Thursday, March 28, 2024

Beyonce, Yes Beyonce is Wrong; Her message hurting the African-American community…

June 29, 2011 by  
Filed under Ent., Music, News, Opinion, Sista Talk, Weekly Columns

Like
Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

(ThyBlackMan.com) Courtesy of; http://blog.christianitytoday.com/women

Why her message of female power is hurting the African American community…

According to the first single from Beyonce’s highly anticipated album 4, girls indeed run the world. Thanks to her musical contribution to First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, her recent Billboard Millennium Award, and surprise farewell performance to honor Oprah, all eyes from middle-age school rockers to professional intellectuals are on Beyonce. The 29-year-old is an influencer. From the words of her recent hit, “my persuasion can build a nation,” and she knows it.

Beyonce has built a musical career based on girl empowerment and the seduction of men. In her efforts to empower women, though, she has endorsed  a self-absorbed world where a false view of love reigns supreme.  Her songs reveal a worldview where men and women indulge in lust, lavish spending, and fantasies of catering, upgrades, and joy rides. I don’t see much responsibility or empowerment of either sex in that kind of behavior.

Yet the lyrics of her recent single acknowledge the men who respect what she does. In her skimpy attire, she seduces them while singing we have “endless power, our love we can devour when you’ll do anything for me.”

The question that haunts me and should arise from moral women of influence is: What type of power is Beyonce encouraging women to embrace? Is an average girl’s persuasion enhanced by flaunting her body, vanity, and money more than modesty, character, team building, and leadership that place the needs of others above themselves?

True persuasion and leadership elevates all people without sacrificing others along the way. That’s what alarms me with the “positive” messages in songs like “Run the World (Girls).” By elevating girls in a music video where they stand strong against an all-male army, Beyonce has subtly (or perhaps not so subtly) sent a message that devalues boys and men.

As an African American woman who is heartbroken over the current condition of African American boys, I find Beyonce’s message destructive and damaging to the Black community. The reality is that so many African American boys are being ignored in the classroom and other social arenas. These young men are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate. Many who graduate from high school cannot read with a significant level of comprehension or write a grammatically correct paragraph. Some sources say we now have more Black men in prison than in college. If Jesus’ teachings concerning the Good Samaritan resonate at all, we should all share in these concerns. We cannot continue to ignore the plight of these young men while Beyonce is encouraging all the independent women to “throw their hands up.”

Does God value women? Certainly! Does he want them to be strong contributors to society? Absolutely!

Yet when considering how God supremely values women, we must remember other fundamental truths: that God is love and wants us to walk in love. We must also acknowledge that we were created for community. God said that it was not good for humankind to walk through life alone. He created women and men for a holy partnership that is not limited to marriage. Whenever one gender of God’s partnership is elevated above the other or is ignored, we all lose.

There is much work and community building for all of us to do. I want to see young girls grow up into God-honoring, intelligent, beautiful, and strong leaders. When they show up in the classroom, corporate boardroom, or sanctuary, I want individual lives touched and the environment changed by their very presence. I do not want these women believing, however, that they don’t need men. Not only do we need them, they need us, and both sexes should seek opportunities to value, honor, and lift up each other.

Just as we must take responsibility for the images that we affirm or reject as women, men must do the same. My brothers must stand strong and hold each other accountable so that they do not fall prey to the fantasies and lies presented by the world. We should hold godly men accountable for breaking the cycle of “no fathers in the home” by consistently fulfilling the roles of teachers and mentors in the lives of children being raised by single mothers. In this way, children can observe a healthy partnership between men and women. They can then affirm who real men are and what real men do.

If we do not commit to these changes, we will continue to raise young men who have no consistent male leaders, teachers, or mentors in their lives. Furthermore, these young men will have very little expectations of themselves, since everyone knows that girls run the world. Therefore, they can transfer residence from their mother’s homes to their girlfriend’s, and let her take care of him since she’s the college grad making the paper.

Both genders need to stand firm and confident knowing that the other is there to partner, encourage, and help them carry the load. We do not have to bear our burdens alone. We can be present for each other. Together, we can live the example of God’s truth and love in the lives of others.

We stand to partner because God loves us and wants an army of codependent men and women to glory him by lovingly running this world together.

