If there’s one thing I like, it’s a good controversy. Seeing an angry Facebook user type up an unresearched, 12-paragraph dissertation on all the ways Barack Obama is ruining America always gives me a good chuckle. Let’s be real, though — Beyoncé’s Super Bowl halftime performance lacked so much drama, I don’t think I can even label it as a controversy.
During the Super Bowl halftime show, Beyoncé came out and got it poppin’ with a performance of her latest single, “Formation.” The performance itself was good; it was your typical Queen Bey performance. It featured plenty of fiercely choreographed moves in heels, an army of backup dancers, leather outfits and a decent-sounding song. Personally, I’m not a big fan of her music, but the song had a strong beat, and with the solid performance, it was an enjoyable halftime spectacle.
Some of her lyrics referenced her pride in her African-American heritage, as well as a nod to the South. Hailing from Texas myself, I appreciated the line about carrying hot sauce in her bag. Hot sauce is a necessary supplement to every meal, so yeah — swag.
It wasn’t until the next day when I hopped on Facebook that I saw the complete meltdown of the Internet.
Post after post, news article after article have covered the “controversy” relentlessly. This happened weeks ago, and yet here we are, still talking about it.
Why?
Since the Super Bowl, I have yet to meet a single person in real life who was actually flustered by the performance. In fact, I’m confident most Americans didn’t even notice that the backup dancers had on Black Panther outfits until the media blared it the next day.
Did the media reference the performance as a promotion of equality and racial harmony? A statement of fighting oppression and being inclusive of all people?
Of course not.
Instead, news sources used words like “racially-charged,” “controversy” and “race-baiting” to define the performance, because they know we’re far more likely to read an article about controversy.
The media would have us believe that this was a massive ordeal, with tons of boycotts and backlash from conservatives.
In a blatant example of Fox News trying to stir up a scene, the media outlet released an article on Feb. 19 titled, “Miami police to boycott Beyoncé concert over controversial Super Bowl performance.” Upon reading the headline, I was shocked that the entire Miami Police Department would get that bent out of shape over a musical performance.
Then I started to read.
In reality, the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, a union that makes up only a fraction of the Miami Police Department, was the organization planning to boycott. The proposed boycott had nothing to do with the city’s actual police department, like the Fox News headlines were insinuating.
A separate illustration of the artificial controversy created by media outlets is the protest against the NFL’s headquarters in New York City.
With such an “outrage” against Beyoncé and the NFL for allowing her “abhorrent” behavior, surely this was a huge protest, right? As a matter of fact, a whopping three people showed up for the Feb.16 protest.
I’m sure some people freaked out about Beyoncé, but some people are insane. We all need to chill — the media in particular — and remember Beyoncé’s halftime show for what it was: quality entertainment.
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