Dear @ladygaga: don't get political at #SuperBowl. People are tired of being called stupid & racist by dunces like @Beyonce & @Kaepernick7 pic.twitter.com/GbSN5fZ6xX
— NRATV (@NRATV) February 3, 2017
The commercial delivery mechanism known as the Super Bowl hasn’t even arrived yet and The NRA’s “TV” branch is already chastising Lady Gaga over what might appear in Sunday’s halftime show. A pop at Beyoncé also made its way into the proceedings, so we imagine the Beyhive is taking notice.
Conservative commentator Bill Whittle popped by NRATV’s Stinchfield to provide an preemptive rebuke of what Mother Monster might trot out during the Falcons/Patriots game. Gaga, an unapologetic Hillary Clinton supporter through 2016 and known to be the outspoken sort, hasn’t promised anything super-specific on a halftime message beyond what the recording artist says she’s expressed her entire career. (Unpack that how you will.) That approach clearly makes Whittle uncomfortable and the finger wagging has already begun. Whittle frames a potential political action as a declaration of war against what he considers to be the real America. Your America may vary.
“I think if Lady Gaga comes out there and makes this an anti-Trump tirade, I think that’s really the final step of the declaration of war between our pop culture people and the actual citizens,” Whittle declared on NRATV. “This is not the Kennedy Awards, this isn’t the Oscars, this is the Super Bowl where real Americans get together and have a real fun day and the last thing they want to hear is how stupid and racist they are.”
It’s not unreasonable to suggest that there’s a portion of the viewing audience that wants politics separate from the halftime festivities, but in the current cultural climate, even non-action/non-acknowledgement is a political act. Whittle waxes nostalgic about what he considers to be the previous non-political era for halftime shows. Considering that Up With People has appeared at numerous Super Bowls and even Michael Jackson had a political bent with his performance, that sentiment reads pretty hokey to yearn for a simpler time where there weren’t “values™” being presented at the half.
Whittle used Beyoncé as an example of something that supposedly scandalized the public and horrified the globe by suggesting (GASP!) black lives matter. How rude of her (Beyoncé: America’s Most Important Artist) to stick up for black people at an event starring loads of black athletes, eh? Whittle presents that brand of performance and commentary as progressive mouthpieces opposing what he considers the will of “actual citizens” to be. Whittle also took the peculiar stance of blaming the NFL’s ratings decline solely on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to protest, so interpret actual citizens vs. athletes/entertainers how you will.
(Via Billboard)
