I hate this era. I hate this timeline. I wish some people would have more self-awareness, or just a general sense of what is and is not appropriate. So it is Madonna, who decided to do *something* about the situation in Minneapolis, the killing of George Floyd and the massive racial injustice that still exists in this country. What did Madonna do? She filmed her son David Banda dancing to a Michael Jackson song. To end racism.
Brutal murder travels around the world my son David Dances to honor and pay tribute to George and His Family and all Acts of Racism and Discrimination that happen on a daily basis in America. #davidbanda #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd #MichaelJackson pic.twitter.com/wLa6YKrYF1
— Madonna (@Madonna) May 28, 2020
I mean… David Banda is only 14 years old. Don’t yell at him. He’s just doing his thing and he’s a kid and he obviously loves to dance. I blame Madonna for posting it, honestly. She did it for attention for herself and her son.
bossip headline writers just turned on a fresh pot of coffee and flicked on the lights in a basement lab, they gonna have a field day with this madonna thing
— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) May 29, 2020
Nobody asked Madonna to weigh in today. Not a soul.
Unforced errors among public figures have been rampant this month. pic.twitter.com/DNOkNCG7at
— April (@ReignOfApril) May 29, 2020
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
That’s it. Racism ended.
Thanks, Madonna.
But did she say his dance was to end racism?
Well, technically she said the opposite.
His dance was (in her words) to honour and pay tribute to all acts of racism and discrimination that happen every day in America.
😁
Omgosh @Yamayo. Ugh! So much money and can’t take two minutes to have someone read over a social media post featuring her son!!!!!
I get your point, but if it was about a random 14yo dancing to this song would people react like this? I saw it and thought that he’s got talent. I didn’t even notice her hashtags, to me his movements and that song made a point. Didn’t she post something as a reaction earlier as well with end racism call?
Another example of how tone deaf she is.
It does seem silly, like perfoming for ‘Massa’.
Exactly! Read the room Madonna!
There are a lot of things she can do and sharing this video with all of her followers was not high on the list.
This is another example of her white privilege and absolute ignorance about racism in America.
She needs to take a damn seat and shut up! Her glory days are well past. She’s reminding me of Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd.
EXACTLY!!!
She’s so ridiculous. Her opinion on this is unneeded and unwanted. She’s so tired and thirsty, I just can’t with her anymore. Sad to see what’s she’s become.
I agree. This was the woman who pushed boundaries in the 90s and seemed to be a feminist (Like a Virgin performance on MTV, her Sex bookm etc). WTF now? She’s a sad old woman trying to stay relevant and completely tone deaf about it.
So, her little Insta videos weren’t getting enough attention, so she drags her Black son out during one of the worst times of anti-Black racism and violence to dance to “honor” George Floyd…..for attention. Everything I feared about this white narcissist raising Black children is coming to fruition. The dragging will be brutal, as well it should be. I just hope David will know it isn’t his fault.
She is not well, i think. No idea what’s getting to her – the age, the looming insignificance, the raging narcissism that corroded her brain – but she’s been increasingly unhinged. It’s not funny anymore, because her son is being dragged online and at this age he will take it personally.
Yeah, this has been going on for over a decade. I think it’s largely a case of her truly believing in every ounce of hype. She’s been so removed from reality for so long. I feel sorry for her son.
This is so damn tone deaf! She tries so hard all the time and she just needs to stop. The only nice thing I can say is the song choice is good. I love that MJ song and it is unfortunately still very relevant today.
The only people who need to be making videos about ending racism are camera crews stationed in Washington to record emergency legislative and judicial hearings to throw down gauntlets and handcuff the President.
OMFG, Madge. I get it. You have Black children who have to somehow find a way to live safely in that fucking country, and it’s gut-wrenching and terrifying and morally outrageous. But keep that shit private since you have zero clue how to talk about this injustice publicly.
hashtag saveDavid
I would like to hug this comment. I mean, I believe she cares and wants to bring attention to things(including herself), and David obviously has talent and this week has been rough for black people(I can attest to that) but posting him dancing seems performative and not helpful.
Sure maybe as an expression of his grief and anger but like why does she then need to post it? It is like she is coopting his feelings for her needs.
As New York says in the clip above (to paraphrase)
Madonna should have just sat there and ate her food.
How about all these incredibly wealthy celebrities try to do something meaningful through their money?
I’m so over these narcissists doing these singing/dancing whatever videos.
Oh god.
She is so hard to like. Kanye level of hard to like.
This summarily sums up my feelings, as well. Thank you.
What are we supposed to do with this, Madonna? Thanks, I guess. 🤷♀️
What on earth is she wearing in that lead photo? *baffled*
P.S. The comments on her Twitter Post – omg LMAO – but I feel sorry for David Banda. He really is a good dancer.
Remember when she made the death of Aretha Franklin about herself at the MTV awards?
I heard that her longtime PR person retired. I wonder if Madonna going off the rails in the last few years is related to that. She’s always been thirsty but it wasn’t as tone-deaf as it’s been.
Sorry but what’s the big deal? So much crap is posted daily I mean… For all we know he asked her to post it.
Bigger fish to fry, people..
He is a talented kid. Just the insertion into a national crisis for attention was so…odd. Any other day I would think good dance David.
I find this all problematic. Most of all I worry about her black kids being raised by someone with her mindset.
Isn’t the song picked rather problematic? Weren’t the original lyrics rather anti-Semitic?
