Beyoncé outrage shows misunderstanding

My mom told me she felt Beyoncé’s Super Bowl halftime performance was unnecessary, but for me and much of the black community, it was just what we needed.

As a devoted Beyoncé fan, I had to hear her out. She was confused about why the Super Bowl was the right stage for Beyoncé’s message of empowerment and how Beyoncé could have the audacity to condemn the police protecting her.

The fact that my mom is white and grew up in Germany for most of her life probably has something to do with it. Watching the show didn’t quite resonate with her like it did for me, who grew up black in the United States.

The police never targeted my mother for the way she looked. She never had a group of girls hold hands and cling to the other side of the sidewalk at the sight of her simply walking with her friends. She never felt the experiences that make Beyoncé’s positive message accessible.

Beyoncé was singing for black people who could identify with such experiences — who have experienced far worse.

A major figure in the music industry had just dominated one of the most anticipated and watched events in the country — and she spent it advocating for black lives.

Through the performance of her new single “Formation,” Beyoncé not only reiterated the fact that black lives matter — she made it clear that she is proud to be black. Many people still see black people as stereotypes rather than human beings.

To cope with this, the black community has been embracing their culture and empowering each other just as Beyoncé did through her song and performance.

I smiled throughout the entire performance not only because I was witnessing the televised magic of Beyoncé but because here was a black woman surrounded by Black Panther dancers, and she was telling me it is amazing to be black. As individuals battle against the stigmas and low expectations surrounding black lives, we were reminded that we are strong and we will persevere.

Beyoncé and her lyrics helped me feel a moment full of pure strength and pride in a society where I’m pushed to ignore part of who I am. What I heard through that song was even though some people will judge me based on how I look before noticing how I act, I am capable and strong enough to overcome.

Not everyone heard the same message, though.

The misplaced hostility toward Beyoncé’s performance spread enough to invoke online protest against her. Shortly after her performance, a listing on Event Brite appeared with the hashtags #BlueLivesMatter, #BoycottBeyoncé and #AllLivesMatter, rallying, “Let’s tell the NFL we don’t want hate speech & racism at the Superbowl ever again!”

The outraged corner of the Internet organized a protest scheduled for Feb. 16, at the NFL headquarters in New York City. Police officers gathered in preparation for any rowdy behavior, but they weren’t needed — only two people showed up. The “protest” ended up riling more support within Beyoncé’s fan base, the Beyhive, than among the opposition.

Sharing a too-popular opinion, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani stated on Fox News that “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.”

But the people who only see the performance in a negative light must have misunderstood the message.

Beyoncé told ET News, “I want people to feel proud and have love for themselves.” She added that “Formation” was meant to “have a positive impact on her fans’ lives.”

If a person watched the performance with the intent of only hearing the song and not listening to the true message behind it, then of course they wouldn’t fully get it.

The National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jonathan Thompson told The Washington Post that “art is one thing, but yelling fire in a crowded theater is an entirely different one.” It appears that he was implying that Beyoncé was promoting violent acts against police officers. But there is no mention of the police force in her song.

A local police union in Miami was offended enough to call for a boycott of Beyoncé’s first world tour performance, which will be at Marlin Park on April 27. Javier Ortiz, the president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, said in a press release that “her anti-police message shows how she does not support law enforcement.”

Based solely off of her halftime performance, it appears that her backup dancers’ costumes is what roused discomfort among many police officers. This is most likely due to past conflicts between the Black Panther organization and the police force throughout the ’60s and ’70s.

The president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association of New Jersey, Christopher Burgos, wrote in a letter to an NFL commissioner, “It cannot be denied that the Black Panthers have assassinated officers and troopers who were upholding the constitution and rule of law.”

The Black Panthers’ primary purpose was to uplift and support the black community as it rose up against the racial inequality facing their neighborhoods.

Burgos mentioned JoAnne Chesimard, a Black Panther who killed state trooper Werner Foerster in 1973, as an example of violence promotion. Yes, the actions of some members are condemnable, but the organization’s guiding principle was always empowerment.

Officers across the nation are distraught about Beyoncé’s supposed anti-police sentiments, but have these officers questioned why this explanation could even be a possibility? Have they questioned why people would celebrate as they saw dancers and Beyoncé form an X in memory of Macolm X?

Beyoncé was not anti-police — she was anti-police brutality. Beyoncé was not advocating for an extreme, radical agenda to overthrow every other community. She was promoting self-love to the black community. She was embracing an important aspect of black history within the month. As one of the most successful black people in pop culture history, her platform matters.

With nearly every political message, there will be people who disagree. But it seems unreasonable for individuals to disagree with something they don’t understand — especially if there’s been little to no effort to try to understand the rationale of the other side’s actions and opinions.

It’s understandable that police officers would be offended at first glance of Beyoncé’s performance, but they need to understand it’s not about them. Their responses make it seem like the show was firing shots directly at them when, in reality, it was meant to show support for black lives.

If the focus could shift from a nonexistent anti-police tone toward the preservation of black lives, Beyoncé’s message would be loud and clear. People should spend their energy addressing the problems that make these displays of solidarity necessary instead of condemning them.

Beyoncé reminded people that the fight for equality is in their hands. People who understand that will know why Beyoncé’s stellar performance was necessary for everyone. The black community needed to see this sign of empowerment.

Those who understand will know it’s time to get into “Formation.”

Write to Natasha at nat38@pitt.edu