This video is about Beyonce... and y’all | Khadija Mbowe
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 22 май 2024
- Learn more about the Big Lie Bill 👉 bigliebill.org
Learn more about Courage for America 👉 courageforamerica.org/
Titles and thumbnails are click-baity because most folks won't click or engage otherwise, which means RUclips won't recommend it.
THE ROAD TO 1000 PATRONS!!
*Patreon*
/ khadijambowe
0:00 Play
2:21 BEYONCE????
4:23 beyonce's image
8:07 going solo
12:36 bey's politics
22:40 bey and us
31:18 y'all...
36:40 Bloopers + Patrons
********Khadija’s Socials************
Instagram Twitter Tiktok
@khadija.mbowe
*MERCH*
letsflawnt.com/
/ letsflawnt
*Patreon*
/ khadijambowe
*Podcast*
theleftovermillennials.buzzsp...
Marigold Music Program:
/ marigoldmusicprogram
References
Research and fact-checking- Reina Cowan
Attiah, K. (2023, December 8). Opinion | Let’s stop pretending Beyoncé stands for liberation - The Washington Post. Washington Post; The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...
Fox, L. R. D. (2013, April 26). Why Is It A Problem If Beyonce Wants To Control Her Image? MadameNoire. madamenoire.com/274195/pictur...
Francis, M. K. (2013, March 25). Who Is Beyonce Knowles and Why Should We Care? | The Philly Post. Philadelphia Magazine; Philadelphia Magazine. www.phillymag.com/news/2013/0...
Gay, R. (2014, May 12). Beyoncé’s control of her own image belies the bell hooks “slave” critique | Roxane Gay | The Guardian. The Guardian; The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/commentis...
Irakoze, J. (2020, August 1). Why We Must Be Careful When Watching Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King’ | Essence. Essence; Essence. www.essence.com/entertainment...
Mokoena, T. (2015, August 20). Beyoncé’s Vogue cover shows just how her image control works | Beyoncé | The Guardian. The Guardian; The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/music/201...
Nsofor, I., & Ngumbi, E. (2020, August 7). Opinion: We Are Africans. Here’s Our View Of Beyoncé’s “Black Is King.” NPR; NPR. www.npr.org/sections/goatsand...
www.marigoldmusicprogram.com/
Marigold Music Program’s Instagram: instagram.com/marigoldmusicprogram?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA=
Summer Music Intensive inspires young musicians to explore the passion for artistry/music through 8 days of personalized/curated 1-on-1 lessons, educational group classes, & performance opportunities!
You are a start, thanks Sharon 🩵
Who really wants to be like Bill Gates anyway? Didn't he hang out with Epstein? I'll settle for being anyone with a decent healthcare plan, low debt, reasonable rent and the ability to take regular vacations. Beyonce, write that song, plz, lol😉
Hijacking this thread to say that you can’t inherit debt in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and many more countries. Just wanted to clarify because inherited debt was mentioned in the video, and debt collectors often play on this misconception to collect on debts you’re not legally required to pay
@@KhadijaMbowe you talking about Beyonce like that is so unfair. You can't do this to your own sister. Before you judge, you need to stop and try to understand. This video is VERY upsetting.
I no longer expect anything more from celebrities beyond what the first line of their Wikipedia article calls them 😂 So for Beyonce, that's just "singer, songwriter and businesswoman". Projecting our ideals onto public figures (ESPECIALLY billionaires) is a surefire way to set ourselves up for disappointment
😂😂
😂😂😂 this might be the way forward
*That's Right.*
*Smart Move;*
*_Nowadays, The Parasociality Be Real AF._* 😖😮💨
The hottest and healthiest take.
💯
I feel the voices getting louder against the rich and I think that is a good thing
Yes GET LOUDER 😈
Sorry but you have no idea who "the rich" are. sure, Beyonce has a lot of money, but that shit is just not on the same level as any Billionaire. Get educated!
@@ducklast_name4175 oh yeah it's just a scratch of the surface I agree. I mean, for example people don't know the names of the "oil barons" of today. Or don't know that mainstream media is owned by the rich and therefore can be manipulated to serve their interests (but I am in France so I don't know much of the US and other countries, but I assume that it's practically the same)
@@ducklast_name4175 If you have enough money where the average person's yearly income is your version of pocket lint, you're rich. And Beyonce is definitely that.
I think you mean the *wealthy*, which is the kind of rich where you have so much money and connections that wealth and power just find their way to you no matter what you do. Essentially, a level of rich where your money just replicates forever with no effort.
@@ducklast_name4175 I kinda get what you're saying but telling someone to "get educated" is passive aggressive and isn't necessary. You can make your point without being rude we left that in 5th grade.
If you posture yourself as an activist and use resistance symbols in your music to make money you shouldn't shy away when the hypothetical battles you fight in your music become real.
She didn't use resistance symbols to make money lmfao she actually was boycotted because of it and slandered all over social media and she doesnt position herself as an acitivst she talks about things that affect and her family aswell as donating to several causes. She's literally never been one to speak out all over social media regardless so what did you expect.
@@user-ny8td3on3mbro she literally dressed up as a Black Panther during the height of the BLM era in 2016 (not the 2020 re-up). She also came out with Renaissance (& dedicated it to the LGBTQ+ community) during a time when politically the LGBTQ+ community is getting a lot of attacks. She always speaks loudly during heightened political times . So her silence on Palestine, the Congo & Sudan is VERRRRY loud. Letting israelis skew Break My Soul to feul their enactment of genocide is also a very very loud statement.
@@syd1982exactlyy
Taylor Swift can make a single post and get 30k people register to vote. Whether celebrities genuinely care about issues or not, they have the power to bring MASSIVE attention to movements. They have the power to motivate millions of "non-political" people to take a second look (or a first look) at a cause. And when small platforms are being suppressed and shadow banned, or outright banned for speaking against atrocities, I fully understand why some folks want their faux-activist celebrity favs to help shine light.
I don't care about Beyonce or Taylor. Nor am I under the impression that they have the power to change governments. But they have the unwaivering attention of millions of people. Celebrities of that magnitude having the courage or conviction to speak up for P people would be a catalyst for millions who were afraid to speak up, afraid to protest, afraid to risk their 9-5s. So, yeah, I don't expect celebrities to be activists or even ethical people, but I get why folks who like them are disappointed.
Which makes them even more dangerous. Because the real artists that cared about human liberation and speaking against the oppression that has been part of our system for thr last 4k years get taken out. And then, there are the ones who are willing to work with the oppressors to continue the oppression for the rest of us while pretending to be for us. Worst- they capitalising on pretending to be for us by using it as esthetics to get likes, and while influencing the general public to keep walking into their demise.
they're double edged swords then, aren't they?
perhaps you can employ their voice for something positive, like registering voters... now they have political capital.
what happens when their take isn't so good?
good idea to put some real consideration into allying with folk who have power and an unproven ethical track record.
Yep this is my feeling on it and my main disagreement with the video. Or maybe not disagreement but difference of emphasis. Celebrities opinions aren't more important than mine and they're not the wealthiest of the wealthy but they can use their clout and cache for good or evil. And neutral during a genocide.....well, it ain't good.
Thank you, I could not help but think acknowledging what celebrity clout CAN do was missing from this video. Ultimately I agree with Khadija that it's better to focus on what you can personally achieve, but especially considering her story about the word "feminism" it feels weird to not acknowledge this soft power mega celebrities have.
But that is not their job. They are entertainment not politicians.
Moreover this is really dangerous, because the fans follow them blindly, e.g. Taylor Swift fans and Elon Musk fanboys
I think it wouldn't be so upsetting to people (me included) if Beyonce (and TS to an extent) hadnt based sooo much of their recent artworks and media on activism and being "for the people." Its one thing to not ever say anything political in your music/art and never say anything political irl. Its a whoooooolllle ither monster to virtue signal activism and feminism and justice in your music or art, and be completely silent irl about real world atrocities if it will possibly affect your bottom line. Thats why people are upset. I normally don't give a shit what celebrities say, but if they base their entire brand and aesthetic around social justice and equality, then they better fucking put their money where their mouth is. But again, just my opinion.
Maybe that’s all she is capable of contributing. People always like to say she doesn’t speak well.
@@rerebrook5057 I mean, I understand what you're saying and I get it. But these 2 women specifically are billionaires with huge pr teams. They very very easily could have someone prepare a statement for them to say, or even just write "free Palestine" on an insta story and have a HUGE impact. At this point, with them basing so much of their brand on activism and speaking up for what's right, I personally think they need to stand behind it or face constructive criticism
But even then when they include activism in their music, it was still performative. It’s was never genuine 😭
@@shelby9510do y’all not consider her music AS activism?? Like, her music IS her activism. That’s how she spreads her message. And she’s allowed to release songs about her experiences as a black woman.
@@no-rq8dh not if she is only an activist when she can monetize it, but not irl
The expectation is definitely because she has associated herself with politics, I mean she very publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016. She's very vocal about racism and feminism and has walked the walk regarding both, respectfully. If her film wasn't being played in an apartheid state, the criticism and expectation would have been a lot less harsh. I mean, no one is expecting a statement from Zac Efron because he has never associated himself with anything other than the industry he is in. When you associate yourself with political liberation - you've already set the bar high for yourself. Put up or shut up, simple as that.
Sorry, but Beyonce father already said that in the 80s the beauty salon her mother had used to make 1.1 - 1.2 million dollars profit per year. 1.1 million dollars per year in the 80s - early 90s, with a salon alone. He used to have a high-paying job too. Have you ever saw the house Beyonce used to live in? A mansion in the richest area of Houston Texas. The schools she used to go? They used to have two maids at home... Beyonce was lowkey rich.
They were rich but wanted to make a story that Americans loveee to hear honestly most of that stuff is exaggerated and used to gaslit the public to thing “anyone can do it bc Beyoncé was like u” when that’s never true at all
Right!! She grew up privileged more so than other black Americans. So did Kelly.
Wowwww i didnt know this. I thought they were middle class
Matthew lies. Tina did an interview when she was still overweight in the late 90s and she cried at some point because she said they were struggling to pay the bills . They were middle class normal
i’m definitely beyhive down and a stan of that disco horse lady’s music but that doesn’t mean she can’t be critiqued! recently been feeling very disillusioned by A LOT of things due to the growing restlessness of the political climate and this one particular topic has been on my mind as of late. thank you for being fair as always. i love listening to the way you present topics, whatever the subject matter! keep being great khadija!!!
Not the disco horse lady lol
'Disco horse lady' is so wild and so accurate 😂
I’m screaming 😂😂😂 Disco horse lady has me so done!
i think we are foolish to expect anything from a billionaire, but she specifically has the resources to make an informed stance. she has done this before with certain issues. her choosing to not comment on others IS the statement. she probably cares, but the fact that she, a global icon and inter generational legend, has been quiet? let’s call a spade a spade, that’s foul. she has made the decision to be as politically radical as her pockets can be lined.
i also have to disagree on her not being in control of how people used her song against its intended meaning. if she hadn’t put the film in their hands, that viral video would not exist.
also, none of us who have been sharing and advocating for 🍉 have any power, but still we have made efforts to contribute to change. her being a pop star does not exempt her from the human responsibility to give a damn. as her fans, we are allowed to require, at the very least, that she doesn’t put the art that is meant to make us feel empowered in the hands of people who oppress others.
