05 | opinions
Feb. 17, 2016
OPINIONS Humans of Drake Each week, staff writer Rachel Wermager captures stories of students on Drake’s campus
STAFF OPINION
Beyoncé’s delivers in new ‘Formation’
Jacob McKay Staff Writer jacob.mckay@drake.edu
Leviathan DeGross • Sophomore International Relations “As far as a role model it would definitely be my grandfather. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 20 and was told he may not live to see age 35. He is currently 69. He has gone big game hunting in Africa three times, he has gone bungee jumping in New Zealand, he has gone snorkeling in New Mexico, he has gone deep-sea fishing in Jamaica. He is what I want to be.”
Beyoncé is the greatest female artist of our generation. That statement can be confidently made with very few calling it into question. Beyoncé’s influence has been discussed in a myriad of articles spanning her whole career, and if you’re reading this, then you already know. She’s back in the news again with a song and video titled “Formation,” which she performed during the Super Bowl
Former Mayor Guiliani disapproves of Beyoncé
Broncos, Beyoncé and Doritos
Elyse Wheaton Staff Writer elyse.wheaton@drake.edu
Super Bowl 50 brought together two teams that had not crossed paths yet: the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. The Carolina Panthers came into the Super Bowl with their MVP quarterback, Cam Newton, leading the way, whereas the Denver Broncos came into the Super Bowl with the number one defense in the league leading their way. It was no secret that if the Denver Broncos were to beat the Carolina Panthers, their defense would need to stop Newton, who had 38 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns. Denver’s defense is no joke, though. Led by Von Miller, a top linebacker, and DeMarcus Ware, a top pass rusher in the league, Denver was able to put a stop to the Newton show. Denver combined for seven sacks and kept the Panthers to a season-low 10 points. Peyton Manning reminded everyone throughout the week leading up to the Super Bowl how the Broncos would win the game. “No matter how my right arm feels or my left foot feels, let’s remember that our defense got us here. Let’s just make that clear,” Manning said. Manning was correct; there is no question their defense led the way and won the game for them, 24-10. “I’m just glad I’m on the same team as our defense and glad I don’t have to play against them. No question our defense led the way,” Manning said. Not everyone watches the Super Bowl just for the game itself, but also for the halftime show. Every year, they have amazing performers and put on a great production. This year Coldplay was headlining, with Beyoncé and Bruno Mars for support. Coldplay was good, but it’s hard
the South, this song is an anthem. It’s something that people of color can relate to and be proud of. For fans of Beyoncé who may not relate to how proud she is of being black, it’s a song they can’t run from. Beyoncé proudly announces that for her next work, which includes a world tour also named “Formation,” she is not going to water down who she is or what she is about and that is something that deserves to be admired and respected by everybody. Beyond the statement itself, it’s a great song with all the catchiness that creates a hit, but with a uniquely Southern sound. Whatever Beyoncé has planned for this year will inevitably be as loud, as important and as inescapable as “Formation.”
STAFF OPINION
NATIONAL EVENTS
to compete when Beyoncé is your “support.” She was amazing as usual, performing her new song “Formation.” Though she did stir the pot later with her very political song and production, many still found it amazing and empowering. Because it was Super Bowl 50, the NFL had a nice tribute to those who have performed at previous Super Bowls, and Beyoncé paid personal homage to the late Michael Jackson by wearing a similar outfit to what he wore when he performed. Coldplay was overshadowed; it definitely was the Beyoncé and Bruno show. It’s not certain what they thought would happen when they added Beyoncé and Bruno as supporting artists, because Beyoncé is most definitely not a supporting artist. While the halftime show received mediocre ratings and response, it was still fun and exciting to enjoy the themes portrayed this year and the tribute to all those who have performed before them. Almost every television in the United States is turned to the Super Bowl each year, whether you love football or hate football, most everyone watches it. Therefore, this is the perfect time for advertisers to show the world their products. This year there seemed to be a theme with talking and singing animals (the singing sheep commercial was a favorite), and celebrities are always used to get your attention (anyone else want to move to Ryan-ville?). The commercials are quirky, catchy entertaining fun, but sometimes they’re downright weird. Doritos always seems to border the really funny, really weird line. They didn’t disappoint with their baby commercial this year. Many people laughed and others could only think, “What just happened?” But the commercial that won for “What the heck did I just watch?” was the Mountain Dew Kickstart commercial, better known as puppy monkey baby. It was quite the commercial to say the least. The Super Bowl has become an American tradition. It doesn’t matter if your team is playing or if you have even watched football all season—or ever, for that matter. It’s a time for family and friends to come together to enjoy food, conversation, some weird commercials, a great halftime show and a great football game between two great teams. Watching the Super Bowl is a wonderful way to spend a Sunday evening.
