BBW Tea Party: Haters Gonna Hate

It is real out here when I start to quote Taylor Swift. I was going to give this piece a different title along the lines of "Shut Up and Sing", but I think I can save that for later (because we know there will be a reason soon enough). And as much as I hate to admit it, Swift is always on trend:

So let's dig into this. Taylor Swift, a pop star that I find tolerable enough, issued this statement on Instagram in which she declares her support for a Democrat man over a Republican woman for Senate in her home state of Tennessee. This is news because until this point, Swift has been rather apolitical and has a gizillion impressionable young coming-of-voting-age followers (to whom she directed this statement). Predictably, some of her stans were upset, most notably Charlie Kirk, who posted this lovely patronizing tweet in response. Others voiced outrage that Ms. Swift deigned to have a political opinion because she is an entertainer, you know with beautiful gowns.

I don't have an opinion about Taylor Swift's opinion (actually I do, but let's not worry about that). However, I have an opinion about people telling other people when they can speak. I have an opinion about people feeling entitled to determine whether someone else's opinion is informed enough to matter. I have an opinion about folks who seem to think that an alternative political point of view as expressed by a celebrity deserves a mass boycott or a record sale ban or a ritualistic poster/tee shirt burning.

This all or nothing ideological purity matrix we seem to be stuck in is getting insane. We are so polarized that every decision has a political implication from where we choose to eat, shop, what we wear, what shows we watch, and now which artists we will support. Not that I haven't been caught up in this too, because there are some businesses that I refuse to patronize and obviously, I have had issues with various artists as well. I won't claim to be immune from the temptation to allow my political leanings dictate my personal life choices, but I would like to think that I am tolerant enough to recognize there will be some inconsistencies. I am not going to go out of my way to boycott a James Woods film because he is a conservative; it's more likely that I won't watch one because he is a douche.

When I found out a few years ago that William Shatner might be a conservative, it was a bit disappointing, but I like Star Trek much more than I care about his political leanings. I am sure that Charlton Heston went to his grave clutching a rifle in his cold, dead hands, but that does not mean that I will pass on my annual ritual of watching the Ten Commandments. I don't listen to country music anyway, so I wouldn't call my choice not to listen a boycott. I am not going to cut up the New Balance sneakers that were given to my mother and I probably won't be burning any of the Hub's Polo shirts because of the Charlottesville rioters. If I can't sleep, I am going to watch my Frasier reruns regardless of how Kelsey Grammar may have voted in the last election. And if Chuck Woolery were to come out of retirement to host a game show...(on second thought, that is a bridge too far).

However, I still refuse to watch FOX News unless I am channel-hopping for an alternative 'factual' perspective. I will never sit through a marathon of The Apprentice (unless I've died and gone to hell), and I wouldn't so much as use the bathroom at Trump Tower. I don't eat at Chik-fil-A and I won't shop at Hobby Lobby (or visit their Bible Museum). On principle, I don't shop at Wal-Mart, yet I have had to venture down that rabbit hole in emergencies. I have an ongoing personal boycott of Koch Industry products, but I appreciate their support of HBCUs and public broadcasting. So what is a conscious Busy Black Woman to do?

Live and let live. I don't know the political leanings of every musician or artist I enjoy, so I'm willing to invite Chrisette Michele back to the BBQ. If folks are sneaking plates to Omarosa and cheering for Tiger Woods again, that is the least we can do. (And hold up, I didn't even know that she performed with Travis Greene, who escaped the same level of draggage!?) Y'all can stop acting surprised that Willie Nelson, the oldest working hippie in the business, is backing a liberal candidate in Texas. For goodness sake, he is featured on We Are the World, so how are you just catching on to his politics?

Taylor Swift is a smart woman. She has been in the business long enough to know how to find the right moment, so her choice to wade into the political waters now is not some random occurrence. She expressed an opinion and then encouraged her followers to do their research and then to register to vote. She figured that some people would get social media mad, but honestly, it isn't her fan base that is upset, it is their parents. Those newly converted followers of Kanye West because they are more worried about their sons being falsely accused of sexual assault than they are afraid for their daughters becoming victims?

Yeah right.

The BBW Tea Party: Aretha's Homegoing

Alright, I waited a respectable amount of time and went back to revisit some of what I missed in the three hours I turned away from the extravaganza that was Aretha Franklin's funeral, so here it is y'all, the Busy Black Woman's Tea Party. Do you have your hat, your snacks, and a little something to give it some zing? Take your time to assemble your necessities and then come back ready to indulge!