Agree. I appreciated Tee Noirs take on celebs.
👏👏👏👏 you put into words my exact thoughts!
you ate this up
@@purplespray3768 I WAS GOONA SAY Tee's vid is a creat complimentary video and also a good counterpoint to Khadija's vid here. I wonder if Khadija's seen it.
what is 🍉? this isn't TikTok...can you use the real word?
I don't think "genocide is wrong" is too much to ask from anyone though, it doesn't take an Activist to say that.
Edit: I also call my reps to demand they speak up and act right. I also encourage people in my life to do what they can. It doesn't matter to me how big or small you are, we have a human duty to one another to speak out against the greatest atrocity humans can commit. It doesn't matter if I or Taylor or Beyonce can single handedly bring about a ceasefire- the principle is we all have the duty to speak up, because the silence and complicity only raises the death toll.
RIGHT! That not being delusional about the power of celebrity. If you still want to support beyonce that’s fine but don’t look down on ppl who expect more!
I agree, but isn't it more important for world leaders and people who can make political changes to say that? Is it really that important that someone who might not know ANYTHING on the subject matter to raise their opinion than people who actually know their shit? I get that celebrities have ahuge following and can therefore make an impact, but that also means they have a huge platform to also spread misinformation and performed activism, and we've seen both of these things recently on social media. I think it's worrisome that we demand people who might know nothing about the case to speak up, rather than to listen to people who actually know what they're talking about.
The problem is people don't see it as genocide so Beyoncé saying genocide is wrong doesn't matter because if the people hearing the message don't think what's happening is genocide then what do you actually think Beyoncé saying that is going to do? what effect do you think that will have? The thing I find the most interesting about people wanting Beyoncé to say something is this conflict started in the 1940s. because the British colonizers gave the Zionists Palestine. Everyone though, is acting like this is new for some reason. It has been very freaking obvious that Israelis were committing genocide and getting rid of Palestinian people. throughout these years governments were aware of this including the United States government and yet they were still funding them. so why would Beyoncé saying that change anything? It probably be better for her to say she was anti-Israel or say that Israel should give Palestinians back their land and leave but that would be too real for most people I guess. she'd also probably lose her job lol. I wonder if most people who are mad that the movie played in Israel would agree that Israel should not be a country. i think most people want some weird fake peace between Palestine and Israel which makes zero sense. Israel doesn't want that and they are zionists. their entire point in existence is to get rid of them so that they can have their "god given" land since they're the chosen ones or whatever.
@@MrBeetlejuice16 I think it would be better for actual activists to say it. World leaders clearly are benefiting from Zionism hence why they're not saying anything.
But they need the have the depth to understand or explain to their followers why it’s wrong without giving incorrect information.
Beyoncé portrays as a activist, Taylor Swift portrays a activist, Selena Gomez portrays an activist so yes people expect them to speak on it
Portrays maybe being the key word here.
@@allydeviantI can only speak on Selena who is part of unicef and has said that she wants to be a philanthropist. Her actions on 🍉 tells me those were just words to make herself sound nice. She has in the past done work for unicef but 8,000 kids being slaughtered and staying silent was her choice and I can’t look past that
@@anavazquez6218 she's too busy taking a break from the internet because some teen called her boyfriend ugly 🥶
when has Beyoncé ever portrayed herself to be an activist?
No they speak on what they want and what they choose y’all think they NEED to speak on everything YOU want them to, it’s weird u don’t own them
To be honest this was a watered down version of an actual analysis of Beyoncé… but it seems like a huge step for someone who loves her to think objectively on her.
Yeah I agree, they definitely could've went in way more than they did but you know, the Beehive is a mess and I know they don't wanna deal with that foolishness.
@sp.2778 you want to go in way more over a woman who is literally just living her life? And I'm sure you are dry hating because she's put all of her content behind a pay wall and you can't afford her no more 😂😂😂😂😂. I can sense salty and broke all the way from my here 😂😂😂😂😂
35:42
Sorry but this is just reminding me of the fool on twitter who wrote a thread using the "systemic problems aren't the fault of individuals" spiel to defend _Taylor Swift's private jet emissions._ Like I know you know that's bullshit! I know that you know that's not how that works lol!
Maybe it would be easier for people to handle truly ruthless critiques of their faves if people weren't so desperate for reassurance that their media consumption is "unproblematic," but that's a topic for another day.
Honestly might be time for a Bojack Horseman rewatch bc for me few other pieces of media provide a better meditation on what accountability is, what it means to hold powerful people (especially celebs) accountable.
She doesn’t have to be the most well-read, well spoken revolutionary but she could atleast have some more integrity in some of her choices. Choosing to show a film in a state that people are ACTIVELY in opposition with? The narrative is “she focuses on every detail, she’s so in control” but can decide where the film shows? Which one is it?
Agreed, the thing is Beyoncé controls every single thing and details when she's actually the only one in control. What you and most people are using to claim that she supports or is neutral about the genocide is basically complaining that her music is available on RUclips, and Israelis can listen to it, too. In the case of youtube or Spotify, and other streaming platforms, she could remove her music right now if she wanted to because she's her own boss ( it's her own label company, she manages herself, owns her music etc..) She's the only party involved. When it comes to the movie, she would have had to deal with 2 different distribution companies because she didn't do her thing on her own this once.
Even if she did want to do something about the movie, she would have had to deal with both AMC and Trafalgar, and they would have to deal with Israel.
It obviously isn't as straightforward as you all want it to be this time and you overlook this fact.
The only actual choice we know she made is that she chose AMC to take care of the film distribution worldwide and in the US some years ago.
I agree with your point, butttt… I don’t think you take into consideration just how many people actually DO get their political views or knowledge from celebrities.
“Celebrity does not equal integrity” is a bar! Appreciate you & your content 💕
💯💯💯
I understand the whole "I don't expect to get my politics from {{insert artist name}}" but the way you put it seems to imply that people like Beyonce and other artists, entertainers billionaires are able to go through the world in a completely political-neutral manner, which is naive at best. I will not "get my politics" from Beyonce, but if her actions (or inactions) support a policy I don't, that artist is gone for me. Otherwise we're saying boycotts are useless. Not taking a political stance is a political stance. Furthermore, Beyonce does have political power. Why do people call her "queen"? just for aesthetics? She can use her millions of dollars and fans to mobilize a political cause, yet she chooses not to because that would be detrimental to her wealth hoarding. This does not mean you have to dislike Beyonce, but let's stop defending her if she does not defend our values.
Thank you 👏🏽
Well said👏🏾
100% agreed! Her video sounded a bit like “separate the human from the artist” and it doesn’t sit well with me
Yes girl!!
ah so well put ;-;
I always tell people; y’all don’t know Beyoncé. We don’t know her stance on anything, nothing; because she doesn’t talk unless she’s getting paid 😂
There could be a NY times article saying Beyonce unalived her assistant or something crazy, and we wouldn’t hear a peep from Beyoncé. She’s very lowkey and that works in her favor.
And Hive would say that assistant deserved it 😭
@@soufian2733😂😂😂facts
@@soufian2733 Because they probably did.
@@Kris_K98
Something Tells Me You Are Unaware Of What It's Like Being Shadowbanned In Comment Sections.
That’s how it should be tbh. That’s why Beyoncé is my fav. She puts her product out. We buy if we want. And we keep it moving. I don’t need her to speak out on anything. If she does great. If she doesn’t that’s okay too. Because she’s an artist and not an activist.
“People confuse visibility with actual power.”
This really spoke to me. I was trying to explain to a friend why being mad at actors at awards shows for their, like, visible signs of luxury, is pretty futile and unproductive. I was like “most of those people are wearing borrowed clothes and may not work again for a year. Mille Bobbie Brown’s salary is not coming out of your paycheck as a teacher. Be mad at the execs. Be mad at politicians. But most actors are not powerful *within their own industry*, let alone outside it.”
Exactly it’s called contract and if u don’t follow it something worse is coming
I know this show won't be everybody's cup of tea, but I think this is illustrated well in The Boys tv series with Annie/Starlight. She joins The Seven, basically The Boysverse version of the Justice League hoping her position of power and status and fame will give her the ability to do a lot of advocacy and saving people and doing good, and in some ways it does, but she also finds out how much of a corporate sham the position is and how Vought sells their fanbase the illusion of them being the Justice League without committing the the Justice aspect, and how any decision she wants to make in the name of progress and inclusion and advocacy gets fought by her bosses at Vought for fear of her rocking the boat too much. Even an objectively good action like saving a woman from some gr*pists almost gets immense backlash since she was recorded and the video could be spun as her just beating up some dudes for no reason because she's just a crazy b like that I dunno. she only gets saved herself when the girl she rescued speaks up.
True. Even as a artist your still technically answering to someone higher up unless you started your own independent agency of some kind and 9/10 it takes years for things like that to hit the ground running due to the lack of promotion and help from said higher ups that one would have had if not independent.
Millie Bobbie brown bad example for this this. She’s been a main character in a highly rated show since she saw was 12, she’s not struggling.
I, too, am a fan. I’m actually a stan, let’s be honest here. But as I’ve grown older, I recognize that Beyoncé is not above critique. I’ve grown disenchanted with her hypercapitalism and have given her the side eye for decisions she’s made with her brands/branding (excluding plus size women from her Ivy Park release). But I don’t know how I feel about calling on extremely visible people to comment (mostly ignorantly, let’s be honest) on public events. I don’t know where I stand there.
I feel like celebrities who are expected to comment on current events are stuck in a space of "damned if you do, damned if you don't."
If they don't speak, they get criticized for doing so, if they do, they get criticized for talking about things they don't know about. I guess the middle ground is them explaining the research they've done on a subject before they state their opinion?
As an (ex) fan myself, went to renaissance and 3 of her other tours over the years. I was STANING all summer but this time, Im completely done. Shes not what we think she is, thats just a brand, a fantasy an image of someone who doest exists. Internally, shes a mean girl who only cares about herself and her family. Everyone else can roll and die, as long as shes making her coins, she doesnt care. Even using the esthetics of “caring” about peoples freedom and liberation and gaining more fans from that image but in reality her actions outside of the esthetic product she sells us, are clear: SHE DONT CARE about the normal person. Black, brown, white or not. Women, girls, colonisation, africa, gays: all these groups have shown immense disappointments for her actions which are related to making money off of their oppression while continuing to help in keeping them in oppression. But then again- shes married to a dangerous devil worshiper, so are we shocked?
@@annamelvina216well she shouldve thought of that before using social isssues to benefit her brand by using esthetic, arts from oppressed peoples and never paid them (ehm lots of west african nigerian artists. Go listen to what they say), her idea of being a feminist (while allowing her film to be showcased in isr.l- a nation of european colonisers who are rping and committing genocide on indigo women and girls few miles away. Her film was used during the esr propaganda and she continues to ignore the comments from everyone.) then she talks about being pro black, gay rights activists; using this aesthetic for renaissance while being completely silent on the hiv issue, refusing to acknowledge her gay uncle’s death cause; hiv and releasing the film on hiv day, while completely SILENT on this issue. The issue is: shes using all of these groups to make money and build a fake identity and brand, but when all of these groups are being oppressed shes silent; which is fine. Be silent. But NOW shes doing things THAT DIRECTLY impact their oppression. Her film directly funds genocide. THATS THE ISSUE HERE.
