I don’t like football *gasp* and so I usually don’t watch the Superbowl *double gasp* so I do not understand ANY of the references to commercials or the half time show. Ever.
This year’s “controversial” half time pinged my radar, but I did nothing about looking into it to understand it. Until now.
I searched out the footage of the performance by Bruno and Beyoncé to watch it for myself…
Then, I watched the official music video, and I read the lyrics…
(EDITORIAL NOTE: This video I’m embedding below is an “unlisted” video on YouTube and has explicit lyrics. Be warned.)
Most of the references in the lyrics didn’t make sense to me, but I understood the message she was broadcasting and I understood how passionate Beyonce AND Bruno are about their heritage.
Then I watched this video and everything made sense…
And while I laughed and laughed as I watched that SNL video – several times – I also felt sad. For far too long, divisiveness in the human race along category lines – especially the line that puts the “white male” above all others – has been a problem. It is a dangerous practice when people “adopt” another into their “group” because that other “appears to be like” the group. Because, truth will out. Eventually that person that only “appears to be like” the group will show their true… color. Sorry.
This time in history is about reclaiming our humanity from all the different places we have abdicated it to. It is time to unite as proud humans and support one another in that. I applaud these artists – all of them in all of these videos – for going the distance to show what it means to be human and for the beginning waves of acceptance that these videos seem to be hinting at.
While many white folks did lose their mind because, apparently, Bruno and Beyoncé being… *gasp* … black came as a surprise to them and they were offended on several different levels, what it boils down to is this… she’s black, he’s black, and it really shouldn’t matter what color their skin is, but it does because it has for too many generations and the “white people” of generations past – and those who are still holding onto the mindset of white supremacy – are the ones who created this in the first place.
It is a sad day when one gets to look at the real effect of their actions. This outcry of #BlackLivesMatter is the culmination of centuries of subjugation and abuse. When the abused have had enough, they stand up, they speak out, and often they fight back. We are seeing it everywhere and it is what is needed to bring this planet into alignment. In my world, #AllLivesMatter and I appreciate that each and every “group” of people who have been abused for far too long now have a right to stand up and say, “I am ______ (fill in the blank) and I MATTER!”