Originally posted via; http://blog.christianitytoday.com/women

Written By Natasha Robinson

Official website; http://AsistasJourney.com/


Comments

45 Responses to “Beyonce, Yes Beyonce is Wrong; Her message hurting the African-American community…”
  1. christina says:

    well i get the negative message it could poosibly have on women but at the same time it isnt that negative. Black men in the music industry give black women huga amounts of disrespect and as much as it should change, it probably wont anytime soon. I dont technically see anything wrong with her giving women around the world the empowerment of being successful. im a black women on the verge of abtaining a licensed degree in dentistry and beyonce is just applauding women and young girls like me trying to make it on our own. Yes it sucks that based on statistics, black men arent doing as well as a us in the education department but honestly what all are we supposed to do? its hard for a black man in america but the same drive we have, they can use too and make something of themselves. sometimes its best to take responsibility and learn to prevail through anything and beyonce is just congratulating the women, not just black, who are taking a stand and being their own bosses for once.

  2. jammy says:

    Well when you think about it, throughout history, starting from the first known written story ‘Gilgamesh’ to even in the Bible, women are portrayed as conniving, always seducing, & only good for babymaking and not their opinions. so instead of contiuing to let those traits be negative, i feel she has allowed them to be seen more positively. but yea… i’m sure beyonce’s motive was not to “suppress the man”. but the man has always gotten the attention and recognition and been told never to trust a woman. let the girls have something to be proud of, and if its theyre beautiful bodies, or ability to seduce and persuade let it be! men do it! (& isnt persuasion a trait of leadership?…). Let us be proud of something…gosh!

  3. Ihatemen says:

    I don’t see anything wrong with her message. Frankly, I applaud it. For too long, women have been taught to be modest and to accept any treatment a man gives her…she is left to feel that she is not complete without a man and that she should jump through hoops to keep him, even if it means sacrificing herself. I am SO glad that Beyonce is teaching women to turn the tables on me and celebrating womanhood…Now, if only she could get rid of Jay-Z and just date men casually, she’d be the perfect role model.

  4. Eleanie says:

    I see a few comments where people are going back and forth blaming men and women regarding the topic of pregancy. Unless the sexual experience was forced, then both man and woman are responsible and the cause for the preganancy. How can one lay blame on the other?

  5. cornel williams says:

    Irrelevant, totally irrelevant. I have made comments on political matters. Only a few blacks respond. But when it comes to entertainment, the comments are abundant. you people need to read more books, and get beyond dancing and shaking and singing. More things are important than Beyonce, whatever her name is. Any of you ever hear of Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson? He is considered by many to be the smartest man in the world. He is a black astrophysicist.
    All of you know that anti intellectual dupe, TD Jakes. But I bet hardly any of you commenting in here have ever heard of Dr. Tyson.

  6. prince says:

    I was into what you were writing until you brought religion into it. Take the god angle out and you have a powerful piece of writing

  7. Kiba says:

    Women are powerful, and as soon as all the women in the world realize their power, OMG the world would improve ten fold. Beyonce understand her power not just as an American, but as a global entertainer. She’s trying to empower women of the world. Parents really need to educate your kids & stop looking to famous people to instill your values. It’s not about putting down men because historically, they’ve done pretty well. When black people have organizations to empower us, is the message to put down other races? No, it’s for black people to realize their own power. It’s the same concept. Sure the sex may get the attention, but learn to listen to the message. Who run the world? GIRLS! You better believe it, and take note.

  8. Cocomo says:

    First of all, I am a Beyonce fan. It has taken time but I am. I am discouraged that so many people only see Beyonce in such a negative way. Its unfair and dishonest to pick her apart without looking at her entire catalog of music. Yes, some of her songs have been simplistic, materialistic and childish. However, its misleading to write such an article without acknowledging that her songs address new love, break-ups, and female empowerment… all for Black people. Have you seen the Halo video. Those are some beautiful black woman & man moments!

    Yes, visually, everything about her screams SEX! But take time to hear the messages. I attended Prince concerts this year that played old Ike & Tina performances on those giant screens. I was appalled to see Tina’s lil ole nipple showing thru her shiny mesh top! Beyonce’s “sex sells” attitude isnt new.

    As a parent, it is MY JOB to point out the message behind the mess to my 15 yr old son & 13 yr old daughter. I make sure their musical tastes includes other artists so their brains have something to ponder which allows them to make informed decisions.