@@Lala-lw6pi Exactly. That's a key difference in beyonces over all branding and image that isn't following other artists. She cosplays an activist and profits off of their work and imagery but expects to not catch heat when her behavior is in direct opposition to what they stood for. She can't have it both ways and pointing that out isn't parasocial. Theres real life consequences to her behavior and anyone can call out that hypocrisy when its projected across the globe.
@@Lala-lw6pi to be very fair she actually has advocated for a lot in the past. She called for attention about what was/is going on in African countries and she also advocated for Breonna Taylor to get justice. Nothing changed… like at all. Mind you this was long before everyone was aware. She was ahead of everyone else. Also she pulled out from performing in Israel twice because she learned about what was occurring there. I do think that her speaking up can influence her fans a lot but many don’t need her to do so. We’re already aware of what’s going on.
I get the argument and I don't disagree with it but also hear me out : people can do both things.
People can recognize that activism and on the ground action are the real things they have to pay attention to to change the things that they feel make the world a worse place to live in, while also demanding that celebrities talk about those subjects because they have immense visibility.
Celebrities don't have direct influence over those problems, true, but they can bring attention to them in way that allows people that didn't know about said problems to take a stance, while also mobilizing their own following to do something, therefore pushing even more people to activism and on the ground action. These two concepts aren't exclusionary and the fact that celebrities don't have as much influence as government officials shouldn't be a deterrent.
Plus this wouldn't be the first time that Beyoncé was political, nor would it be the first time that she (or someone like TSwift) had enough influence on an industry to bring visible and quantifiable change, Beyoncé with the friday album releases, and Taylor with her taking her music away from spotify in protest against them not paying their artists correctly, and they both succeeded in what they did, proving that they DO in fact have massive influence through the people that follow them.
We shouldn't idolize celebrities and wait for them to give us the opinion that we're supposed to have, but we're not supposed to just be forgiving with them when they don't act at moments where they should despite the massive power they wield.
As you said, it might be because you're more willing to be forgiving of her since you grew up with her, and because of your father's philosophy, but that shouldn't mean that we should just absolve celebrities from the consequences of their inaction, especially when it comes to genocide.
This needs to be pinned. Especially that last sentence. I don’t believe it’s unreasonable to hold interest in celebrities who have positioned themselves over the years as activist/activist adjacent. I don’t expect Ciara or Rihanna to speak or even other members bc they don’t market their advocacy the way Beyonce does. I’d feel differently if her recent works didn’t revolve around feminism/female empowerment, black oppression and police brutality, and LGBTQ rights. There is no doubt that she’s expressed that she has some personal stake in these polarizing issues-which is against her brand. I don’t blame people for scratching their heads at her absolute silence.
Exactly! If I see another "They don't owe us anything!" while "they" continue to sell out arenas, have more resources, influence, & money than us😤*sigh* The rest of us regular folks see critiques everyday but if u critique celebrities you "expect too much and are projecting your ideals on them" Huhh we're just making observations🤷🏽♀️I don't even stan anyone, although I am a fan of Kelela & she has spoken out about things and reposted info about them that was actually helpful.
THANK YOU 👏🏽
No billionaires or life partners of billionaires are are good people
EXAXCTLY!!! I sincerely hope your comment is pinned and more take the time to read.This hits a lot of points I haven't been able to put into words, so this is truly appreciated.
It has been so interesting watching American Commentary Channels talk about this whole Beyonce and Palestine matter in such a manipulative, gaslighliting manner, it's like "What did you expect, the signs were there" angle😅 and though there is definitely room to critique parasocial relationships, when it comes to human rights violations, genocide, I don't think this is the approach and even the delivery on this matter is often so flippant, because we all know videos like these about Beyonce are popping up because of Tel aviv. As a South African, this stance has been so interesting, there is this very benign condescension around this topic, where all of a sudden, people are naive and stupid to expect celebrities to say anything, it is so intellectually dishonest and disingenuous. When black celebrities were endorsing Obama, ya'll knew they were capitalists but also knew the political impact their stance had, during BLM, when she released Formation, ya'll still knew she was a capitalist doing what she does best, capitalizing! But I still remember the excitement, the videos analysizing the political and historical references in her video. At the end of the day, you still appreciated her saying something, anything because you understood its significance. Our own little celebrities in Africa said something, graffiti of George Floyd on the walls in Palestine MEANT SOMETHING. Most of the artists you will be celebrating during Black History month, you celebrate them because of their activism or political stance, I don't think you all celebrate Nina Simone only because she was a talented musician. So when did this change? Last year on the 7th of October? Where all of a sudden we shouldn't expect black celebrities to say anything on serious human rights violations, especially those who perform activism and use the likes of Nelson Mandela as some sort of social aesthetic? There is something I'll call a historical precedent when it comes to black celebrities and politics, it can be argued it is unfair but it definitely doesn't help you when you are capitalizing on socio-political issues that affect black and brown people, even going as far as doing Mama Africa mambo jambo so hey, sorry we expect her to stand on business. And the bar is so low because where I come from, artists were imprisoned, had to go to exile, harrassed for speaking out against injustices and all what was expected from your Queen was for her to not show her movie in a genocidal crazed country. Literally that was it and here you have youtubers gaslighliting us for that. Our government and its people(including celebrities) , despite the many challenges we face in our own backyard, still saw it fit to do something (despite the political castration we will face ) because I don't know, Apartheid, Genocide isn't a little thing, so yah, maybe a tweet, an Instagram post wouldn't have hurt from ya'lls Alien Superstar.
Oooh 💯
I wish I could like your comment a thousand times!
Within the last two decades Bey has jumped on almost every “trend” related to social justice issues in order to capitalize on them. She has pandered to feminists, blacks, recently the queer community and even sold a plant based diet plan when veganism had its moment. It is only natural that people who perceived her activism as genuine to be disappointed with her current silence.
I love this comment
you ate that!💯 too real
From Africa too while saying this; Black Americans and Diasporans never remember where Africa truly starts and ends and it's a damn shame. We stand with them through their fights and they shout "Pan African!" at our struggles. Beyonce made a big deal about being a Pan Africanist let this (Africans in North America) group defend her when Africans criticized that "orde to Africa" music video. These people not only don't know but refuse to learn where Africa starts and ends. Palestine is an African state, Saharawi Republic is an African state, Sudan is an African state and Somalia is an African state. (All these states are occupied, colonized, genocided and kept down by direct interference of the US thus every American voter and citizen) So are Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya African states. And with Pan-Africanism; Haiti, Jamaica, etc.
Beyonce lied to Africa, and is now openly in cahoots against us. Africa isn't just black and a helluva lot of it is Islamic!
I disagree so hard. I actually feel like people are not even being harsh enough.
An example would be: most critiques starting with "I love beyonce/ taylor/ (...) but..." Proclaiming their personal (positive(!) ) relationship to that celebrity before even critiquing them, which in itself signals having to like a, to you (!), complete stranger (!) to a certain degree before being able to criticise them without being eaten by their HUGE fandom. Even in the way people are wording their critiques of those humans is extremly careful compared to how we criticize everyone, maybe even our friends.
Those are celebrities yes, but they are also humans like us, who just happened to be lucky being born into enormous wealth. ( Going into your point of beyonce being "only" middle class, she was not or at least not the common middle class we are all imagining).
Sure, I agree with the point many make of not looking to celebrities as political guidelines. ( Example would be all those celebrities who position themselves pro israel or other horrible opinions) but I completely disagree with "not expecting much from celebrities because they're not activists but only entertainers" ...........so what? Eh?? By that logic none of us should care, because we are not activists but only teachers, nurses, lawyers (...) Who should give a sh*t then if not the 0.01% Pa lst- activists???
Out of all people, celebrities should have the MOST resources, time and money to educate themselves. In theory, they should even be held to a HIGHER degree of responsibility than folks who might not even have time to find a free minute, totally occupied by the daily burden of capitalism.
Especially with so many other celebrities speaking out pro Israel, with hundreds of thousands if not millions of people watching them, Beyonce/ Taylor as fellow celebrities could at least hold against it to try to even out the influence in regards of media.
Pa lstn related content is being shadow banned like crazy, and in this case the so-called "soft power" celebrities have is actually still very powerful.
I feel like many forget how taken out of the daily reality of 90% of the global population those humans actually are, soft power or not. They don't even go grocery shopping themselves. They sit in their mansions, don't even cook themselves, what the f are they doing the whole day except maybe expanding their already huge businesses???
Why are they exempt from critique???
I just don't get why every time a critique gets loud, there is someone trying to shush it or "even it out". No, we SHOULD get loud, we SHOULD get upset about even the "lower class" of the rich upper class, who are celebrities and not big oil company owning oligarchs. We SHOULD get upset, because this alleged soft power DIRECTLY contributes to murder. It's not only that taylor & beyonce are not speaking up, its that they are actively WORKING with israel funded companies. It's that their soft power contributes to exploitation. Its that taylor swifts emissions are as high as those of hundreds of people, its that beyonce ( and taylor) is actively expanding their actually unattainable wealth that they both will not spend in two or three human lifetimes by commissioning sweat shops to produce ivy park or makeup lines, who are labelled as worse than shein, while proclaiming themselves to be philanthropists (rihanna, selena gomez ) or washing out radical ideas to capitalize on current trends ( beyonce malcom x, black panther, taylor swift riding the "if I was a man" wave). It's phony, pretentious and performative. Those are human beings who, due to their wealth, got totally isolated and exempt from the daily struggle of accountability, which is expected from the rest of us. How is it, that everytime we talk about celebrities, I hear "well they are not like us, they don't care, it doesn't affect them" in the same sentences as ,,everyone should be held accountable, we should care" . It is as if calling them "hypercapitalist queens" just levels out the critique?? Them being hyper capitalists IS a problem. I also find it extremely embarrassing to hear people excuse them with ,,well Beyonce has always moved in her own way"?? Ehh?? Why is it, that the rich get the privilege of being seen as individuals but not the people who are affected or literally, well, everyone fkng else??
They don't have to fear SHIT, they could click "post" while sitting in a private jett on their way to the Bahamas and even if they lost brand deals, with all that $$ in their banks, they coul sustain themselves for the probably hundred of years and EVEN IF they could NOT, then they would just have to...well, work like the fking rest of us, daily with a paycheck. Those are singers, not gods. boohooo.
Yes, celebrities solely cannot change governments but no fuKkin human can?? That's such a straw man bs. That's not how power structures work, we have to work as a collective and who else has the platform to access MILLIONS of people in seconds? It's not even that people expect them to do humanitarian work, or ACTUAL activism. The black and white painting of this issue into only two options of "entertainer" or "activism" is weakening a huge problem. PLENTY of people who speak up are not, by definition, activists. Bella Hadid is surely far from perfect but even she gets flagged and shadow banned, losing job opportunities for positioning pro P and she still is fking rich. Sure, she lost a couple of brand deals but she seems fine, no? Now imagine people like Beyonce and Taylor in comparison. Yes, people confuse visibility with power but visibility IN ITSELF IS A FORM OF POWER, especially in times where everything is being shadowbanned like crazy (!) A privilege most people with far smaller platforms don't even have (!) While STILL doing work. People defending Beyonce remind me of girl boss liberal feminism stances. Those are just humans who don't even HAVE to give a shit because they are protected by their status. Accountability is important. I already wrote WAY too much, but it's just the TIP of the iceberg(!)
