautiful song. 

 

[StrawberryBlond 13,263]

2 hours ago, PACGAGA said:

another reach. who are YOU to say which self love anthems do it right? Have you been on the internet AT ALL when the song came out? Have you seen all those little girls singing the songs so happily? or the mothers singing with their daughters?? It literally created a hashtag challenge where of course the whites and light skins found an issue with. I CANT!! For centuries, dark (and I mean DARK) people were constantly oppressed and looked down upon. If you watched the ABC doc Monday night, the segment of BSG was BEAUTIFUL!! We got to hear black girls explain their feelings on the song and how important and relevant it is and how much a song like that is needed. We even a met a black MAN who went his whole life telling schoolmates that he was Jamaican and not African so that people would like him.... and it still seems like this "pearl" lyric is still not clicking. These people have all the rights to believe their race is higher than everyone else FOR ONCE, they're allowed to feel that way, after living in a time where it is STILL not 100% accepted. 

Sorry there are different definitions of beauty and sorry there's not one mention of white people in this song. Have fun being the only person on Earth who will find something negative about such a beautiful song.

I'm allowed my opinion, aren't I? Just because I'm white shouldn't mean that I can't question a self love anthem. No, I didn't know about this twitter challenge but so what? Their love for it doesn't erase my critique of it. If you want to like it, fine, but I have the freedom to say otherwise. And actually, no, no one should be saying their race is better than anyone else's. That's what leads to extreme problems within and outside of groups when that thinking is present. There should never be a validation for any form of racial supremacy thinking.

I didn't say there had to be a mention of white people in the song. Just that it could have been a song about everyone's skin colour being beautiful. I don't get why wanting to be inclusive about beauty standards makes you the bad guy when you're being the biggest people pleaser. Is it a problem because whites are included in that beautiful group? And you feel they don't need to be told that to inflate their already big egos or something? I really thought that, living in the world we do, wanting everyone to improve their mental health by loving themselves should be something that's applauded instead of focusing on telling one race that they're beautiful above all others.

[DavieX 330]

Who cares?! 

[PACGAGA 1,275]

2 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

I'm allowed my opinion, aren't I? Just because I'm white shouldn't mean that I can't question a self love anthem. No, I didn't know about this twitter challenge but so what? Their love for it doesn't erase my critique of it. If you want to like it, fine, but I have the freedom to say otherwise. And actually, no, no one should be saying their race is better than anyone else's. That's what leads to extreme problems within and outside of groups when that thinking is present. There should never be a validation for any form of racial supremacy thinking.

I didn't say there had to be a mention of white people in the song. Just that it could have been a song about everyone's skin colour being beautiful. I don't get why wanting to be inclusive about beauty standards makes you the bad guy when you're being the biggest people pleaser. Is it a problem because whites are included in that beautiful group? And you feel they don't need to be told that to inflate their already big egos or something? I really thought that, living in the world we do, wanting everyone to improve their mental health by loving themselves should be something that's applauded instead of focusing on telling one race that they're beautiful above all others.

So you're upset because this song has nothing to do with you... okay, got it. 

[StrawberryBlond 13,263]

10 hours ago, PACGAGA said:

So you're upset because this song has nothing to do with you... okay, got it. 

No, I just said I wanted a song where everyone could feel beautiful. "Everyone" is not "me." Two different words. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy of those who apparently preach love and acceptance but then don't want anyone except minority groups getting these things. And those who want love and acceptance for everyone are painted as backward and only thinking about themselves...okay, got it.

[Mythos 3,196]

I didn't hear the song before, but i love it O.O

[ANTI WP 19,756]

Beyonce and blu ivy are such a cutie 

Mother = Daughter GOALS 

 

 

[DemeLarell 931]

14 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

I'm allowed my opinion, aren't I? Just because I'm white shouldn't mean that I can't question a self love anthem. No, I didn't know about this twitter challenge but so what? Their love for it doesn't erase my critique of it. If you want to like it, fine, but I have the freedom to say otherwise. And actually, no, no one should be saying their race is better than anyone else's. That's what leads to extreme problems within and outside of groups when that thinking is present. There should never be a validation for any form of racial supremacy thinking.

I didn't say there had to be a mention of white people in the song. Just that it could have been a song about everyone's skin colour being beautiful. I don't get why wanting to be inclusive about beauty standards makes you the bad guy when you're being the biggest people pleaser. Is it a problem because whites are included in that beautiful group? And you feel they don't need to be told that to inflate their already big egos or something? I really thought that, living in the world we do, wanting everyone to improve their mental health by loving themselves should be something that's applauded instead of focusing on telling one race that they're beautiful above all others.

I’m not omg to say to much, but many of us with a darker skin complexion have been criticized throughout history for how we look. This is an issue inside and outside our race. I don’t feel like this was a message of superiority, but rather a message of representation. It’s just good to see that faker skins are being looked at as beautiful as well. And there are a lot of songs that look at blonde hair and blue eyes as beautiful and I’m not criticizing it, but we also cannot criticize her for wanting to uplift faker girls. For a second just change your perspective and look through the lens of another person. Sometimes your statements can be a little offensive. 