  9. I think both the writer of this article and the people arguing about the black males singers are right! The thing is both black male ad females should start respecting each other. I understand beyonce wrote this song cuz of what her father did to her mother, however the whole message is wrong girls can not rule the world! forget itt, we need men and they need us.. Black male singers stop insulting your black ladies calling them hoes and stuff.. Excuse my english im not a native! Im from Denmark!!!

  10. t-blaze says:

    I just have to add my two cents, first and foremost I absolutely hate Beyonce image. As an artist who (let’s face the facts)fan base consist of young women from the age of 12-21, dresses so inappropriately matter of fact she dresses like a $2 whore who shakes and shimmies to every beat often exposing a crotch, a breast, a nipple..to sold out venues to teenage girls… sending out messages that sex sales and is in high demand. That leaves me to say it not Beyonce resonsibility to raise your child, it the individual. If your too focused on “your man, your car, your clothes or even what the neighbor is doing down the street” then YOU should be held responsible. It takes a village to raise a child be more selectve of the village you choose to reside in. As a parent you must stand in the gap make that choice to turn off the t.v. and the radio interact more with your children, the problem starts at home.

  11. commonsensereturns says:

    This author cannot be serious. Somehow black women are the gatekeepers for the pride, success, and self-esteem of black men? Doesn’t anyone get that this is why the state of black America is where it is today? Men are supposed to be leaders/heads of their community period. There is no other culture in this nation in which the women are supposed to lead. Its deplorable to me. Where is the accountability for the MEN in this community to step up and father their sons and love their daughters? Its asinine and azz backwards to me that Beyonce out to be ‘ashamed’ of herself for pitting black women against black men. where is this author’s dissertation on the numerous songs by black rappers and R & B artists where they dog black women out verse to verse?

    We are expected to honor and cherish black men while they call us chicken heads, hoes, and gold diggers. Give me a freakin break!

  12. Shia says:

    What about the message when men refer to Black women as “Bitches and Hoes”, Baby Momma’s,darkies,etc. Or these althletes that get rich that won’t even date Black Women.
    How does that hurt the image of African American Women?

    I am so proud of Beyonce’ and her accomplishments.I wish these people, “Black Women” would stop hating on her,let her so her thing. You have nothing better else to do but write articles to tear eachother down.

  13. natalie says:

    ……..

  14. Jae says:

    @natalie
    Women do not get the talking to because they do not walk away after the child is born. They are dealing with their mistakes head on by taking care of the child and men are not. How hard is that to understand?

    And please get the heavily slanted, racist rhetoric out of here. Black women do not get the most abortions or even have the highest rate in the slightest. White women’s results do not get published because they get it at their own private doctors which, like birth control, they have much better and easier access to.

    And again let me break it down your own argument for you. Woman AND man make a choice to have sex. Your entire supposition is you exercising frustration because you believe men are somehow held more responsible for their behavior than women. The irony is that your entire argument is based on the idea that women be 100% responsible for what results from sex (ie pregnancy) while you simultaneously pretending men get all the accountability. That makes no sense and is entirely contradictory. So Black women are responsible for what happens to their bodies but Black men should not be held responsible for where they put their sperm? Seriously? Why do people like yourself not realize how destructive that line of thinking is?

    And you wonder why its so easy for Black men to abandon their kids, when all day every day you have people saying out the side of their mouths that it was less on him to prevent an unwanted pregnancy than her, so really its her mistake to deal with and not his. (And with that logic in exercise, then comes than 70& oow birth rate you are harping on).

  15. natalie says:

    @ jae… before we had access to safe abortion and 20+ options for birth control you might have had a leg to stand on. It can’t be “our body our choice” ……his responsibility? 70% oow and you assert that women are the ones ridculed in this babymama culture? No way! Women never receive the “talking to” on mothers day that men do on fathers day..and with the highest rate of abortion of any race of women we are” walking away” from” responsibility” as much as men are… if we want to place the blame on men for what goes on with our body the efforts towards having choice will be set back. Let’s end the choice debate then let’s defund planned parenthood since 8 in 10 illigitimacy sugget to me we aren’t using the services anyway..we don’t need to do that but c’mon now its timeout for standing with our back to the mirror.

  16. Mz07ladii says:

    So maybe “contradicting” is not the best term to describe artists. I have my opinions, obviously, and its difficult for my generation in particular to differentiate between entertainment and celebrity living a life different from what they are singing about.