YESSSS THANK YOU
spot on. regular people with everyday lives have spoken up and lost jobs and school opportunities yet thats now becoming normal in "being on the right side of history". yet celebrities with MILLIONS of dollars are SERIOUSLY being exempt from speaking out because it could harm their career??? like you said, if anything, it should be the complete opposite. taylor swift won't be going on food stamps after losing a few brand deals ...
Beautifully said
PERRRRFECT! TOTALLY AGREED
Love u gurl, yet...ngl, while I found this take to be a lil', tiiiny bit uninspired and uncharacteristically fence-sit-y (tbf tho, you did preface it with u being under the weather 💜), I'm absolutely *LIVING* for the perspectives in the comments section!!!
Such smart, nuanced, respectful and brave POVs and conversation in what's usually the "cursed" part of RUclips! Maybe the alien abduction won't be necessary after all. Lol
I'm so, so proud of the audience that Khadija's content has curated through years of excellent content! Love being a part of this amazing community! 💖🥺
i have a theory (my thoughts not fact, so don't come for me pls) that beyoncé's amazing media training is because of how she was portrayed in the media after letoya/latavia/farrah all left DC. she was villainized and blame was placed on her, and when she went solo she (or her team) knew people had to like her, so she did extensive media training and press to try to clean up her image. and it worked.
I remember that time..I was upset with her too🫣 Me being so young didn't understand the impact that must have had on her young mental health...She said she was very depressed...Ppl also gave her a hard time for how she speaks...I said all this to say, I DONT blame her for🤐
i mean, all destiny's child members did media training after that lol
it was ruthless. and all she really did was being the daughter of the manager. The fact that she did not crack and fall into the abyss like so many youth celebrity at that time is so amazing to me. The parents, especially Matthew is always known to be pretty controlling, but the way they protected Bey deserves respect.
Imagine if britney has that kind of family support
She villainized herself. Beyoncé would speak negatively of them in the press. Her saying they finally now have members who can all sing lead because they didn’t have that before when Latoya and Latavia was there was like girl really? That say my name performance of her repeatedly saying say beyonce. Her image of the pretty light skinned girl who got all the attention worked against in the beginning luckily for her her music and talent kinda undid that narrative for her as well as she stopped giving interviews for the most part
Nah shes always been like this. Her first ex boyfriend told a story YEARS ago about them being in an accident or something like that and she fled and said “no. This is going to ruin my image/ reputation”; he said shes always been very particular about her image even before being famous. Shes VERY careful about showing us a curated brand. We dont really know her fr besides that she uses oppression to sell an aesthetic and make her coin and then silent in real life with her action; hypocrisy basically.
It's not following for me that Beyonce has the influence to change the average listener of her's (which is many) perception of feminism, but then doesn't have enough power to influence people or effect substantial change in regards to major issues (esp when looking closer at what she's being asked to do specifically RE Palestine). I understand and agree with the aspect of not expecting much of a celebrity as brand and tapping into our own power. That said, Beyonce is a billionaire with a HUGE range of influence. It seems strange to try to diminish that power and put things in the context of "no one is better than anyone." If we are referring to Beyonce as the brand, we are asking not her (and in that same way not reviewing her as a person), we are asking her brand that we buy into to to do xyz. At the same time, recognizing that Beyonce is a billionaire who simply does not care about the everyday person is important too - we should do that with her and those above her. This video felt biased to me in dismissing that.
I agree overall that in the end, people need to tap into their communities and organize, organize, organize! I also agree our expectations should remain low with large-scale entertainers and billionaires generally because their wealth is built on our exploitation - they do not and will not care.
She has talked about being a feminist & black ppl, she hasn’t spoken out much about other topics so idk why y’all are still expecting more. Stop looking for singers & rappers & actors to speak up or change anything major because at the end of the day they don’t have the power to change laws & they are not obligated to do more then what y’all are asking for. They are entertainers…keep them in that role & they maybe y’all would stop being fake disappointed about what these strangers are doing
Wow. Can’t believe the day has come where I actually disagree with one of your takes.
Or at least think it’s half baked.
I keep seeing the argument this video makes everywhere, and at this point, it just feels so cruel to keep making it in the face of actual palestinians saying the biggest thing westerners can do to help them is use their voices to speak out against the genocide. to be able to talk about wanting your “favs” ideals to align with your own, to boil it down to wanting celebrities to be activists…it all rings so hollow and feels so frivolous and privileged when there are people dying and begging the rest of the world to speak out in their defense. It’s not about naive stans wanting to affirm that their fav has “good” politics-it’s about how celebrities with MASSIVE platforms have the power to use their voices in defense of Palestinians and choose not to. This is why I think it’s so important to listen to actual Palestinian voices on these issues, because once again, they have deliberately told the rest of the world our power to help them lies in our voices, so when someone with a huge platform and a very loud voice chooses not to, it is COMPLETELY warranted to be disappointed in them.
You’ve put it so succinctly thank you. I wonder how much effort these RUclipsrs have put into researching Palestine and seeking out content made Palestinians… because I’m not sure how they reach this conclusion if they’ve been listening to the first hand accounts of Palestinians.
I expect everyone to care about genocide like literally everyone. And I realise that the genocide in Palestine isn’t the only one currently happening. That said stopping the genocide. And creating a situation where Zionists aren’t in control of Palestine so Palestinians have more power, autonomy & agency in Palestine would save so many lives. And be a step towards liberation for all.
The lack of compassion for Palestinians in this video was so upsetting for me that I had to unsubscribe. (One of my best mates is Iraqi and hasn’t been to her homeland in over a decade. Obviously a different situation but similar in this sense of US imperialism profiting off murdering Arabs in the Middle East). And like I just wonder how much of this take is influenced by
a) not listening to Palestinians
b) not having a direct or indirect understanding of how dangerous racism against Arabs is. And how that racism is weaponised to justify war and genocide in the Middle East to further the aims of US imperialism.
The lack of compassion towards Palestinians is baffling. It creates a situation where these RUclipsrs can’t acknowledge the gravity of genocide, that we need to end it and support Palestinians as they rebuild their lives after experiencing unimaginable atrocities.
Let's not forget that these same celebs had no issue speaking up for Ukraine. So why have they decided that the Palestinians are not as important?
intro is me after waking up EVERY DAY
MOOD 😭
I don't look to celebrities to do activism and be leaders but I do think something as little as a small public statement to their millions of adoring fans can be very powerful in shifting public sentiment and awareness and increasing political pressure and I think there's certainly an argument to be made that it may be an ethical responsibility to use that platform for those moments at least some of the time. While I agree with 98% of this video, I feel that is kind of...missing. Or maybe underemphasized is the better word.
❤❤❤
Her putting out one PR statement that’s less than 500 words saying she doesn’t support g-side isn’t an extreme ask! I found the ending of the video very condescending as an activist.
@@indiefairy09 you sound like a keyboard warrior rather than an actual activist
its literally this simple
@@indiefairy09 I agree! I found the video condescending and not very thorough.
That's a person/brand I've been talking a lot about lately with my friends. Just to set things straight, I'm not truly a Beyonce fan, I enjoy some songs, watch music videos and like to keep up with her artwork for sure, but not a super fan, and I'm a black man living in Brazil. I have been annoyed with her increased political racial commentary at her artwork in the recent years, once I realized how flawed, or how much it really could reach. I say this, cause the representation of black power is good to see and consume, its inspiring to a certain extent for sure but it stops right there, and for us that not live in USA the extent is even more limited. The brand Beyonce its here for black folks of the world that will celebrate together( that was the idea behind Renaissance) for me went down when I saw the tour announcement places. She with all her money and control over her own career and art didn't bother at all to fly down the equator line and perform in the global south. The black renaissance haven't reached Africa, haven't reached the Latin America full of black people. The black renaissance was just for mostly white countries in Europe and North America, where black folks are a minority. My country has the biggest black diaspora, the most black people outside of Africa, and what we got was her visiting the city of Salvador saying that love Brazil but couldn't make the tour here but now we could enjoy the movie in theaters. So, I truly agree with you that representation its good to a extent and we should not put so much expectations or credit on political themes on the celebrities that we identify somehow. In this last album and tour , for me it got very clear it was not about everyone, it was not about black people in general, it wasn't some revolutionary act for the world. It was just a album and a tour to firm her brand with her public and make profit in the richest areas in the world with those fans that could buy a ticket and fly to see her in that . Sorry for that long text, I love u work , and I do not hate Beyonce, I just like her with some distancing and critique.
Você disse TUDOOO!!
Concordo, disse tudo mesmo!!!!!!
Would you say that her art is designed for a Western audience and nothing else?
@@benedictevi5007 that is more nuanced than that. Her art is for sure designed for western audience and the western influenced audience ( that includes the former colonies of the western countries), that’s sure. She is from the center of western contemporary culture, she creates from that point of view, but it resonates globally, primarily with the black folks around the globe. The problem is that her presence and her spectacle it’s just for the global north for more than a decade. If the black folks from Latin America or Africa wants to see her performing her big great tours they need to travel to the expensive rich countries
I get what you're saying, but house/ballroom music was created in the U.S. by the black queer scene here. And I think it's pretty lazy to ignore the profound impact the Renaissance album and tour had on so many people within the black queer community. There are so many personal anecdotes about how Renaissance really lifted spirits and how the tour was genuinely a safe space for people, especially here in states within the U.S. that are passing anti-LGBTQ laws. I'm not saying her politics are the best, and they definitely deserve critique. However, I don't think condemning her for not touring in the "global South" is a very strong argument. There are likely a lot of logistical issues tied to that, especially when you consider that she has performed in Africa and Latin American countries before.
Beyonce can use and support poc women in her songs when she's getting paid but she can't stand up for them when they actually need her support irl not just Palestinian women but women around africa; congo, sudan, ethiopia?? Same as Taylor!! she can talk about women rights when she sees fit. Also their concert film played there right beside kids getting murderered yes the so called oppressed people were in cinemas singing and dancing to Beyonce and taylor swift while the "oppressors" And "terrorists" were picking up dismembered bodies of their wives, mothers and children..!! is it so hard to not premiere their films there? Is it so hard to simply say they are against a whole genocide happening right now?? Expecting anything from these hypocrite billionaires is stupid but can we not pretend that they don't have any responibility please
I truly believe if we can expect our friends on social media to speak out, I can hold the singers I like that claim to care about human rights to the same standard. Truly celebrities have more power than I think people gove them credit to. They're human beings that should care about other human beings and I don't think it's too crazy to be upset at these massively massively influential celebrities rn.
Sure I don’t know that lady but being silent during holocaust 2.0 says a lot about your humanity.
Celebrities are not your friends. You need to self reflect on the parasocial relationships you have developed with these popstars.
@@galaxyocicat5660 it has nothing to do with us being friends with her, the thing is, which side is she on? Because I won’t be giving my money to someone that supports g.nocide, just as I won’t be friends with someone that supports g.nocide.
I think that’s also a reason why people wanna know which side she’s on.
That’s why ppl are boycotting brands, they don’t have a parasocial relationship with these brands.
Imo if you say nothing you are not defending the cause (my opinion) so I’ve stopped listening to her songs, as I have done for all the entertainers that have stayed silent or have given their support to the criminals. To each their own.