halftime show. Many were angered by her use of Black Panther imagery in her halftime performance, but that noise is irrelevant. We are in an era where artists need to take more of a stand for important social issues and movements. Artists in the music industry in this day and age are often just robots that are the direct product of their labels and their labels engineer every move they make. Beyoncé is bigger than any label and has the freedom to make whatever statement she chooses. She is a hero to millions across the world and she chose to make a statement about how proud she is of black history with this song and performance. The song is literally about how Beyoncé “likes her Negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils” and has “hot sauce” in her bag, and it’s not just the fact that she says these things but the emphasis with which she says them. Her delivery on this song is what makes it what it is. Beyoncé comes from a Southern. For women of color in
Mia Blondin Staff Writer mia.blondin@drake.edu @mjblondin
Last week Beyoncé slayed — as she always does — but this time it was on an even larger stage than her usual performances: the Super Bowl halftime show. She also received critique from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The day before she performed, Beyoncé pulled a Beyoncé and released a new song and music video called “Formation” without telling anyone. Her performance received mixed reactions. There were
people who instantly became fans of her new song, but then there were people like Giuliani who found the performance to be inappropriate. The Monday morning following the Super Bowl, Giuliani was on “Fox and Friends” to discuss what he thought was not an appropriate performance, arguing that the NFL should have censored her performance after seeing rehearsals. Giuliani seemed to be upset because of the attention Beyoncé brought to tensions between the police force and black America. “You’re talking to middle America when you have the Super Bowl,” Giuliani said. “So if you’re going to have entertainment, let’s have decent, wholesome entertainment. And not use it as a platform to attack the people who put their lives at risk just to save us.” Controversy and criticism have flooded the Internet with people angry that her back-up dancers seemed to be wearing berets similar to members of the Black Panthers, and how they formed an “x” at one point, a possible tribute to Malcolm
X. These theories seem a little far fetched. Beyoncé probably isn’t the first performer to have her dancers stand in such a formation, and the fact that it was visually pleasing to the audience was probably another reason her choreographer arranged them in that way. Beyoncé is a black female superstar with a whole lot of power. Anything she says or does is mentioned by the media, so why is it wrong that she is using her platform to speak about something important to her? Beyoncé’s performance has done exactly what she intended it to do; It got people talking about these issues. She wasn’t going out of her way to attack every cop in America, but she was trying to make a statement about something she, and many others, see as a problem — and she looked and sounded good doing it.
STAFF OPINION
The horrific tales of the Holocaust through a survivor’s eyes
Molly Adamson Staff Writer molly.adamson@drake.edu
This past week I had the opportunity to see Marion Blumenthal Lazan, speak to a packed audience in Sussman Auditorium. Lazan came on stage and I instantly felt as if I was hearing her story over the radio. As her mesmerizing voice told a horrific story of experiences in a concentration camp, I felt as I if I was being taken back in time. Although I had heard Holocaust stories from books and movies, I had never met a Holocaust survivor. To hear a story similar to the ones I had read in books being told out loud brought a new meaning to the story.
Lazan has told this story to over one million people across the country and she was still able to tell the difficult parts with a small smile on her face and even a few jokes. But I could still see the pain on her face. Even though I will never come close to experiencing the hardships the Jewish community faced during World War II, I can understand how hard it was for Lazan and her family. One thing that I found especially interesting, something that is not covered very much in history books, was what happened after the Jews and others taken into the concentration camps were rescued from the concentration camps. Lazan was only nine years old when she and her family were liberated from a cattle car train traveling from Bergen-Belsen, a notorious concentration camp to somewhere unknown in Eastern Europe. She had to relearn a lot of things, like language and table manners. She went to school in America at age 13, where she was placed in the fourth grade because she was so behind. This is what amazed me. Few survivors discuss the struggles Jews went through to get back to the normalcy of civilization after the Nazis had spent years dehumanizing them. Hearing the
reality of the aftermath was very impactful for me. Another thing that struck me about Lazan’s speech was the fact she mentioned that we are the last generation that will get the chance to hear Holocaust stories from the people who lived through it. She reminded us that it is our responsibility to tell our children and grandchildren about our history — the good and the bad. Lazan gave us the message of love and respect, telling us those two things can make this world a better place. Her message is one everyone needs to hear and understand. I’m really happy I got the chance to see Lazan speak because I don’t think I’ll get many other opportunities to listen to someone who went through that hardship speak again. We need to love and respect each other in order to prevent something like the Holocaust from happening again, so I leave you with the same message: Spread love, not hate.