Apart from demonstrating a level of aerobic fitness that left me slightly breathless just watching, the above performance didn’t seem particularly controversial to me, but then I’m not a professional offense-taker. The Guardian reports:
The NFL has been accused of various misdemeanours down the years, from ignoring head trauma to failing to control its players’ off the field activities. Now we can add another problem to the list: allowing hate speech to be disseminated during the Super Bowl via the medium of song and dance.
That, at least, is the view of a group behind an “Anti-Beyoncé Protest Rally”, which is due to take place on 16 February outside NFL headquarters in New York. “Do you agree that it was a slap in the face to law enforcement? Do you agree that the Black Panthers was/is a hate group which should not be glorified?” reads the group’s posting on Event Brite. “Come and let’s stand together. Let’s tell the NFL we don’t want hate speech & racism at the Superbowl ever again!” The group did not respond to the Guardian’s request for more information…
Beyoncés dancers in black berets at #SB50 paying homage to the Black Panthers 50 years after their #formation in '66 pic.twitter.com/YXpzBkkm6s
— The Dream Defenders (@Dreamdefenders) February 8, 2016
… The proposed rally is not the only dissent that has risen after Beyoncé’s performance. On Monday the former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani appeared to be particularly incensed by the reference to Black Lives Matter and described the performance as an attack on the police. “I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive,” he told Fox News. “And what we should be doing in the African American community, and all communities, is build up respect for police officers.”
Giuliani also believed the Super Bowl was the wrong platform for Beyoncé. “This is a political position and she’s probably going to take advantage of it,” Giuliani said. “You’re talking to middle America when you have the Super Bowl. So if you’re going to have entertainment, let’s have decent, wholesome entertainment. And not use it as a platform to attack the people who put their lives at risk just to save us.”…
By my lights, that is the most obscene Superbowl-related spotlight-grab since Nipplegate, and every bit as planned to gin up the rubes. Rudy’s repositioning his brand for the general election pundit circuit, no doubt.
(Warning: Extremely NSFW lyrics)
For us Olds, Vulture has kindly posted “The Complete Guide to Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’” — as a starter…
seaboogie
Dog bless the money-grubbing NFL charitable foundation that charms cities into building them great edifices and incur long-term debt and defunct faciltities – the link-y do not work, because NFL.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
I saw the halftime show, and I have absolutely no idea what these people are so pissed off about. What specifically did she do that was so horrible? Other than being publicly black, I mean.
seaboogie
But the Youtube one works. FYWP tells me that I do not have permission to edit my comment. Okay….
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: Fox News needs to feed the outrage machine even if it means inventing shit.
Like drug addicts, their viewers need a daily fix to distract.
mclaren
Law enforcement in America needs to be slapped in the face, kicked in the groin, beaten with a baseball bat, and tased and pepper-sprayed into insensibility.
More of Beyonce’s type of criticism, please.
opiejeanne
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: She said Negro a couple of times. That might be it.
opiejeanne
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Speaking of the Outrage Machine, Reince Priebus made the claim tonight on Twitter that Hillary is under investigation by the FBI. I said she wasn’t, got hit with a flock of blustery twitters that she most certainly was, a link to an MSNBC article, and one tweet that I think was supposed to be an insult, that grandmothers all stick together.
I was too busy to deal with them at the time, but just went back and all of their tweets have magically disappeared.
The only thing I can find is this little gem, in which a Fox News person made a false claim to that effect and was caught: http://mediamatters.org/video/2016/02/10/fox-host-falsely-claims-the-fbi-confirmed-it-is/208501
Have you heard anything else about this?
Redshift
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: They didn’t know they were supposed to be pissed off when they saw it either. It wasn’t until Fox explained to them that there was some Black Lives Matter type stuff in there that they were outraged, because they’d already learned that Black Lives Matter is code for “kill all cops.”
Makes perfect sense, as long as you’re a wingnut rage-a-holic.
NotMax
Says the man who put his mistress’ accoutrements on the city payroll and moved in with her while still in office.
Pot. Kettle. Black.
Yutsano
@NotMax:
What has been accomplished has been witnessed.
The NFL had to greenlight this performance since it had to be rehearsed, sound checked, timed, and vetted by the top brass. Methinks someone in the front office knew exactly what they were doing here.
NotMax
@srv
Or the Cole signal.
:)
Major Major Major Major
By Grabthar’s Hammer, Christ, what an asshole
opiejeanne
@Redshift: There was also outrage that the words “Love Is Love” appeared in the flashcards, as well as possibly gay-colored cards, whatever gay color is. It wasn’t exactly a rainbow.
Major Major Major Major
@opiejeanne: all colors are gay. Even Homer thought the sea was red.
NotMax
@opejeanne
Pastels, one guesses.
NotMax
@Major Major Major Major
Then he sobered up and exclaimed whatever the ancient Greek was for “D’oh!”
;)
Major Major Major Major
@NotMax: They actually didn’t just have a word for blue :)
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
@opiejeanne: on Monday a prior statement the FBI had issued was leaked on election eve to mess with Clinton as they knew the press would distorted it (even the liberal MSNBC).
