Okay we can all have a good laugh and cheer at what went down tonight but in all seriousness what she was doing was calling out a white woman on her horribly patronizing, racist behavior. A white woman tried to silence and belittle a Black woman’s pain because she didn’t like how it was presented and proceeded to dismiss it because she was too angry. Miley condescended to her, telling a black woman how best to deal with something that she as a white woman will never have to deal with. And Nicki clapped back. On national television. In front of a live audience, in front of the world, on air.
If you think the media and its industries aren’t going to punish her for it then I need you to pay real close attention to her the next coming months, because you can bet she won’t have as many appearances or invitations, you can bet she will get even less recognition and even more criticism, you can bet most mentions of her will associate her with the Angry Black Woman stereotype without ever addressing why she was angry or recognizing that her anger was justified. They are going to make Nicki out to be the ultimate bad guy when the reality is she was defending herself-and by proxy, Black women in entertainer everywhere-against some serious displays of ignorance and racism. But you watch. Watch what’s going to happen to Nicki after this.
The clap back was hilarious, yes, but there is a reason Black people are celebrating it; because Nicki showed some serious courage. Black people, Black women especially, are expected to shoulder any and all abuse silently. She refused. At the end of the day, to these people, she is just a Black woman who is supposed to shut up and take whatever bullshit gets thrown at her. She isn’t supposed to defend herself, especially not if it means hurting white women’s feelings. Protect Nicki Minaj at all fucking costs. Support her at all costs, because she’s going to come under serious fire.
