Opinion: Leave Beyoncé alone

Written By Matt Stephens

Following Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, everyone seems to want to take aim at Beyoncé and her backup dancers. Many individualsharp on Beyoncé’s backup dancers’ hairstyles, a hairstyle very similar to that of the former Black Panthers.It’s time to leave her and her crew alone. The point of her performance was to spur dialogue about racial injustice in the United States. Police have shot innocent black Americans who were unarmed and did not present a danger to officers. Whether people want to see the conflict in America or hide in the shadows, it is occurring.Sure the Black Panther movement was violent at times. Nobody denies that it was. However, there is no need to compare the Black Panthers to the Klu Klux Klan. Fox Business had a guest this week pose the question, saying, "would that be acceptable if a band, a white band came out in hoods and white sheets?"

Comparing a group like the Black Panthers to the KKK is not fair. People need to realize that there is an underlying reason why the black community is getting behind voicing their concerns to the American people. We live in a society where racial injustice exists, and part of that society is fuming. As Americans, people should read between the lines. Beyoncé and her dancers weren’t trying to come off as racist, nor were they. There is no reason to compare the group to the KKK. The group was trying to bring awareness of an issue that seems to be ignored by many of our time. We now live in a time where people can showcase gay pride at the Super Bowl.

However, when individuals want to cast a spotlight on a booming issue in America, people make silly assumptions. Beyoncé is a woman that deserves our utmost respect. She does so much for people. For example, Beyoncé announced her new fund yesterday for helping individuals in Flint, Michigan who do not have clean water. While trolls rage war on a woman of her time, she is too busy helping individuals tackle real issues that are hurting real people.  People fear discussion. People are so consumed by their privilege that they seldom realize other individuals in this country live in fear for their lives. I, personally, am a white man. If I am approached by an officer of law enforcement, my interaction will likely be quite different than a black man in a rough neighborhood. Sadly, stereotypes are alive and well. People make assumptions and have predispositions without thinking about someone as just a human first.  So I pose this question: why can’t people “believe in love?” As humans, it should be sad to see people are trolling people and starting a culture war. People of the black community just want a dialogue to lead to criminal justice reform. People of the black community want justice. Trolls, do not wage war on something as simple as an artist trying convey a purpose. Beyoncé is too busy paying attention to reality, while everyone else is losing track of gravity.

Matt Stephens
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