@@galaxyocicat5660the way you just pulled that conclusion out of your ass…
I disagree with this take. I don't think we should adopt the narrative that recognizing that a celebrity has more sway in changing the public opinion and wanting them to speak out means you value your own opinion any less. Especially if that celebrity is Beyoncé, someone who built their brand off of, and in part, has profited from the aesthetics of activism. Visibility holds SO MUCH power, and the Palestinian people have been begging for awareness to be spread. All Beyoncé has to do is post one story about the genocide, and hundreds of thousands would become aware. Recognize that her silence is complicity, which sucks and honestly paints her as performative.
Beyoncé has a track record of donating and supporting causes silently without a fanfare. How do you know what she is and isn't doing? The idea that the oppression and murder of Palestinians by Israel isn't already hugely visible is for the birds.
Finally, it's obscene to say that someone, a Black woman no less, is performative in her activism (which has centred on the liberation and cultural expression of >>black people
No one wants to talk about her performative activism, they WILL explain it away. Even though they know, THEY KNOW that we only get movement by speaking out and loudly.
@@Red1Green2Blue3 But if she was forreal about freeing anybody, she should be forreal about freeing EVERYBODY.
@@dannellecarroll Wrong. It's not the job of any individual to free everyone nor is it possible. The fact that you think it is shows that you're not really serious about achieving anything substantive. It's perfectly reasonable to focus on one thing at a time.
@@Red1Green2Blue3 Kim, people are dying.
Ok…. I’m just disappointed that Beyoncé was using liberalism, feminism and blackness to trend and to be relatable when she choose to stay silent of what’s happening. If she wasn’t releasing formation, the black panther outfit and black king. I wouldn’t be as mad at her for being silent . I’m just disappointed that she did all of these acts for some money meanwhile she isn’t about it .
I do agree we should not depend on celebrities to spread awareness or be vocal, but if they masquerading that they are for humanity and freedom, that’s a problem..:/
Yeah but I think there could be a massive reason why they won’t and I don’t think they want us to know why without opening some real skeletons in the closet
Idk about the liberalism, but at least Beyoncé has experienced both feminism and blackness and she had something to say from first-hand experience so i don’t think it was solely her trying to be relatable. She’s had her own point of view on those issues and made art based on said point of view. Issues like what is going on in Palestine are probably way out of her depth and maybe that’s why she doesn’t speak on that. You can be sad she’s not addressing every major tragedy, but it’s misguided to expect a popstar to be the voice that changes everything. They really don’t hold as much power to change minds as you’re giving them credit for.
Let’s be real, even if she had said something, people would just move on to criticize the next major popstar who’s “silent”. It changes nothing.
Or it could be that Beyonce is more directly affected by blackness and womanhood. The Palestine situation and Israel is not something she could be well versed on to the point she could say something that isn't good.
So you can’t grasp that on a human level Beyonce can only speak to what she knows? Y’all kill me with these disingenuous and lazy arguments. Who decided that Beyonce needs to speak on every atrocity known to man? She speaks to what she knows and that’s all anyone should care about. Black folks like you remind me not all skin folk are kinfolk. You use the language of black liberation but don’t grasp the meaning.
It's almost as if celebrities are just celebrities
I don’t disagree with this, but we can hold Beyonce accountable for her silence and complicity in the gside and capitalism while also taking personal actions ourselves
Naw y’all can’t because she has nothing to do with what’s going on in the world. She not obligated to do anything y’all asking & her not doing then doesn’t make her a bad person. Be mad that the whole Hollywood industry & don’t support them maybe y’all will stop complaining then
@@tiaraw872 FACTS!!! 🗣️💯 people expect their favs to have an opinion and stance on every political issue and it blows my mind. they’re entertainers, not politicians. leave them alone.
Respectfully, I disagree. Not with most of what you said however, You left out that the worst of the criticism is her works being in Israel with ongoing genocide. It's not about her alignment in politics & I've never supported her works personally or added to the mythos of Beyonce but she can absolutely be held responsible for her going into a war zone to further her capitalistic endeavors & gain further soft power which she absolutely does hold. That's why it matters. Very preachy, tbh sounds like Stan mentality with how your tone came off. I don't trust celebs either lol. We can multitask, let's practice activism in life while also holding celebrities accountable. Most definitely anyone for letting their soft power be a shield to Israel as we speak. I'd like to add that The BDS National Committee didn't even ask her to remove her art from Israel, they asked that she & Taylor swift distance themselves publicly from genocide so Israel can't use their soft power as a cultural shield.
Yup! If you’re such an activist you are being deliberately obtuse about this moment and what the ppl dealing with a g-side are asking activists and the world to do so you can still like an artist without guilt.
Beyonce has significant soft power to influence other celebrities or leaders she has access to or to mobilise her fans behind an issue she chooses to draw attention to. However, with great power comes great responsibility and many challenges. That's why she, alongside many other big celebrities, steers clear of contentious political issues, such as Palestine. First of all, it's not her role and responsibility. She's not the president, nor does she hold any political office; she's an entertainer. Secondly, hot political issues of the day, such as wars, are incredibly nuanced and challenging to respond to. When you have such a huge following, any response to such a topic could lead to many unintended consequences. Why would she risk it? She´s not an expert on Middle Eastern history! It's actually more responsible for her not to stir the pot even further. If I were Beyoncé and had this huge audience, I would be very careful in choosing the topics I would openly engage with (and informed about) and also very careful about how I would choose to engage with them. She's not stupid. When she cares about something close to her heart, she usually tries to respond to it through her art - that´s her thing. It´s usually something she has direct experience with (being African American, being a woman, and most recently growing up with a Gay uncle who died of Aids.. etc). She has never been an activist throwing her weight behind global conflicts or climate change; she has never been openly speaking about these issues. She´s not a Twitter activist. Have you heard her talk about Sudan, Ukraine, or literally any other global conflict? And now all of a sudden, the internet is demanding that she (and she alone - I can't really see similar demands being made of other celebrities) makes a very public statement on Palestine - and yes withdrawing her film from Israel would be a very public statement. Where does this come from? Demand this type of stance of Obama maybe.. but Beyonce? I don´t get the pressure. She´s not a politician or an activist. She doesn´t owe anyone to use her platform this way. Period.
@@beatap4425 anyone can catch flack for being a bigot. Celebrity won't save you from criticism nor accountability & every human on earth should be held to that standard. She can girl boss all she wants but that's not feminism then & she should stop virtue signalling 🙃 it can't be both ways.
It’s honestly crazy to me how little people cared about her performance in Dubai. I don’t even like her but it’s crazy that Twitter bullied Nicki Minaj out of a performance in Saudi Arabia due to homophobia, but then defended Beyoncé like their lives depended on it when people pointed out how homophobic the Dubai was and how hypocritical she was being.
I agree when it comes to asking celebrities who portray themselves as activists to speak up about issues, but I feel like people should also be fair. When it comes to the movie stuff, Beyoncé doesn’t decide where the movie is shown, that’s up to the distribution company. And the company chosen happened to be the second largest if I remember correctly.
Loved the video but I disagree with the slow and steady wins the race argument. Small incremental progress is cute for certain things but when people’s lives are on the line taking the slow and steady approach just feels like death by a thousands cuts as you watch people continue to suffer and die needlessly. As much as I love Beyoncé it’s cute to get political in your music when you can make a coin off of it by selling expensive ass concert tickets. I wish she kept that same energy when she didn’t have an album out cuz it can be viewed as performative.
My thoughts exactly
Yesss
Her concert tickets aren’t expensive by her choice. Take that up with the resale people.
So all of you want Beyonce to jump into the middle east dumpster fire so that she loses her lucrative business? You all really want to see this woman set herself on fire so that you can see her languish in the land of the cancelled forever, so that you can feel comfortable with yourselves? I'm so glad that she's ignoring all of you in this.
By the way, take that energy to the kardashian-jenner page. After all, isn't Kim K now partying with Ivanka Trump? Tell her to use her visibility to literally free Palestine.
Nonsense.
ALSO they werent even expensive in some places. I bought a ticket for 85 dollars@@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024
When she released an album called black is king while i was living in Ghana and with her billions couldn't grace the African continent like i have with my pennies ... I logged off. Peace out bey.
Thank you for this empowering hot take as usual, Khadija! We love your voice, cant wait to share this with my children ❤
Edit: Also, I'm definitely excited to "eat the WEALTHY" in this lifetime 🎉
Y’all keep calling her a billionaire and she’s not. So y’all can move on and go deal with ACTUAL exploitive billionaires.
Also stealing artwork from African artists... My heart still aches for Justice Mukheli. That credit in Black Is King would have been the opportunity of a lifetime.
@@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024 Read the edit, I said eat the Wealthy, not the rich (bey.)
While also using African culture and spirituality in the visuals 😬
@@babymilksnatcher i met some of the west African dance talent she exploited during my time there, her complete capitalist vision of art and wealth put the sourest taste in my mouth! Stopped singing "brown skin girl" with the quickness 😩
I can understand this point of view, and honestly to some extend I agree with it. Though I don't find it necessary to force celebrities to speak out on "the thing", I think it's extremely beneficial to have another medium to hit misinformed audiences, that's the impact that activists etc. don't have. They have the ability to educate people surrounded by other misinformed people, and without access to sources that challenge what they've always thought to be true. That's a power that celebrity has.
I get what you’re saying. But it’s a catch 22 i feel. The “thing” is different for each of us (what we think they should speak on) but for many of us the “thing” is something we (regular folk) don’t often have the privilege of avoiding. So a celebrity not speaking on a “thing” relevant to a good number of their fans, like Khadijah says, looks “less cute”. It’s a passive exhibition of privilege and when times are tough we are less forgiving of it.
So they can choose not to say anything but for those with influence and reach, saying nothing says something. I think people have a hard time understanding that because they are comparing themselves to celebrities. A regular joe schmoe isn’t held to the same standard by society
And then ppl get mad when they have different views on things. We don’t know these ppl and where they stand. Did Noah the stranger things kid say something in support of Israel and got ppl mad? They have different views and opinions so 🤷🏽♀️
Yeah, the recent pressure on celebrities to use their platform to “educate” people often leads to spreading misinformation. It makes perfect sense for celebrities to only post about things that they’re extremely educated on and have made part of their platform because otherwise, they may spread misinformation and then be lambasted for it.
I don’t think most people expect Beyonce to make a change, especially in regard to Palestine, but they want the security that’s she’s on their side. Especially because there are celebrities who are vocally pro-Israel and vilifying the Palestinian movement, we want to make sure we’re not supporting anyone who’s doing that but quietly.
I don’t understand how we push for everyone to be activists but then think celebrities, some of the most privileged and influential people, don’t have to make a stance on a humanitarian crisis because “that’s not their job”. It’s not most of our jobs, we’re doing it because it’s important! We shouldn’t be looking to celebrities for activism, as you said, but it’s not wrong to want it from them. Especially when it comes to celebs like Beyoncé who frankly benefit from having an activist image.
But what I’m stuck with is when celebrities pick and choose when they speak up, especially when they talk about solidarity for things like BLM but then go ghost when it comes to showing up for other people…. I don’t think you should expect celebrities to comment on the political climate if they keep their political opinions to yourself themselves but when a celebrity picks and chooses when to speak up it’s very hypocritical. On top of that it’s clear that some people use current political topics like race, sexuality or gender when it’s useful for them/ when they can profit off of it but it is very annoying when celebrities speak on certain things, disappear for others and then are not held to the standards or integrity that they put themselves to, this is non-specific to any particular celebrity but any that this applies to.