The actual statement released by the FBI was innocuous.
So no, the FBI has never said they’re investigating Hillary. At best they’re investigating if any classified documents were intentionally mishandled by employees of the state department.
But the RNC will issue false reports like tonight in hopes of generating a distraction from the debate.
Major Major Major Major
Probably my second-favorite song, BTW. It’s about losing your hero, represented as wrestling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKVY5_FB2i0
Major Major Major Major
And who could forget Godwhacker by Steely Dan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-F3n_G_0O0
opiejeanne
@NotMax: Kind of. Turquoise and pink and yellow and red, and purple? Blue? I don’t know, it reminded me of a really wild Easter egg. I was just impressed that they got the crowd to do the cards.
opiejeanne
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Thank you. I didn’t put the release date together with the primary in NH. Good old Reince Tweeted that at one of my Leftie friends, right after the debate. Broke into a conversation to do so.
Then he must have erased his tweet because the entire flock disappeared into the ether, which made me laugh.
Calouste
With a sport where ex-players commit suicide because they can no longer live with their injuries. Decent, wholesome.
Origuy
A different kind of dance, with very different costumes. Pizzicati from Sylvia by Leo Delibes, done in tartan.
SRW1
If you want to make it exotic, we could have a yodeling competition!
BillinGlendaleCA
@opiejeanne: THIS is why I’ve never used Twitter and will NEVER use Twitter. Reading this and the past few thread here make me feel that was/is a wise decision.
Viva BrisVegas
@Major Major Major Major: The wine dark sea.
It’s more likely that Homer was referring to the depth of colour in the sea being like the depth of colour in wine, rather than the colour itself.
From Wikipedia:
‘Ancient Greek had γλαυκός (glaukos) “clear light blue”, contrasting with χλωρός (chloros) “bright green” (cf. Words such as chlorophyll). κυανός (which turned into “cyan” in English) meant either a “dark blue substance” or just “blue”.’
I’m going for the Pedant of the Week award. It’s a stiff competition.
Oatler.
@Origuy: Boooo, I kept waiting for scissoring
sm*t cl*de
@mclaren:
I am disappointed by the absence of “kicked in the head”.
These boot-licking authority-worshipping sh1tweasels, where do they all come from?
Another Holocene Human
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: Still pissed about FEMINIST I think. There’s a NOPD car in “Formation” (which references Katrina a lot) so something something argle bargle it’s an attack on police. Uh huh. (There is a reference to Ferguson in there too but you know what cop humpers? Gofuckyerselfs.)
Another Holocene Human
@sm*t cl*de: They were spanked as children AND THEY CAME OUT JUST FINE! I’M FINE, DAMMIT!
JBL72
I agree with everything you’re saying here, but it’s probably worth noting that the video you posted above (which can’t even be viewed outside of YouTube itself) wasn’t Beyonce’s halftime performance. Or more precisely, it wasn’t Beyonce’s halftime performance from this past weekend’s Super Bowl 50, the one which is giving Rudy the vapors and making racist wingnuts rage against the great bastion of progressivism more commonly known as the NFL.
It was a Beyonce Super Bowl halftime performance – the one that took place at Super Bowl XLVIII two years ago at the Superdome in New Orleans.
OzarkHillbilly
@Viva BrisVegas: Thank you. That was edifying. Not that I will remember any of it in a few hours, but thank you anyway.
Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA:
Well, I was unhappy because I thought all three acts sucked and the thousand kids they shipped in to stand around the stage and scream as if they were excited got on my nerves. But that might be because I am old. I didn’t see anything to upset my white sensibilities but I think the folks leading the charge on the Beyonce thing see that as a feature, “You didn’t get all the coded messages? Trust me it was all racist against white people and anti-police”
raven
@Schlemazel (parmesan rancor): I hate the phony “crowds” they have for that shit. I guess Katy did it but it didn’t seem that way.
BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: Sort of like a “studio audience”.
Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)
@raven:
My guess is the actual crowd is up getting beer, taking a leak or passed out drunk/bored and not paying attention. I feel bad for the kids they ship in because you know they are kept out of the stadium until their big moment so they don;t get to see the game (not that that is all that bad most years) when they could be at a party. I assume they get paid but knowing the NFL it is $50 and includes 2 days of practice as well as the whole Sunday of the game.
Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)
I am also confused about how Fox & Fiends pick the thing to be outraged about. The nipple was sort of obvious, they really had to stretch for this years. How is it there was never a peep about Princes “deformed penis guitar shadow deal a few back?
raven
@Schlemazel (parmesan rancor): There are tons of people who work the games. Some get paid and some don’t. I assume when college and hs marching bands pay they do it for the fun of it.
BillinGlendaleCA
PBO is in town today.
raven
We went to a local production of “The Graduate” last night and it was really good. A couple of local musicians who specialize in 60’s tribute bands played S&G and it really added to the show. The bonus ws that the ebsite listed it as “8 to 11pm” and it was over at 9:30!!!!
raven
Mika is reporting that one of the actresses in the Cruz “group therapy” session is a soft core porn actress. Apparently the ad was pulled but Mika sees it as “salvation’ for the actress.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/269203-cruz-takes-down-campaign-ad-featuring-softcore-porn-actress
BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: Hmmm, wonder if it’s anyone I know. Heh.