  17. Mz07ladii says:

    The problem with our society is music, period. Music motivates us in ways that we are not even aware of. When we listen to our favorite songs, we sing along without actually paying attention to the lyrics, and that goes for a lot of music that is on the radio. Artist contradict themselves by “entertaining their audience” and living their own life in the public eyes, then keeping a private life, if that makes sense. The reality is everything that is meant for entertainment is taken literal, such as staying in an unhealthy relationship, using your body in a sexual way for wealth, using drugs to avoid problems, etc etc. As a Black woman, I feel that we as a society should not try to dominate another gender. It is hard for a Black man in our society and we need to support our men. Yes, Beyonce’ has a song called Run The World (Girls), but she is also a married woman that has been in a committed relationship for 10 years, maybe more. Even though music is a problem, the number one problem with our society is not having Him in our lives. Without Him we all fall, individually and as a society!!!

  18. Jae says:

    “While we choose to bring chldren into the world under unstable circumstances we focus the bulk of our energy not on what we could have done but on what HE could have done (i.e. these men need to wrap it up) and isnt doing. This post- conception focus on mens need to “man up” is further indictment of our tendency to absolve ourselves of any responsiblity. Because we have TOO MANY OPTIONS TO PREVENT UNWANTED PREGNANCIES but if we focused on pre-conception attitudes about birth control then we would be exposed as the irresponsible ones in this mess with a need to “WOMAN UP” An unfortunate byproduct of feminism is societies utilitarian value of men. Men are not valued for who they are but rather what they can do for society and more specifically women.”

    This entire part of your post is completely absurd for one simple reason: it pretends that women are the only ones who can prevent unwanted pregnancies pre-conception. To be real, if anyone is absolved of responsibility when it comes to sex, it is men. You know it and I know it and I see no reason why you should pretend otherwise. You will hear someone tell a single mother “you should have kept your legs closed” a million times over before you ever hear them tell the father “you should have kept it in your pants”. And thats because when it comes to sexual choices, men are absolved of any accountability if things fall through because everyone is supposed to accept that “boys will be boys”. And yes, men, particularly Black men, are rightfully focused on to MAN UP once the baby comes along, because while both parties (male and female) made a mistake pre-conception, only one is routinely owning up to the responsibility it resulted in in our community. And its not the man. There is nothing ‘unaccountable’ about women telling men to share their half of the responsibility and take their rightful place as fathers in Black families.

    In short, men cannot have it both ways. They cannot devalue their choices in sexual selection and put everything at the feet of women and then get mad and yell feminism this and ‘disposable’ that. You don’t get any control (or respect) in a situation by putting all the responsibility of the way the situation turns out on the other party.

  19. erica muhammad says:

    Finally ! Something that is worth to read. Thank you for saying this. Thank you !!

  20. natalienjackson says:

    Men are:

    ?76% of homicide victims – DOJ
    ?80% of Suicide victims – CDC
    # Suicide took the lives of 30,622 people in 2001 (CDC 2004).
    # Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all U.S. men (Anderson and Smith 2003).
    # 24,672 suicide deaths reported among men in 2001.
    http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/suifacts.htm
    24,672 / 30,622 = .8056952

    In other words, over 80% of all suicide deaths in 2001 were male.

    also:

    “Suicide ranks 11th among causes of death in the US, with 30,622 completed suicides in 2001. It is the 3rd leading cause of death among people 15 to 24 yr. Men ? 75 yr have the highest rate of death by suicide. Among all age groups, male deaths by suicide outnumber female deaths by 4:1.”

    Source: http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec15/ch205/ch205a.html

    “The other most common suicide victims are divorced and/or estranged fathers like Derrick Miller. In fact, a divorced father is ten times more likely to commit suicide than a divorced mother, and three times more likely to commit suicide than a married father.

  21. natalienjackson says:

    I have twenty pages of citations and research that challenges the false assertion that men are not experiencing challenges that demand our attention!

  22. natalienjackson says:

    Men are the overwhelming majority of rape victims.

    Male rape has been called “The most closely guarded secret of American prisons.” (Weiss and Friar 1974)

    There are estimated to be over 300,000 male rapes per year in American prisons and jails.

    Meanwhile A United Nations statistical report compiled from government sources showed that more than 250,000 cases of male-female rape or attempted rape were recorded by police annually. The reported data covered 65 countries.

