Lady Gaga performed at the Super Bowl's halftime show, and by all accounts, she absolutely slayed the performance. The 13-minute show had everything: a sparkly football, drones making an American flag, a keytar, acrobatics, and some incredible singing and dancing. What it did not have, however, was an overt political message. For most normal humans, this was fine, and welcomed after last year's halftime show--but some killjoys out there were upset about this (or, they insisted it was political after all).
(If you missed the performance, you can watch it here.)
*Sigh*
Some examples:
If You Think Lady Gaga's Super Bowl Performance Wasn't Political, You Missed the Point https://t.co/HydqC3vIuz via @TeenVogue
— Eric Rosswood (@LGBT_Activist) February 6, 2017
Lady Gaga sang a Woody Guthrie song at the Super Bowl & people think she didn't do anything political? Bless their hearts. pic.twitter.com/g0XBwgr8PJ
— Amy Jo Cousins (@_AJCousins) February 6, 2017
Gaga's halftime performance was ABSOLUTELY political. https://t.co/34K0f9Rz47
— Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) February 6, 2017
Lady Gaga's lack of a political message in contrast to Beyoncés Black Panther salute last year is telling. Black Women do the heavy lifting.
— Beyoncés 4th Child (@pettyblackboy) February 6, 2017
You knew this hot take was coming: Lady Gaga was actually bad because she didn't attack Trump or cops https://t.co/VUgumRfidZ
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) February 6, 2017
Give it a rest. Lady Gaga performed a medley of her biggest hits--which include the inclusivity anthem "Born This Way." While "This Land Is Your Land" certainly gets aggressive in the later verses, she purposefully excluded those from the performance. (A statement by omission, if you will.) The "theme" of the show was coming together as a nation, and if that's somehow a political statement, I want off this ride.
Nobody is tuning into the Super Bowl looking for advice on how to think politically. Sports are supposed to be a pleasant distraction from the real world's problems--a sort of escapism. Gaga gave one heck of a performance, and she should be lauded for that. She shouldn't be derided for not taking a shot at President Donald Trump. Her job was to entertain, and she did. That's all we've asked of her.