1. We are not comparing funerals!
Don't come for me with any nonsense about how the white folks put Sen. John McCain away with solemnity and how we sent Aretha away with a parade. I know. Sometimes that's how it is done, and if you need a primer on Black funerals after having seen Imitation of Life or having sat through the marathons that celebrated the lives of Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, then you need to go on and follow Marc Lamont Hill (who felt the need to explain this on BET of all places). We. Ain't. Got. The. Time. For. That.

Look, this same issue has been noted and debated in the past, but the black delegation decided that it would not give in to the pressure of abridging these celebrations if that's what folks want. And y'all knew that once the lineup was released with a tentative schedule that ran six hours long, this wasn't about to be no sedate funeral.

And furthermore, Senator McCain has had, by my count, four (4) funerals, including military rites and whatnot. If all of that had occurred in one day, then his service would have been about four or five hours too...

2. President Obama can go where he wants!
So the former President didn't go to Aretha's Homegoing, but he went and spoke at one of John McCain's memorial services and some of y'all are mad at him about that. Well you can stay mad. The man is a private citizen and can chose whether he wants to blow an entire day in Detroit, or whether he can spare a few hours in DC. He earned that right.

I have it on good information that the Franklin family decided to extend an invitation to the Clintons because of their long-standing relationship (and the fact that Clinton gave her a National Arts Medal), and that the Obamas stayed away so as not to overshadow the Clintons. So this was all arranged and decided beforehand, so go on and focus on who else wasn't there.

3. A Whole Lot of Folks Weren't There
But I doubt that any of you plan to hold that against them. Mary J. Blige wasn't there. Patti LaBelle wasn't there. Beyonce wasn't there. The Winans weren't there. Thankfully Madonna wasn't there. Shall I go on?

Gladys Knight wasn't even slated to be on the program (she sang the night before at the tribute concert), but she stepped up as the warm up for Stevie, who arrived in time to end the services on a high note before he had to roll out for his next concert gig in Massachusetts last night.

4. That Eulogy
My Dad called me when Rev. Williams was about two minutes into his message, and by the time we finished talking, the Reverend went on for at least another fifteen minutes. I haven't been willing to sit for a full replay because I heard more than enough.

Don't come at me with any explanations about what I missed from his sermon because I have heard so many versions of that same tired message and there is no new spin or fresh take that I need. I don't know why Aretha asked him to preach her eulogy after there had already been seven hours of more appropriate tributes offered, and I won't speculate about her beliefs. I just know that it is entirely consistent that some folks will leave a black funeral pissed about something, so there you go.

5. Don't Try It
Don't lay Big Mama out in a gold coffin. Don't rent a specialized hearse. Don't order a fleet of pink Cadillacs. Don't get up there to sing if that ain't your ministry. Don't have a three-day wake with wardrobe changes. And even if you have the money to pay for any of the aforementioned nonsense, don't die without a will.

6. Unless Otherwise Instructed, Wear Black
But for the love of God, so that no one spends several days discussing the length of your hemline as a defense to your being felt up by the presiding Bishop...

And that applies to the men in attendance as well. Was Bill Clinton wearing a purple suit???

7. Cicely Tyson Can Do Whatever She Wants
She can wear a hat that looks like it came from the set of the Flying Nun. She can give a spontaneous performance piece (an adaptation of When Malindy Sings) that nobody expected. She can perform that piece with such passion that we didn't notice that she didn't have it memorized. She can do anything!

8. So we have discussed almost everything else, but Ronald Isley...and Faith Hill.

9. Correct the Record
Aretha Franklin did not record for Motown, so she was not part of that label's fabled Golden Era during the 60s. I know that we want her to have been a part of that history as she was friends with many of those artists, namely Smokey Robinson. But somehow, I don't see Aretha being content to playing second fiddle to Diana Ross (#ijs).

10. Pray for the Family
In the end, after we have had our fun we must consider the loss felt by this family. For all of the enjoyment we the public got from experiencing that extravaganza, there are her loved ones for whom that was one of the most unimaginable experiences of their lives. In that casket was a mother, a grandmother, an auntie, a best friend. It was a privilege that we were allowed to witness her celebration of life. In the weeks to come, when we have moved on with our lives, let's remember their generosity and pray for their comfort and strength.