    According to the 2009 United States National Crime Victimization Survey estimates, only 55% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials. When a male is raped, less than 10% are believed to be reported. Female-male and female-female rape are ignored altogether in this survey.

    Other facts regarding men and rape:

    * 2.1% of men reported forced vaginal sex compared to 1.6% of women in a relationship in the previous year. From: Predictors of Sexual Coersion. http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/ID45-PR45.pdf

    *94% of sexually abused youth in correctional facilities reported being abused by female staff. From: Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities, 2008-09. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svjfry09.pdf

    * Among inmates reporting staff sexual misconduct, ~ 65% reported a female aggressor. From: Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, 2008-09. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svpjri0809.pdf

    * 50% of homeless youth reported being sexually abused by a female. From: It’s Not What You Think: Sexually Exploited Youth in British Columbia.

  23. natalienjackson says:

    Accountability and compassion must go hand in hand. Accountability without compassion is ruthless. It is what we more often direct at men. It is respecting men but not loving them. Compassion without accountability is infantilizing. It is what we more often direct at women. It is loving women but not respecting them.

    if I may…. The big problem is that initially the feminist agenda made an aggresive push for equaliy but now the pendulum has swung too far. While black women were being empowered towards “independence” and psuedo “self-reliance” with an evolving role in society, our expectations of men and our desire for their role to remain the same has created the current gender conflictt. So we have several interesting dichotomies where for example we speak of independence and being able to stand on our own but still have expectations of the men as the “chivalrous, protector, provider.” Another one is how we have declarationsof independence and bodily autonomy while embracing the idea of ourselves and our children as “victims” of the ill intended black man. So we have pre-conception and post conception control but defer resposnsibility to men for such epidemics as fatherlessness and 8 in 10 illigitimacy rate.

    While we choose to bring chldren into the world under unstable circumstances we focus the bulk of our energy not on what we could have done but on what HE could have done (i.e. these men need to wrap it up) and isnt doing. This post- conception focus on mens need to “man up” is further indictment of our tendency to absolve ourselves of any responsiblity. Because we have TOO MANY OPTIONS TO PREVENT UNWANTED PREGNANCIES but if we focused on pre-conception attitudes about birth control then we would be exposed as the irresponsible ones in this mess with a need to “WOMAN UP” An unfortunate byproduct of feminism is societies utilitarian value of men. Men are not valued for who they are but rather what they can do for society and more specifically women.

    Male disposability is an issue that everyone refuses to acknowledge due to the indoctrination of feminist idealogues that have led us to a society where we emphasize accountability for boys/men with little compassion while emphasizing compassion for girls/women with little accountability. I am always saddened when I attend pro-choice demonstrations with some of the choice movement’s strongest male allies. These men that fight so passionately for our right to choose would have their rights to choose denied by the very women they are putting their life on the line for. Feminsim is no longer about equality.

  24. Leali says:

    I think the world needs a lil fantasy. Every black man is not a G with a room full of money. Every woman is not a superfreak. Its for fun not for real. I am so much happier to hear he should love and respect you, you have the power to change your life, than drop ur drawers and get with the line up if u want to get any where close to me. Music is a direct reflection on Actuality in the world. Every story deserves to b heard. Thank you to all those whom we respect and those we don’t for ensuring Art culture dance music poetry literature and anything that is part of the human condition can still b apart of the world.

  25. Zeru says:

    Yeah the bullshit that beyounce is pumping was here before she came.. the writer of this article is saying she is continuing it and taking it to new heights because of the media explosion of the last 20 years. She is playing her part and our oppressors always had a black woman selling her people out. beyounce, oprah, condeleesa rice, the saga continues.

    Truth is overall music is a problem because music raises our children. Beyounce is a problem. Lil wayne is a problem. Not knowing how to speak but having your own rap song is a problem. Non intelligence being spoken into someone’s subconscious is a problem.

    The fall of the Israelite man in America has been a problem for centuries now and it seems like the oppressors always wants to use the woman as the gatekeeper to a man’s self image. We destroy each other and this woman empowerment movement is going to backfire on the less humble when America declares war on our race as a whole and your men dont want to have anything to do with you.

    When that happens there will be no beyounce to defend from what is coming. So hopefully you can keep those cds you purchased and use them as ninja stars because ultimately thats the only thing thats going to protect you if your message is liberation threw isolation. And half of you will rely on your girlfriends dressed like men.. and its going to be a real sad sight.