Amir Khalid
@raven:
She wasn’t there to do porn. Her performance was entirely appropriate. I don’t understand the justification for junking the ad.
Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)
@raven:
Absolutely, I get that. A guy at work actually does the RF control work at NFL and NCAA games in Minneapolis and he gets a few hundred bucks (he isn’t exact & it isn’t my business) he also get MLB All-star & WS games along with NBA events. They pay him enough that he takes unpaid time off to do them. I just don’t see the attraction for the kids. It can’t be the money or the chance to be on TV for 3 seconds screaming like a maniac while Bruno Mars is 15 feet away doing his New Kids on the Block impression.
Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)
@Amir Khalid:
When you portray yourself as Gods own face here on earth I guess you need to be cleaner than clean . . . or at least pretend you are.
Kay
It doesn’t matter- they want it and they got this far so they’ll just jump thru whatever procedural hoops they have to and wait until the next President and the next cycle- but it’s amusing that none of these people want to run on the trade deal they were all telling us was so fabulous.
NotMax
@Amir Khalid
Ingrained Puritanism, guilt (shame) by association, presumption that $$ from bluenoses/Bible thumpers will dry up, etc., etc.
Betty Cracker
@Schlemazel (parmesan rancor): Same here. I half-assed watched it while replenishing drinks and snack trays, etc., and noticed nothing untoward except that, as usual, the half-time show seemed to have a strange power of making even talented people seem dull, over-hyped and scripted. Who knew it was the opening salvo in the War on Whitey!
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
They’re just p.o.’d that the tradition for women of color begun by Janet Jackson was tossed aside.
Tradition!
:)
Frank McCormick
@Major Major Major Major: Wasn’t Homer blind? (Note to pedants: that’s a joke, son!)
Iowa Old Lady
I didn’t watch the game but my husband wandered into my office at halftime and when I asked him about the halftime show, he laughed and said it was people doing gross things that he didn’t appreciate but young people probably did. That seems the right attitude to me. He knew he wasn’t the right audience and it didn’t bother him since he doesn’t think everything has to be for him.
beth
The best response I’ve heard to Rudy’s fauxrage was from Jessica Williams on the Daily Show – “you know what else is in middle America? Ferguson, Missouri”.
JenJen
@JBL72: For those interested, you can still watch the Bruno Mars/Beyonce portion of the Super Bowl 50 halftime show here: https://youtu.be/L_Hgh7sPDLM
I was at a pretty raging party and everyone absolutely loved the show and Beyonce’s amazing new song (which had only been released the night before) and most of us thought the costumes were more of a Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation homage, but the very next morning the Outrage Class was all over social media trying to shame people into hating it. What it all comes down to is that Beyonce made a pretty benign political statement which pissed off a handful of people who think she should just shuck and jive for their entertainment and stop trying to be an artist.
This entire Super Bowl nontroversy is just embarrassing. I mean, there is a freaking dance off at the end, people!! The right is just constantly, ceaselessly pissed off these days.
The Pale Scot
@Amir Khalid:
Only GOP congressman are allowed “Youthful indiscretions”
Everyone else who have ever alluded to sexytimes should burn….
BURN I TELL YOU!!
The Pale Scot
@Schlemazel (parmesan rancor):
They’re all from agencies, maybe they’ll meet a casting director or someone.
That the con, anyway
laura
That young lady had a hell of a lot of nerve, daring to be all strong and beautiful and unmistakably black powering up white America’s highest of holy days. Will no one pity poor Rudy Giuliani, America’s arbiter of all things wholesome, right and obedient?
Also, an acquaintance worked a vip bar at the super bowl where beers and cocktails were $15 a pop. Tips? Nope. It cost her more for gas bridge toll and parking than she earned. I got a bar towel with the Panthers logo as they gave her a box of towels with both teams. So whoopie!
PIGL
@Amir Khalid: Republicans believe in sympathetic magic.
Steve from Antioch
The tragedy of scores if not hundreds of people condemned to an an early grave is a misdemeanor?
I think not.
CONGRATULATIONS!
I am at least smart enough to understand when I’m too old to be in the target audience for televised entertainment.
Guilani, who’s got at least thirty years on me, still doesn’t get it. So sad. He is quite pathetic and people who care that his opinion on anything matters are even more so.
Miss Bianca
@Viva BrisVegas:
As opposed to “Pendant of the Week”. Competition for that one tends to vacillate.
Paul in KY
@Redshift: I thought it was code for ‘kill whitey’. Well, as a non-cop, I feel relieved.
Doug R
@Yutsano: That Beyonce would walk up the stairs then sign together with the white guy and the guy born in Hawaii? Kind of a mini-America?
Doug R
@Kay: So they’re against TPP now? They must have read the labor protection provisions.So why are lefties supposed to hate TPP again?
Plantsmantx
You’d think Rudy Giuliani would be grateful that even conservatives seem to accept his transvestism- grateful to the point where he refrains from making judgments on the “wholesomeness” of a pop song.