[StrawberryBlond 13,263]

2 minutes ago, DemeLarell said:

I’m not omg to say to much, but many of us with a darker skin complexion have been criticized throughout history for how we look. This is an issue inside and outside our race. I don’t feel like this was a message of superiority, but rather a message of representation. It’s just good to see that faker skins are being looked at as beautiful as well. And there are a lot of songs that look at blonde hair and blue eyes as beautiful and I’m not criticizing it, but we also cannot criticize her for wanting to uplift faker girls. For a second just change your perspective and look through the lens of another person. Sometimes your statements can be a little offensive. 

You don't need to explain that. I get why people like the song and why there was a demand for it. I don't know why people think they need to get reiterating this as if I don't understand. I do understand, I'm just critical of the concept and execution. You can say your race is beautiful without saying it's the best. If you wouldn't feel comfortable with a white person saying whiteness is the best thing in the world, then you also shouldn't feel comfortable with any other race doing their equivalent. The only reason why you would be comfortable with it is because you, consciously or not, believe it to be true. And while there may be songs admiring blonde hair and blue eyes, they aren't songs about race, it's just an incidental compliment put in. In fact, it wouldn't be allowed to make a racial love anthem about white people (and I'm not asking for one, let me be clear). And I assume you meant "darker" not "faker" but kept making typos or something. I'm the one who's thinking outside my perspective because I'm wanting everyone to be uplifted, not just myself. If you find that offensive, either you're not reading what I'm saying properly or you need to re-evaluate your position and work out what you're standing for here. Again, it's the big contradiction about modern social justice - wanting to uplift one group is seen as amazing, wanting to uplift everyone is seen as backward and you need to look outside yourself. Makes no sense whatsoever. I'm not your enemy. I want everyone to feel beautiful. Wanting it for everyone is better than wanting it for just one group, is it not?

[PACGAGA 1,275]

2 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

 Wanting it for everyone is better than wanting it for just one group, is it not?

Not when that one group was (is) constantly disrespected and even murdered for being brown.... 

[StrawberryBlond 13,263]

31 minutes ago, PACGAGA said:

Not when that one group was (is) constantly disrespected and even murdered for being brown.... 

That doesn't mean their race should be held up as the best either. Just because one extreme is bad doesn't mean the opposite extreme is a better option. There should be no extremist views when it comes to race. Racial supremacy doesn't magically become good when it's given to black people. There's black supremacist groups around right now that are doing really bad things (no, I'm not talking about Black Lives Matter, in case you were wondering). Of course, I'm not suggesting a song like this encourages hatred of whites but I am saying it reinforces a subtle racial superiority idea (black skin being the best thing in the world) that would normally be considered a horrifying thing to suggest if any other race said it but is considered empowering and admirable when blacks people say it. If it weren't for this line, I'd basically have no problem with the song but this one line turned it upside down. To hear naive, impressionable little girls sing this line about their race being the best really rubs me up the wrong way and I'm surprised more people haven't said something about it.

[Harry 26,836]

Deeply shocked to find a certain person in here has a problem with a song called 'Brown Skin Girl' lol......

[StrawberryBlond 13,263]

6 minutes ago, Harry said:

Deeply shocked to find a certain person in here has a problem with a song called 'Brown Skin Girl' lol......

I'm right here, Harry. Even when you're in a post below me, you still act like I'm invisible to you. You really need to cut the passive aggressiveness. And if you'd read my post above, you'd realise that I don't really have that much issue with the song but this one line about brown skin being the best thing in the world unsettles me because it encourages racial superiority thought processes and is aimed at young people into the bargain. I thought it might be worth a talking point but found that no one's really interested and just keeps telling me the same stuff over and over again which I already know and avoiding the troublesome line.

[Harry 26,836]

3 minutes ago, StrawberryBlond said:

I'm right here, Harry. Even when you're in a post below me, you still act like I'm invisible to you. You really need to cut the passive aggressiveness. And if you'd read my post above, you'd realise that I don't really have that much issue with the song but this one line about brown skin being the best thing in the world unsettles me because it encourages racial superiority thought processes and is aimed at young people into the bargain. I thought it might be worth a talking point but found that no one's really interested and just keeps telling me the same stuff over and over again which I already know and avoiding the troublesome line.

You know damn well the song is not pushing racial superiority. You just know it. Artists use hyperbolic lyrics all of the time. The song is a celebration of something that historically has been mocked and ridiculed. You just use any opportunity that you can to take a swing at artists of colour and it's honestly disturbing to see it. Hateful individual.

[Borislshere 52,615]

16 minutes ago, Harry said:

Deeply shocked to find a certain person in here has a problem with a song called 'Brown Skin Girl' lol......

Nothing new, nothing changed, same old sh*t.