  26. Vivee says:

    *sighs as I reach into my bag*…..while I agree Natasha’s underlining message of using God’s Love to run the world together as a JOINT holy unit (while some what utopian), Natasha Robinson is in fact the one WRONG and not Beyoncé . Beyoncé isn’t wrong because she is merely stating the truth of our reality. Women do run the world. We have been since the beginning of time. Since Eve “persuaded” Adam to take a bite of the apple.

    I think Natasha has an issue with the obvious and that is sexual persuasion is the GREATEST of all human persuasion. Idealist hate to admit it, but it’s more powerful than an education sometimes. People will do a LOT under the pretenses of sex. Great men and well educated great men have fallen and/or risen because of the sexual persuasion of a woman. Now a smart educated woman who knows the value and power of her persuasion is danger not to be messed with (I could go on for days about this, so I digress.)!

    Beyoncé realizes that above a positive message, SEX and the allure of the grandeur is what sales at the end of the day. She is a consummate business woman. Beyoncé is trying to sale music and make that bank and I ain’t mad. Beyoncé realizes her fan base and what we want to hear and what we ourselves are feeling deep inside. So to insinuate the Beyoncé is wrong for singing Girls run the world (which we do), she is in-fact insinuating that I am wrong for believing this. Since Natasha wanted to involve God in this matter, let’s go to His Word. Sampson lost his hair and strength because of Delilah’s “persuasion”. Esther saved her people from bondage because of her “persuasion”.

    The Queen of Sheba was able to build an alliance with King Solomon because of her persuasion. The list goes on and I haven’t even got to the New Testament yet. There are even more examples of a woman’s influence and persuasion affecting history just in present day alone. I have one word for you…Oprah!!!! Women have been the muses to some of the greatest works of art, the root cause to some the most epic wars in history, and the grounding yet driving force behind the most powerful and revered men! So for Natasha to downgrade Beyoncé’s message of empowerment to women as away to perpetuate her ideals is actually WRONG of her.

    Furthermore, I think that this Natasha Robinson woman is just a hater. Bottom line. Point blank period. I hate when people, WOMEN especially always try to blame Beyoncé for every social problem that’s out there. Beyoncé is NOT hurting the black community. She is not out on the corners selling drugs; she isn’t shooting up our blocks, or tearing up our neighbors. Quite the contrary actually; Beyoncé has built communities (literally), and started several foundations focused on the enrichment and empowerment of our women and children. All this, she has done out of the kindness of her heart, WHILE still maintaining her outmatched career! Beyoncé she isn’t here to be the savior of all our black issues.

    The problem of our men and our sons being in jail, on the streets, and dropping out of school, existed long before Beyoncé sanged “Run the World” or before she was even born for that matter. It is a generational problem that men at this point need to dig themselves out of. We as women can only persuade those who are open, ready and willing for change. Men who want better will do better. So with that said…Natasha needs to go have a seat and rethink her platform.

  27. DSki says:

    Beyonce keep doing your thing. Go ahead and continue to “Run The World” because Black Girls Rock!……. Damn haters they make me sick. Don’t let no one steal your joy. Damn dream killers.

  28. Dane says:

    I’m usually attracted to a song because of it’s beat, at first. Ill here it a dozen times before I listen to the lyrics. My daughter goes straight for both and latches onto a song for a month- and has a dance routine. I find myself learning all the music she likes before I ever llearn the music I like. It’s par for the course, I always feel like mom is #1, daughter is #2, and I’m #3 , when it comes down to family hierarchy. On the other hand I have no idea what to do withall my time while they are on vacation- Now that I’m #1 and all.

  29. Kreayshawn says:

    Black male drop out of college and high school because they are too bus being a classroom disruption and harassing other students. Call me a racist but don’t deny the obvious correlation between African-american students and how boisterous they are.

  30. ANON says:

    Its really disheartening when other women constantly try to tear down Beyoncé and her music. I’m a young black woman (college educated) and I find nothing wrong with Beyoncé’s music. Honestly she’s taught me a lot about self confidence and relationships. No I’m not saying her music and messages are the foundation of my life, thats what my parents are for. Her music makes me feel good about myself. Sue me! I like to have fun and dance. Is that a crime? I’m not spreading my legs and I have no kids. A lot of people are missing the message with all this over analyzing. It may not be 100% concrete for all men and women — but the notation that sex “makes the world go round” is not too far fetched. I’m sure I dont have to point out examples, since you brought up the Bible you already know its there.
    “Run The World” is a shout out to all the hard working, intelligent women. Just because she uses slang and a dance routine does not discredit that.