Not that I’d expect a 14 year old to know that but Madonna certainly should
Yes agreed, at 14 your parents are still supposed to be helping you learn how not to be problematic. Instead she is modeling and maybe even throwing him out there in a problematic way during a very poorly chosen time.
this boy is going to be really handsome when he grows up a little.
and about madonna… people are very critical of her and hate her a lot, but I will always be a fan. not because she’s not silly and out of touch with normalcy, but because she was an important figure in our culture and made a difference, had a great impact on it. her songs and messages promoted individual expression, female sexual liberation, female pleasure, diversity when it wasn’t even a thing… nobody can take that away from her. and I’m glad she was there while I was growing up. to be honest, nowadays there are no stars that can measure up. there are talented people with great voices or nice personalities, but nobody that shifts paradigms or awakens people to a different way of being or perceiving themselves. so, I won’t hate on her for her flaws, some of which are apparent.
Let’s put this into proper perspective – she was a contributing figure in popular culture. During her time, she was not the only artist who “promoted individual expression, female sexual liberation, female pleasure, diversity when it wasn’t even a thing”. There were other female artists, even WOC artists who did this as well. But she was white, beautiful, blonde, sexy . . . palatable. Thus, she was able to reach the heights she did. However, even during the 80s, she was already problematic in terms of appropriation. She was already flawed then. Now, in these a little bit enlightened times, people should be all the more critical of her. Not because of her flaws – because she has always been flawed, but rather for her refusal to correct these flaws. Her cultural appropriation have amplified along with her tone deafness.
sure, she wasn’t the only one. but she did work hard and speak about risky things and create fresh content. also, it’s not about her being blonde or beautiful. she’s not even that beautiful. she had nerve and ambition. and about cultural appropriation…well, I don’t know what that means to you. different people define it differently. if it’s about her being inspired and influenced by different cultures, their music or clothes or whatever…I am not against that. I think it’s normal to become a fan of some other culture and to incorporate elements of that culture in your work. it would be really boring if everybody stuck only to their tradition and culture. where is progress, change, novelty in that? culture can’t get enriched that way. as long as you use it with respect and admiration for that culture and don’t say you made it up, but acknowledge it’s roots…it’s good.
You cannot say that those other artists did not have nerve and ambition. You cannot say that those artists did not also work hard. There is always the element of fortuity and timing in fame. To acknowledge this will not lessen what she had achieved in pop culture. To ignore it is disingenuous. As for what is cultural appropriation – I believe if you are a reader of this site, this topic has been discussed often enough. What you mentioned has always been the go-to-rationalization of those who practice cultural appropriation – that they’re “appreciating it, enriching, etc”. A very good example, when she wore wore an elaborate headpiece with horns, layered jewelry, braids, a multi-hued printed robe, and black dress (Amazigh culture of North Africa) at the VMAs two years ago – did she enrich the Amazigh culture when she did that? No, she definitely did not. To say that she did would be the height of stupidity and audacity. For her it was another costume, another means for her to reinvent herself. If equating USING the culture to appreciating it, then she definitely “appreciated” it then. Did she respect the culture? Again a definite and resounding “NO!” because if she did, she would have looked into the significance of each of the pieces she wore and realised she had no right to wear it. The horned headpiece for one, is only worn by Ait Baamrane women because they were warriors. They earn the right to wear it. Madonna saw it, thought it was badass and wore it as a costume without second thoughts to its significance. Did she even apologise for doing that?
what other artists come to mind in this context? I’m curious to know who you’re referring to.
@horseandhound – oh! there are so many! but i will limit who i will enumerate to those the western culture knows and white women. As for the rest, I encourage you to search them out, aside from the WOC artists in North America, there were other women artists in other cultures who sang of sexuality, self-expression, feminism, politics and the oppression of religion, earlier and/or at the same time Madonna did.
At the top of my head i will mention Tori Amos. She started her career in 1979 but only got her big break in the early 1990s. She sang of the things I’ve mentioned above including rape and abortion. Like I said, fortuity and timing are elements of fame. Madonna’s ‘like a virgin’ exploded during Reagan’s type of heightened hypocritical conservatism. Titillation was definitely the name of the game and Madonna was a very good player. She knew that to scandalise would give her the attention. However, she was pop, bubblegum – she only skimmed the top of the issues and used them. That is also the reason why her being so tone deaf and cultural appropriation is so much worse now. She never really bothered learning, really delving about these issues. Her takes are so shallow. She would only know enough to titillate. She didn’t grow. Anyways, other white, female artists that sang of being women and issues: Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey (she caused a scandal when she posed topless for a music magazine), Shara Nova, Courtney Love, Sheena Easton, etc. These are just some of the very many hardworking, nervy, ambitious women in the music industry.
@kif, thanks for your answer. I adore tori and kate. both so special, intimate and deep. I am particularly in awe of kate’s song ‘sunset’. so poetic. I’ve heard about the other artists too, but never listened to their music. I will explore their discographies a bit.
@horseandhound: Let’s start with ripping off Nelson Mandela’s iconic photograph; ripping off Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza who introduced her to “voguing” ; she had to pay $2.5 million to Lebanese singer Fairuz who sued for sampling her song without permission and without any financial compensation; multiple images she ripped off including Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Mansfield, Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, Cindy Lauper, etc. etc.
The list goes on and on. She’s as original as a $40 street market Birkin bag.
He’s a handsome young man and a good dancer and I hope he comes out of raising his mother unscathed, that is all
Besides the inappropriateness of it all… I couldn’t help watching this and thinking, my 14-year-old son would never allow me to post a video on my social media of him dancing — even if he was a good dancer. And I don’t have a fraction of the followers Madge has.