The reach is real. I did not think it was humanly possible to stretch the truth so far until I discovered people dragging Beyoncé from atop her throne and into the political arena. First we have Betsy McCaughey, the Donald Trump surrogate who likened the GOP Nominee’s “locker room talk” to the bold lyrics of Beyoncé’s hit song “Formation.” According to McCaughey, it is hypocritical for Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton to be repulsed by the language Trump used in the leaked 2005 Access Hollywood tape because Beyoncé has made sexual references in her music, and Clinton has expressed admiration for Beyoncé.
The needless hullabaloo only intensified when conservative commentators Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham hopped on Twitter and quoted Nicki Minaj lyrics (that Coulter mistakenly accredited to Beyoncé) in an effort to undermine first lady Michelle Obama's powerful New Hampshire speech against Trump. If the thousands of bee emoji’s swarming McCaughey’s social media account and the ire Coulter and Ingraham triggered on Twitter wasn’t any indication, the BeyHive was none too pleased with their comments.
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Where is the correlation, though?
I could travel to the far corners of the globe and still be unable to find the link between Trump’s dialogue on that tape and Beyoncé’s lyrics. Comparing the two is comparing apples to oranges. Beyoncé nor Nicki Minaj are running to be our next Commander-in-Chief. These women are entertainers. Thus, we do (or at least should) hold them to a different standard than we do the individuals running for Office. We do not expect Beyoncé or Nicki Minaj to have a healthcare reform policy or a plan to defeat ISIS. We also do not expect our presidential candidates to spit some rhymes on a killer beat or keep a bat named after a spicy condiment in their bags. The stark contrast in professions here makes arguments like McCaughey’s improbable.
Emphasizing the expletives of Nicki Minaj’s rap lyrics does nothing to strengthen Coulter and Ingraham’s arguments, neither. Their tweets lack credibility because they assume that the outrage surrounding Trump centers around the word "p----" hence their haste to quote Minaj using the same word. However, it is the context in which Trump used the P-word that has people angry. In fact, many opponents of the Republican nominee, such as Vice President Joe Biden, have amounted Trump’s boasting of grabbing women by their privates to sexual assault. Yes, there is music that is riddled with obscenities and sexual references, and it may not be everyone’s taste. But what do Trump's provocative remarks to Billy Bush have to do with Nicki Minaj rapping about the deliciousness of her goodies? The framework surrounding the candidate's use of the word and Minaj's use are completely different. The two simply do not compare.
Beyoncé does not belong in this conversation. Why shouldn't she sing about treating her husband to Red Lobster after enjoyable sex? Those cheddar biscuits are to die for! Furthermore, unless she decides to be Kanye West’s running mate in the presidential bid for 2020, then perhaps we can take issue with her more risqué lyrics. Otherwise, we need to leave her in the music industry, not drag her in the realm of politics in a rash attempt to justify the controversy surrounding Donald Trump. When I saw Beyoncé’s name in the headlines, I reckoned it was because she delivered another breathtaking performance or, along with Jay-Z, donated 15 million dollars to rebuild Haiti after Hurricane Matthew. The last thing I expected to see was conservative pundits quoting her catchy stanzas live on broadcast television and misattributing her lyrics in a tweet. Using Beyoncé, or any artist, for that matter, as a tool to quell political challenges is a reach of astronomical proportions.
I can acknowledge the need to handle opposition and stand up for what you believe in. What bewilders me is when people feign the power of Elastigirl from The Incredibles, extending their appendages so far that they squish two unrelated topics together to try and make a point. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't come for Queen Bey too hastily because the BeyHive is always in formation, and I am not trying to get stung.