Because people should only speak up when they have something to say. I don’t want to hear from celebrities anyways when there’s plenty of actual activists that I want to hear from. Check your entitlement and celebrity obsession. What are you doing for social justice? Focus on that and not with what Beyoncé is posting on social media.
@@dinkyboss check my entitlement? I said I didn’t expect celebrities to comment unless they have talked about politics, it’s about equality. I can do as much as I can, and do, but the ordinary person such as myself does not have the money, platform, or resources that celebrities do. They hold a vast amount of influence so at least speaking up for others, even if they’re not experts is saying something. How can anyone read celebrity obsession from this when people who hold massive power are silent when there is multiple genocides occurring, at the very least a human being should support another when they are suffering in such extreme pain. Celebrities should be doing more, but is that going to stop me from trying to make a change, no, I am not reliant on what someone like Beyoncé does or doesn’t do but the fact that if you’re rich or famous enough you can abstain yourself from other’s issues, that is problematic.
Praying for strength in your upcoming battle with the Beyhive
Oh girl I'm right there with you. I'm sicker than I've ever been, somehow it's not COVID. You amaze me. I can't move and you're out here making thought provoking video essays ❤
I work in a pharmacy and something is def in the air (besides COVID and the flu). I also got it, even tho I tested negative for strep/COVID/RSV/flu. I was SO sick and it gave me bronchitis, I just got back to normal. Feel better friend ❤️
@@manic_girl aw same to you, and Khadija too ❤️
This stuff is wild. Before I got sick, literally everyone I know got it. People I hadn't seen and hadn't seen each other. It's wild. Terrifying.
I swear these viruses are evolving. They're getting worse.
@@manic_girlsame 😂
girl, i’m sick too. i literally hate being sick, the worse i ever got sick was december 2022,it was so bad. my body was hurting so bad, throat was hurting and i couldn’t even talk. luckily it’s not that bad this time but i am contemplating going to the doctors/hospital bc that’s where i got sick in december 2022. losing my mind rn lol. I hope u feel better tho!!!
@@hvn17 oooh girl i just got over a terrible cold. My temperature was at 102° and rising when i passed out. Felt like my brain was litterally on fire. Body aches, sore chest and throat, stuffy nose, headache, nausea, dizzyness. Then it developped into bronchitis. Three weeks before I was back to normal.
I hope youre all feeling better soon. Its 2024, we got shit to do!!! God bless 🙌
I hate to hear that your year is starting off crummy. I hope you start feeling better soon! Sending you all the healing energy possible much love 😚
Like so many others in the comments, I'm a bit disappointed with the conclusion of this video. And I think the analysis isn't fair to folks who are calling their reps, marching, AND holding celebrities accountable for ignoring the cultural boycott against Israel. While I don’t expect billionares and celebrities (with immense influence) to be on the right side of history and risk their wealth for us peasants, that doesn't absolve their silence. And just because I hold them to account doesn't mean that I think they're better than me (such an analysis is a bit reductive and condescending). But they are more powerful. I think Beyonce has enough power to at least sway public opinion in a significant way.
The Beyhive is about to go INSANE, but we got your back Khadija ❤
I doubt it bc this video was a toothless rambling as opposed to an analysis or critique of her actual actions. Everything bad was vaguely alluded too and left un named. Khadija is far too para social when it comes to Beyonce. She can keep saying "idk her im just talking about the public image" but it just all comes off more as covering for Beyonce the person than it was anything else.
The BeyHive will be fine lol.
Hey im a behive and i got her back too😂😂
@@kdog8658that’s her niche though…she gives you info so YOU can make your own decision. This isn’t a channel where she argues one side. She brings all information to the table plus a lil extra and in the end it’s whatever you think. Beyoncé is not a governor, she’s not in the government, she’s a singer. Beyoncé has never been political. She talks about what she knows and doesn’t what she doesn’t. Like MOST famous people. This was not a drag. It’s a mind opener that’s letting you know that celebrities aren’t our saviors and WE the people need to step up and stop saying “what does Ludacris think at a time like this?!” Go tell the ACTIVIST and the HUMANITARIANS to do something, it’s what THEY DO. Beyoncé is a singer, that’s what she does. If YOU care so much, do something for your community. YOU live there, she doesn’t.
There was barely any actual critique of Beyoncé in this video. It would be really pathetic if the hive got worked up from this lol
I think the problem we're having with celebrities right now that we've seen how apartheid falls in recent history and we know that they have an important role to play in socially isolating apartheid states. celebrities have much more pull on the world stage than individual consumers. it's not that we need them to roll out the red carpet for us, we need them to cooperate.
so putting pressure on celebrities for them to cooperate with BDS is kind of what we should be doing, as well as participating in boycotts and pressure campaigns ourselves. for most policy issues, celebrities are beyond irrelevant, but this is different.
Beyoncé remaining completely silent on the USA-funded, televised genocide of the P People while posting pics of her outfits and visiting Brazil for a few hours IS political. Her remaining silent while allowing her movie to be shown in Tel Aviv in the midst of that same genocide IS political. I don't believe she didn't have the power to exclude Tel Aviv altogether = if she wanted it not to be shown in Tel Aviv, just like it hasn't been shown in any African country so far (as far as I know, and yes that's another issue), it is purposeful, be it solely out of $$$ considerations.
i've been working super hard on an art piece i want to submit for a local contest and last night/this morning i was seriously thinking "whats the point? no one pays attention to my art" so the part about striving for things when no one is watching hit hard, thanks for keeping my (and all your subscribers) spirits up :) this is why i love your channel
I totally agree with the main points of the video, but it did surprise me a bit to hear ‘never expect musicians to be anything more than entertainers’ and ‘don’t look to them for any guidance to praxis’.
I guess it’s true for massive celebrities, but It still feels a bit cynical to me as there are plenty of working musicians out there who DO value activism over chasing celebrity status. There’s a strong tradition of this in folk music, not to mention how for lots of punk music the values are just as important as the music itself. (My personal heros in this regard are Pete Seeger and Tom Robinson). Probably an odd comment to leave on a Beyoncé video, but it bothered me a bit to label all musicians as ‘just entertainers’ when often the message and call to action are integral to the music.
To say that once an artists work leaves their hands it’s beyond their scope as to how it morphs & evolves is one thing. But, making a statement that you don’t approve of a tracks use is not on the artist to make, when there are multiple examples of artists making either statements denouncing the use of their work if not sending a cease and desist letter (especially when right wing campaign’s co-opt an artist music)? To say Beyoncé is alleviated of this responsibility b/c “she’s just an entertainer” when smaller artists with more to lose can take a stand on this, seems somewhat disingenuous?
Parasocial relationships are SO fascinating to me. How we can have relationships with literally anything/anyone on the most one-sided level and be perfectly happy with it. And they do hold value when they give you reasons to go forward and change for the better! Like the feeling of hope I get from your content. For that I'm grateful.
But I have come to realize and fully accept celebs and artists and other figures in power are not my friends, just complex strangers I'll likely never know, working for their own interests within an economic system that shapes them, as much as everyone else. That doesn't mean I have to let them think for me or depend on them for every bit of enjoyment in my life. That sounds kinda dangerous.
This whole idea of a parasocial relationship is something that afflicts the younger generations as in millenials and lower.
Us of the pre-internet generation know that there's the public person who comes on screens and sings and dances and there's the individual who is at home making pancakes for her family and playing tennis with Kelly Rowland. I get shocked to read comments like yours that literally show me how much the younger generation have been hijacked by the internet.
I indulge my Beyonce fantasy knowing 150% that it is a fantasy, like being in a meta verse for both myself and the celebrity. I know that she's smiling as part of the fantasy. When the curtains drop she'll go and be a person just like I'll take off my glitter and go be a person instead of an adoring entranced fan. I thought that this is obvious to all of you but clearly it's not.
Switch off the internet often please.
@@tinachristine4573 You are right. Social media plays a huge role on how we see these celebs, brands, etc. Shoved in our faces all the time. We can thank marketing maybe. But that's what I'm saying. If one is already at the point these strangers online seem so important and personal, it's not like you can't eventually realize it is a fantasy, product/brand, etc.
I find it interesting to think about where this comes from, why it can be so appealing to some and what can we as a society do about it when it gets unhealthy and how that looks. Plain curiosity about something I think is worth talking about (our relationship with 'fiction' and the Internet as it is now). Not to deify anyone or diagnose people terminally online. Touching grass is actual excellent advice. I just don't think we are just gonna go back to pre-Internet times anytime soon.
@aruraven then create an interesting life for yourself outside the digital life. I can happily delete my insta for months while I do my life. My life is superior to the life of any other celeb out here. Most young people are not grinding at their own lives and that's why they have the energy to be so invested in their celebs.
@@tinachristine4573 this isn’t true at all. Parasocial relationships effects people of all ages.
@dinkyboss no. We are gen X and we don't give a shit about anyone like that. Hell, we don't even give a shit about ourselves. We are real like that.
I feel two ways about what was said. I mean I also don't know if I'm the intended audience in the sense that I don't need celebs to validate me, however I do think that people were coming at Bey more for being silent during such a huge atrocity when she's been vocal during others. No one thinks she can change the war but I think screening her film in Tel Aviv as well as not reacting to IDF using her song to hype up their war is iffy to say the least. Yes they are entertainers and they are many who've been silent. However people were angry about something very specific! And I think that's valid.
Yes we need to stop overhyping people who are just people simply because they have status but we can also expect more from them because they have influence. I think people who yield a lot of people need to be responsible and held accountable. And everyone has the right to say "girl what do you stand? Give us a hint at least!"
Idk second half of this video was a huge miss for me. Bringing up the person who developed the alpha male study, and actually spoke out against its misappropriation, yet explaining a bunch of caveats for why Beyoncé can’t do that same bare minimum seems like an oversight. Talking about how you can’t amass as much wealth as she has without unethical means, yet (in so many words) absolving her of any financial power to do the same through her many financial avenues of gaining wealth is a yikes.
And a lot of people criticizing her and other celebrities for not speaking aren’t doing so out of disappointment towards her but rather at her refusing to do, again, the bare minimum and just saying something to energize, inform, and enlighten their fan bases. An underground hip hop artist Redveil dedicated only a few minutes of his set at Camp Flog Gnaw to advocate for the Palestinian people and direct people to resources that aid in calling for a ceasefire, and these resources received hundreds of thousands of clicks and major increases in traffic just by doing that simple act. Is that not the type of energy you are saying people who are critical of celebrities should be on? So why are celebrities absolved of using their platforms for those same actions just because you are biased toward them?
Finally, determining that people critical of celebrities like Beyoncé as (again, in so many words) not doing their part in advocating for Palestine or supporting other movements when most of them ARE using their platforms to spread resources and amplify voices as well as being critical of celebrities is a big yikes. You can do both you know its not a 0 sum game
Thank you 👏🏽, Thank you 👏🏽, Thank you 👏🏽. I’m tired of these excuses.
We can do both, and we can be upset that people with large social capital aren’t doing anything, especially when movements and visibility are being actively Shadowbanned, censored and ignored.