  31. Josh says:

    I think ya’ll are missing the entir message in the editorial. She is not condeming her for attempting to empower women. But look at the “Role Models” many of our young black women grow up to idolize. Gone are the days of empowered women like Rosa Park, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Maya Angelou, Josephine Baker, Shirley Chilsom, Althea Gibson, Dorothy Height, Billie Holiday, and Zora Neal Hurston. I bet your children couldn’t even tell you who most of them are if any. Instead they become empowered by walking out half naked, talking loud to get their point across, sleeping with multiple men hoping he has money so they can be taken care of for the rest of their life. If you or your child focuses more Real Housewives and Basketball wives you need to take a seat.

  32. Dane says:

    If u liked it then u shoulda putta ring on it.

    How can the message be mistaken?

    My daughter hears it loud and clear …and dances her heart to it.

    Leaves me with some minor explanation about the topic.

  33. essie says:

    Oh please. So it’s okay for WOMEN to be devalued in EVERY FREAKING RAP VIDEO but when it comes to men you’re suddenly outraged?

  34. hello says:

    Stan or no stan, fan of Beyonce or not, this author’s decision to present Beyonce as some kind of raving malicious feminist is a fail. She’s just doing her job and using a widely accepted message.

    What is 50 Cent’s Message? Does he even hav– oh yeah, get rich or die trying.

  35. Some of you are idiots. So we make up for the poor treatment of women by in turn unleashing our own brand of chauvinism? How did two wrongs ever make a right? How about cooperation and throwing in the trash songs like Bey’s and others who try to exalt their rule by oppressing the opposite sex…There has got to be one smart Bey Stan in the bunch.

  36. jessie says:

    Oh no please stop the oppression of the poor male sex! They’ve suffered so much throughout history!

    Please. With all the misogyny in the world that still continues til this day no matter how much you try to deny it, a pop song by Beyonce isn’t going to take away the power you pretty much have since birth due to what chromosomes you have. Let us have our empowering songs for goodness sake. What are you afraid of? I hope you have attacked the countless songs and videos by male artists that devalue and degrade women too.

  37. A says:

    Beyonce haters are not strong enough to bear the children tbh!

  38. Mandy says:

    Gosh won’t someone PLEASE think of the men! God forbid a woman makes a song about being empowered and not give a healthy portion of it to the poor underrepresented and under appreciated MEN! Like Shine, you are an absolute moron.

  39. kamikaze says:

    clutchin my pearls right now! think of the men! such a shame that men are always historically oppressed. such a damn shame.

  40. Beyonce is just a by product of what black feminism has done to the Black community. Black women cannot complain that they want real men to stand up and raise their children when they do all they can in their power to emasculate them and try to be the man in the relationship. Women need to know their role, be supportive of a man who is trying to be one, instead of tearing him down, and blaming him for what their daddy did to them.

    Beyonce has been on this feminist kick for a while now… from The first album with destiny’s child on… she is seriously a Jezebel and I don’t care who doesn’t like me saying it.

  41. Syleaux says:

    Agree with @hello!! The author wanted to write an article about the plight of young black males, men & women needing each other, etc; however she chose to include Beyonce to get our attention to read it. Waste of my time.

  42. ImABlackPoem says:

    I think you’re being quite reductionistic considering the fact that the Black community had been a complete mess for DECADES before Beyonce’s first hit record. I understand and sympathize with your feelings in this article and I do believe Beyonce is “wrong” for selling the idea that a woman can seduce any man to do what she wants, but that’s a viewpoint that has been long withstanding – and not just in the Black community. It won’t continue because Beyonce is making records and it won’t go away when Beyonce stops making records either. Let’s attack the problem not the artist. At the end of the day, there’s very little we can expect of Beyonce, she’s only doing her job.

  43. RunTheWorld88 says:

    Lol @ below comment.

  44. hello says:

    Yeah, so you definitely over-thought the song’s concept. I’m sure it took you longer to write this blog post than it took Beyonce and the Dream to conceptualize, write, record, and shoot the video for the song.

Trackbacks

Check out what others are saying about this post...


Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!