Born This Way
A lot of people sent me questions here on tumblr and on Formspring regarding the track, so I'll answer all in one post.
I'm probably going to be roasted by fellow Little Monsters for saying this, but I don't like it. I'm disappointed in Gaga right now.
The sound itself is ok, but this is not living up to the hype of it being "The Anthem of Our Generation." She wrote it in ten minutes, and it sounds like it. Yeah, it's danceable, but it's no "Bad Romance."
But the main reason I don't like this track is the words "chola" and "Orient." I've already explained why these words are offensive in a previous post. Using these words is really taking away from the intended message of the song. To be frank, I feel a bit betrayed, because Gaga should know better.
Her naiveté is one of her biggest faults, and she's made some errors like this in the past and learned from them. Intent is no excuse, though. I really hope that enough of her fans speak up about this so that she gets the message. Using racial slurs in the headline song of her most anticipated album is NOT ok.
There's also the issue brought up when an old photo surfaced of her posing with two guys who seem to be in blackface. Since there's no context for the photo, a lot of people are trying to make excuses for it, but frankly, that doesn't really matter. Whether she was too drunk/it was too dark to notice, or whatever the reason for them wearing that ways- from a purely publicity standpoint, that was a really stupid idea to let herself be photographed with them. Regardless of her intent (or lack thereof) it gives a bad message.
Also, I'm really iffy about the religiousness that's starting to creep into her work ever since Alejandro. Like almost all Italian girls (myself included) she was born and raised Catholic, and that sort of mindset never really lets go of you, I know. But I think right now she's sort of mid-metamorphosis and spouting off a lot of conflicting messages that her fans are taking at face value and eating up with a spoon.
As silly as it sounds, Gaga feels like family to me. I'm sure every fan says this, but I really feel connected to her, like a kindred soul. I won't disown her over this; I have hope she's going to learn from it due to the inevitable backlash. But I am not happy with the direction she's going in right now, and I'm not going to praise her for this song, or make excuses for her.
I challenge my fellow Little Monsters to do the same. If you are genuinely as concerned about this stuff as I am, then don't just blindly kiss her ass and push those feelings aside. She clearly wants to unite her fans and represent a celebration of diversity, but she's shooting herself in the foot. She has some answering to do, and we need to make that clear.
I'm probably going to be roasted by fellow Little Monsters for saying this, but I don't like it. I'm disappointed in Gaga right now.
The sound itself is ok, but this is not living up to the hype of it being "The Anthem of Our Generation." She wrote it in ten minutes, and it sounds like it. Yeah, it's danceable, but it's no "Bad Romance."
But the main reason I don't like this track is the words "chola" and "Orient." I've already explained why these words are offensive in a previous post. Using these words is really taking away from the intended message of the song. To be frank, I feel a bit betrayed, because Gaga should know better.
Her naiveté is one of her biggest faults, and she's made some errors like this in the past and learned from them. Intent is no excuse, though. I really hope that enough of her fans speak up about this so that she gets the message. Using racial slurs in the headline song of her most anticipated album is NOT ok.
There's also the issue brought up when an old photo surfaced of her posing with two guys who seem to be in blackface. Since there's no context for the photo, a lot of people are trying to make excuses for it, but frankly, that doesn't really matter. Whether she was too drunk/it was too dark to notice, or whatever the reason for them wearing that ways- from a purely publicity standpoint, that was a really stupid idea to let herself be photographed with them. Regardless of her intent (or lack thereof) it gives a bad message.
Also, I'm really iffy about the religiousness that's starting to creep into her work ever since Alejandro. Like almost all Italian girls (myself included) she was born and raised Catholic, and that sort of mindset never really lets go of you, I know. But I think right now she's sort of mid-metamorphosis and spouting off a lot of conflicting messages that her fans are taking at face value and eating up with a spoon.
As silly as it sounds, Gaga feels like family to me. I'm sure every fan says this, but I really feel connected to her, like a kindred soul. I won't disown her over this; I have hope she's going to learn from it due to the inevitable backlash. But I am not happy with the direction she's going in right now, and I'm not going to praise her for this song, or make excuses for her.
I challenge my fellow Little Monsters to do the same. If you are genuinely as concerned about this stuff as I am, then don't just blindly kiss her ass and push those feelings aside. She clearly wants to unite her fans and represent a celebration of diversity, but she's shooting herself in the foot. She has some answering to do, and we need to make that clear.