Completely agree, the stances taken in this video are so bizarre to me. Insisting that Beyoncè can't control who sings her songs, while blatantly ignoring the fact that they were singing it during her movie screening in Israel that she refused to cancel is wild.
And it's frankly insulting to insinuate that being critical and being active don't go hand in hand.
Who said that??? lol
I am not absolving Celebs, I’m asking yall why celebs have this much power to you.
Beyonce can do way more than she is, but focusing on a person showing you who they are and how little they care over the people on the ground actually educating and doing the work, the ppl worthy of that energy and attention…that is more of a priority to me. I said and say always “celebrity does not mean integrity” because I mean it.
Beyonce is showing yall she does not care to speak publicly about this. That means it’s up to us as consumers to either keep rocking with her or choose not to. We can “demand” more from her but at the end of the day her silence should tell us all we need to know. So my energy won’t keep going to celebs speaking up because if they wanted to…they would.
@@RattheKingyou are right, this discourse isnt complicated at all. People can still be critical of celebs especially those who uses progressive words or use revolutionary ideas or even name drop the people themselves in their craft, because if you are gonna do a whole album based on people struggle and social justice but refuse to speak up during crisis then the whole ordeal is just perfomative at best and profiting at people struggle at worst. The conversation is needed especially for beyoncé because many tend to gloss over her neutral stance in everything, the tiffany blood diamonds is one of the example. I think we have to realise that she takes the safe route in her politics so that she can impress the masses while still not being overly radical as to prevent backlash. Also maybe it's just me but the bare minimum (even saying genocide is bad is still bare minimum but not many can say that anyway) she could do is not allow zionists to use her songs as part of their genocidial anthem but she chooses not to when there were many artists who immediately rebuke the use of their songs for political campaign. This also extend to other celebs like selena who talk so much about mental health but when speaking about palestinian struggles she made it about herself and refuse to acknowledge it.
Also i feel that this video is a form of whataboutery because people can in fact focus on many thing oh how surprising and not on a singular thing, to me people justification of not expecting celebs to help is just so they can go back to the normal life and consume their fav tv shows, music etc with zero guilt because acknowledging the vicious cycle is to sacrifice personal enjoyment, thats a different conversations about individuality and hyperconsumerism.
To add more information: I believe Taylor grew more outspoken politically and as an activist due to her then relationship with Joe Alwyn: Joe is an activist himself who comes from a family of outspoken activists as well.
Unfortunately she doesn’t speak for any major causes (besides copyright theft) these days, especially climate change. I really hope she uses her voice for good again one day.
(I’m am in no way saying that Taylor was copying Joe or is now a bad person bc she isn’t with Joe anymore. Not my intention at all, just food for thought.
I dont blame beyonce for zi*nist$ abusing her message, but the fact that her management team FINANCED A DIRECT DEAL WITH AMC to distribute HER MOVIE (which is where z*onist$ were filming themselves using her songs) means that she DID have control over WHO views her media. Salley Rooney, an author who has far less control over her published work, made efforts to make sure her books were no longer distributed in lsr@*I, so actually i think that this particular incident did have Beyonce and her teams name written all over it, which means this is one of the few times i disgree with you (great video otherwise)
Fair. I didn’t know about distribution and the regulations and whatnot around that so I didn’t want to speak out of my ass lol
@@KhadijaMbowe that's totally fair! I only read about it because I saw how unprecedented it was for both Beyonce and Taylor Swift to both directly distribute their movies without a middleman. I did really like your video in general and believe that regular people do need to value their own voices without reassurance from celebrities- I'd like to further my point of contention that I brought up in my original comment (and I understand that this goes in a different direction than your main point in the video and I'm not trying to invalidate that) is that it's a more recent practice under later stages of capitalism that celebrities or rich folk can be completely removed or "pick and choose" political statements to make. A lot of famous and affluent American celebrities served in both World Wars and Vietnam, so I get whiplash when now celebrities won't even bother to pretend that they care about a g*n0c!de, much less do the bare minimum to remove themselves from being indirectly involved- and the stench of imperialism and eurocentricism behind why that happens is strong, just the fact that celebrities who have acknowledged oppression but cannot call it out are still valid reasons to be upset with celebrities
Your call to action around 28ish minutes resonates so hard with me. I'm an activist and have been gradually leading more organizing work. The biggest hurdles we face are often not the opposition (although many of them are ghouls), but it's lack of engagement and lack of initiative on the part of the people on our side. People showing that they care and showing others that they want to build community is how we are going to achieve material change.
I'm a trans white woman from Spain, so maybe I'm not the main target of your videos, but watching them is fascinating because a lot of the things you explore permeates the culture of my country in different, but related ways. I'm very grateful for having access to your material and the same for F.D Signifier, Contra, etc. Your way of analyze so many topics is exciting. I hope your followers to keep growing and your kidney to get better ❤
I am from E. Europe and I also don't know if I'm the targeted audience
You described how powerful it was when Beyoncé pronounced herself a feminist. It inspired people to walk through that door! It also had people not go deeper sure BUT, it changed the NARRATIVE. Beyoncé has already planted herself into the political world by her own doing (supporting Hillary, Obama, music, etc.) and has capitalized from it.
Neutrality in such atrocities IS a statment (Like in the bible if you want to go there, which she sometimes does). She has the responsibility as a HUMAN BEING to say SOMETHING. Anything. She can put the flag on her bio. Support the stance on a ceasfire. Support getting aid to Palestine.
In the face of so much propaganda (especially how closely related the black experince and 🍉 have entertwined, even the activists she quotes spoke on it!), she has the the human responsibility to shape the narrative, like we all are trying to do. Because I can not see any other choice. I see whats happening on the ground. All that innocent life blown to pieces, starving, disabled, orphaned. Whole bloodlines wiped away from this earth. Little babies being left in hospitals to suffer and die after soldiers promised they'd be taken care of to the parents and doctors. What did those babies do? Were they Ha**s?
So yeah, no, I got my 3rd eye on EVERYONE who CHOSE to stay silent. The thing is, I WANT to stan Beyoncé but I just can't see past this and frankly don't want to see past this. Because THIS (liberation, solidarity, compassion, love) is IMPORTANT. And I haven't even touched on the Congo, Tigray, Sudan and I'm sure many more (I'm still educating myself, which is another responsibility, btw). Or even the things that are being passed in our gvt. RIGHT NOW, or cop city outside of Atlanta.
Not that this should matter (because we should care about others regardless) but y'all are tweakin if you dont think they wont do this to us here in the states. They ALREADY HAVE as I mentioned above. I mean they BOMBED us in the 80s! Flooded our neighborhoods and burned down our cities. We had concerration camps here too. We are packed in jails and populate in densely packed cities. Our cops are militarized, opperate as gangs and hate us (oh and are trained by the IDF/Isreal themselves).
the laying down is everything.
Beyonce is a brand with all that this entails. Thats all you need to know.
Personally, I decided to disengage with celebrities who aren’t making statements + allocate the energy I would spend supporting or criticizing them toward strengthening my own politic. There’s many artists whose work I love + I remain grateful for it, but where I am rn as a global studies major, as someone showing up everyday in life trying to be a better community member + global citizen, I’m just not interested in the distraction of celebrity culture + I don’t feel like artists who can’t show solidarity in the simplest ways need anything from me at this time.
exactly same sentiments.
Right. I'm sorry, I've been reassured and motivated by many of your videos, but your personal biases are shining through this time around. Other commenters have articulated the problem much better than I ever could, so I won't go into it beyond this: The contradiction of Beyonce introducing so many people to feminism followed by the statement that she holds no power was particularly telling. There were still things that I could resonate with, as with every video I've seen from you, but the core just felt hollow.
Whatever the case, I hope you're feeling better.
I 100% get not looking to celebrities for political views, however in this case if someone has genuinely been following what’s going on they would know Palestinians have been asking all of us to platform their voices and raise awareness! That’s where my critique comes from with her not speaking up especially with her messages in her work. And I think this about any other celebrity, person or even activist who are silent right now.
I don't. It's imposing something on another person that they do not feel comfortable doing. I won't have to live with the consequences they will experience. if I cannot pay that cost, who am I to demand they do anything? Beyonce is an entertainer and a person with her own life. It's clear that people have a parasocial relationship with her. But it's HER life.
Do you know who the most important person is to many people? It's you. It's me. Khadija is just a channel on youtube (no offense Khadija). You are a person who has real relationships. You can use that to advocate. If I had a hundred ordinary people who felt empowered enough to fight and spread a politically realistic advocacy for the Palestinians, we'd win.
The cheapest trick is using emotions to rile a person up for your cause. You must give them a logical reason to stand with you. You must show them the mirror and the ideals. Once you have that, it would take a seismic event to move them away from you. And look at the republicans. They used emotions and now you have a mob. You don't want that. Mobs are dangerous.
And get educated. the goal is not ceasefire. It's not two state anymore. It's UN involvement to stabilize the region. Remember, Ukraine exists. Ukraine is the real priority. If you don't want WWIII, Ukraine MUST be the priority.
Doctors without Borders is my charity of choice. Money to help relief groups can do a lot of good. That's what you have to do.
Beyonce is not trained in foreign policy. She's a trained singer. Her black activism is of her lived experiences as a black woman. During BLM I did not see the very rich Arab League stand with black voices to push for better. I don't know why you all want Beyonce to agitate for Arabs; the same people who slave traded black people on the East African coastline for millenia. Visit Zanzibar and see the slave caves where they kept enslaved black people before you talk about solidarity. Black people need to pick up a history book badly.
@@tinachristine4573 Minor pushback... how will you build that coalition if you refuse to stand and be brave enough to look beyond what you receive? Do you know how dangerous it is to the rich and powerful if the oppressed joined together? This system that grinds all of us down.. it's hurting all of us.
And yeah, there will always be some scabs. There's always going to be the stupid selfish short sighted coalition. The goal is to still push forward.
are you really claiming that you wouldn't accept money from an individual whose family made their money off of slavery? What if that money were to be used to help black children access the arts or scholarships or tutoring programs for at -risk?
Your strategy creates isolated islands. You will lose easily. Divide and conquer. That's what the oppressors want. Why are you helping your oppressors?
Look up Fred Hampton. He was dangerous. We have more in common than we do with the powerful and wealthy.
@jenniferhunter4074 no. This is the busy body behaviour of black people that keeps us stuck. Watch carefully how no other groups apart from some white people actually, stood with us doing the BLM marches. I learned very precious lessons in that time. Here in the UK none of the minority groups stood up for Meghan Markle when she was being bullied. In fact some Indians were discovered to be sending abusive and racist shit about her in police WhatsApp groups. Black people support yourselves, don't kill your souls over every other group. Black women today are being killed in Dubai and other gulf states and it is a silent epidemic that even African governments have refused to address. And you want Beyonce, a black woman, to waste her platform on that mess? Us in Africa we have very bitter experiences with Arabs, they were literally marching down on the black people of Sudan to kill them until Sudan had to be split into 2 countries because the Arab North was determined to finish the black south. Sudan was a member of the Arab league and they never spoke up for the black Sudanese. George Clooney was the person who brought the genocide to international attention. Please don't tell me about black people fighting Arab causes. Pick up a book, read a newspaper and then face your front and mind the black business that concerns you.
I love Beyonce for swerving that mess.
And if Israel falls, rest assured that all those Arabs will pour down the coast of Africa and spread Islam further. Are you aware that they have already set up in Mozambique? ISIS has a branch in Mozambique. They are in Mali. They have terrorised the North of Nigeria. Please wake up and stop parroting the nonsense of the likes of Amanda Seales.
@jenniferhunter4074 no. Black people are such busybodies, my God. This is not our fight. Please repeat this 100 times and go to bed. This is none of our business. Both of those fighting sides hate black people. Okay? Let's keep minding our own business for real. Beyonce collected a big paycheck from Dubai and still kept mute on the middle east. Why are you more pressed than the oil tycoons who paid her who are as Muslim as the ones being bombarded daily?
appreciate your mentioning of how the actual, every day changemakers in our communities are people who just go out and try and get shit done.
your uploads are a bright spot in my day legit whatever they're about i'm always happy to see it
Visibility is still powerful in my opinion, if Taylor swift called for a ceasefire her fans would probably be relentless in the fight for Palestine, awareness is power.
I also started the year with a gnarly kidney infection so I feel you on that one. I hope you are feeling better. 🖤
I really appreciated this video! I've always worried that the "Black Bill Gates" attitude risks reinforcing some of the more harmful tendencies in our society (e.g. oppression under capitalism), but never really felt it was my place to speak out about Beyoncé in particular-especially since, as you aptly note, she's not really the crux of the problem, and that there are FAR wealthier, FAR more insidious forces out there. I really appreciated your commentary here.
sure but we can hold her accountable for her part. Just like how corporations are the main cause of climate change but that doesn’t absolve individual people being willfully complicit
she is a billionaire and one of the most famous women on this earth it is very untrue that she is not part of the crux of the problem/ it's like 3k billionaires and 9 are black and so what? lol there are only /3k billionaires on earth/...
This came at a time when I’ve been thinking about her a lot. Like I revere her, yes. But also those we revere should not be above analysis, in fact they deserve it even more so.
Same to me I went through a Beyoncé song stream night bc I used to be a beehive once upon a time but I’m not surprised she has not said anything and I have a hunch why most extremely wealthy celebrities won’t
Glad to see you upload again.
Thank you cuz most of the power celebrities have is over us 😅😅😅 not politicians or world leaders. Their voices may mean something to us but they don't have ceasefire power
I had an acoustics prof in University who said that one of his great passions was being an expert witness in cases against police brutality, fighting to eliminate the usage of those sound guns.
I think about him a lot, and about how he's just one guy and he cares passionately about that one thing enough to fight for it.
Sending you the biggest hug. I’ve been on the same vibe lately, it’s exhausting being fodder for the machine and it gets harder to find joy…but we persist. Thank you for continuing the good work ❤
The "Beyoncé and Taylor Swift being activists" discourse is so weird. Because on one hand, I definitely understand that they have the literal influence to get people to do things. If TS or Beyonce made a post that just said "protest for Palestine" or THEY THEMSELVES attended a protest, a lot more people would care about Palestinians. Would it be 100 percent genuine care from everyone? Probably not. But it's better than nothing and a many of those fans will genuinely continue to learn about and support more causes ESPECIALLY if their faves are actively teaching or showing them accurate information.
On the other hand, I can see people not wanting celebrities to speak ok something they don't know about, kind of. Because they could spread mass misinformation and they could influence their fans in harmful ways.
But I think activism requires a level of risk taking. For celebrities, the risk is their fans, attention, money, status, opportunities, etc. But many celebrities have taken that risk and have been outspoken about their support (whether for better or for worse... I'm talking about Schnap).
So, I think fans are disappointed that the two biggest tour acts of 2023 are not at all willing to take that risk while other artists, big and small, and normal people are willing when they may have more to risk.
Billionaire Taylor has the passion to talk about legislature that impacts lgbtq individuals (and she did that like once or twice), but she has nothing to said about one of the largest genocides ever? Beyoncé honestly to me has never been that political but she seems aware of things to thw extent that the amount of causes she stays silent on is baffling. It's just weird for them to not risk it on this. They have access to so much, yet they choose not to speak on or learn about issues. It's giving "I don't care, it doesn't impact me or my fans."
But there could be layers, they are like living products and they both "represent" American entertainment in a way, so I'm sure they want to be careful...but come on.
So, should we expect every celebrity to be outspoken about politics or something? No. Is it weird and a little uncomfortable when celebrities stay completely silent on huge human rights issues despite there being tons of resources and people willing to inform them on the topic? Yes. Is it a little cathartic when a celebrity is informed and outspoken on a topic. Hell yeah.
Beyoncé might not be involved in electoral politics, but her work is very, very political
@@brinnd330 agreed, I think she knows how political her existence is and her art reflects that
@@brinnd330 I don’t think singing songs about being black and being a woman should be considered political.
i’m grateful that Khadija highlighted the Courage for America thing in this video ☺️ i paused and emailed my congresspeople on my mother’s & my own behalf 😁
Feel better, K. Love you girl
5:34 "unless you watching this, hey girllll" 😭😭
great way to start off the day with a new khadija video
Sprry to hear youre not feeling well! Hope you feel better soon and keep coming out with these banger videos!!!
KHADIJAAAA BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO!!! Such a beautiful breakdown in its entirety! I loved how you address peoples unwillingness to do the work and try! I remember when instagram first got popular I got so confused because independent thought processing seemed to literally crash! Such a good video girl!
OMG tysm for speaking up about the importance of voting! 🥰 Our voices matter and if enough of us get involved we really can make a difference. ❤
And yes we do tend to want to look to leaders but you are exactly right - find your passion and start making your own path. Be the leader you're waiting for.
That said, I do love celebrities with huge platforms who use them to help inspire others to make positive changes in the world.
Already know that this video will be soo nice
I don't think art is just entertainment (not now and not before), it has always been a bit political and a part of the artist's way of thinking.. It's contradictory that you say in the beginning of the video that you could not call yourself a feminist but the fact that Beyonce called herself a feminist made you change your mind (would you have changed your mind if someone of your own social class had tried to tell you that feminism was more than you thought at that time ?) but then you say that their stance on a subject like what's happening to Palestinians isn't needed. Beyonce (and other celebs like Taylor Swift,..) have been vocal in their own music about different social issues so they're seen as "activists" in a way or at least politically positioned, so saying that their platform isn't useful when they are followed by a lot of people who might be neutral on the subject of Palestine seems a bit overlooking how just one word has power. We all have power and you're right about it, but a protest for exemple needs people, and to have people you need to share the informations of this protest and the more people know the better so having a lot of people following you has more impact. If I start a protest with the 100 of people who follow me it will never really grow as much as Beyonce starting a protest or at least sharing the info which would make sure more people are aware of the protest. And you can't compare a project like a music summer program that you put (respectfully) a lot of work into and were able to make work on your own AND the situation in Gaza ? People are dying, it's not a project that we need to make work with time, they need to stay alive right now. A lot of people are neutral on the situation in Gaza, the news on tv is showing more propaganda from Israel than anything else so we need influence in terms of visibility of information. Just a Free Palestine from Beyonce could make a lot more people think about not being just neutral and really start asking for a ceasefire. So big artists being silent on such subjects leaves a lot of place on speculation (which is kind of dumb in my opinion) but it mostly leaves a lot of place for the wrong crowd to use this silence. It's also important to stil think in priority about having an impact on the governments and all that political wall. I'm going to give you an exemple : right now in France an old fart (and actor..) is accused of rape by multiple women, a lot of French artists took his defense, against that another group of French artists took a stance against him. Do you think that if only people who are not famous would have taken a stance against him then this stance would have been listened and shared on tv ? Artists and famous people have a social and political weight that should not be overlooked.
wow fantastic point. this video directly contradicts itself...you can see the mental gymnastics happening in real-time
Yess you said everything I wanted to say. Hope they see your comment
I am here for the whole vibe you’re giving in this video, and I’m so sorry the start to your year has been shit. Sending you prayers and vibes for recovery.
Bahaha beautiful opening, you had me rolling at the deep space call out.
Excellent and intriguing vid as always! Dig your channel.
Thank you for everything you do & share. I've been wanting to do a free clothing swap in my area for years but needed a kick in the butt to start taking actions. Now I have a tangible goal for the year. Thanks again Khadija.💖
Many of us are looking at *all* people with the power of influence right now. Politicians, activists, influencers, actors etc, especially those who frequently use activist rhetoric in their craft. People are out here feircly defending Beyonce as if those who criticise her silence expect her and only her to bust into the white house, grab a mic, and make a speech cussing tf out of Israel. In reality, we are calling in all kinds of people (Gaga, Swift, Trevor Noah, Kamala, I could go on) who have the power to help end this suffering and are doing *nothing* saying nothing while people are being blown to bits. We are seeing that this is definitely a genocide, but also a social media war. Large accounts sharing the experiences and words of the oppressed are making a difference. We are seeing the effects of big names speaking up. Expecting someone who uses Black Panther imagery in thier music videos and live performances to say "Cease Fire, Stop the Seige" is not uncalled for, its not inappropriate, it's perfectly reasonable. Celebs influence people. I am so *grossed out* by people who criticise our cries for solidarity from powerful people in this fight for a free Palestine. Are we forgetting how many people Taylor Swift got to vote? This is a deeply dissappointing take to see from this channel.
To be clear: no one thinks celebs should be politicians. No one is trying to give celebs power in "politics" (how is it political to want a genocide to end, wtf). No one is denying their own power as an individual by calling in celebrities to speak up. We are, in fact, using our power as non-famous individuals by doing this. These celebrities have power of influence over *us* and we have the ultimate power of movement and influence over the economy and government. Beyonce could throw up a Palestine flag and otherwise willfully ignorant people would start googling Palestine and ways to help. John Oliver is a comedian and actor. He spoke up about Palestine. Angelina Jolie spoke up about Palestine. I bring up these two examples because, while they are entertainers, they are known for their activist/philanthropist actions. I wouldn't expect this from Jessica Simpson or Timothee Chalamet. They don't weave activist rhetoric into their work.
i genuinely want to thank you so much for everything you do, you voice, and for sharing your thoughts because sometimes it can feel so lonely out here and you can definitely at least for me, start to distance myself from everything and you always bring me back to what i love and care about and why we do what we do
Stepping into my own power and doing more in even the smallest way, is something I’m doing more this year. Thank you for all that you do!
And I love Zzavid too and from him I learned about Chuuzus, the Saltburn reaction had me cackling!
Great timing
Celebrities obsession with being Activists only to sell albums is strange to me too...The last 90 days I've been doing the most and going beyond my means to try and do something (Brazil DID actually join South Africa in Court today) about the ongoing Genocide but Beyonce with her Billion followers and influence can't be bothered? I think if you portray yourself as the next "big thing" them u should at least try to go along with the "brand marketing"
hoping you feel better soon 🪄 thank you as always
im sorry that the youtube ennui is weighing and hope you feel better soon 🖤 ur work is appreciated in all its forms!!
If we can move past the pop icon status, we might be able to understand that what we think she stands for is not what she is doing. Translation: a concert is not a rally. Words < Actions. Artists with a lot (of perceived power) to lose, will not bite the hand that feeds - no matter how viperous that hand is.
Love to see your uploads
I hope you get to feeling better soon! Sucks when the year starts off on a rough note, but I hope you get rest and good health soon!
Your articulation is STELLAR!!! Top tier ❤