Bow Down to Ms. "Humble"?

I remember the first time I read a magazine interview/article about Beyonce years ago (I tried to find it, but then realized how much time I was wasting so I stopped). The writer took great pains to speak about how humble she was and  I believe there was a direct quote from Beyonce herself saying she was "humble." I recall wondering if it was even necessary to tell someone how humble you are, if you are indeed "humble." I was turned off by that and the rest of the article and haven't been a huge fan of her ever since. 

Don't get me wrong, I love SOME of the music, especially the early Destiny's Child stuff, but some of her lyrics are just weird. That's how popular music is anyway, you can talk/sing about almost anything, just put some great beats and music to it and you've got a hit - which is one reason why there are so many females running around referring to themselves and every other female as b__s. 

Which brings me to the my motivation for writing today. Apparently Queen (or King I'm not sure how she's referring to herself at this point) B has decided to drop the humble act and go ahead and let all of us know where we stand in her world: (click here to hear it for yourself)

"I know when you were little girls / You dreamt of being in my world/Don’t forget it / Respect that / Bow down, b—s."

I guess she told us. 

"I heard your boo was talkin' lip, I told my crew to smack that trick."

"I didn't ___ your girl, but your sister was alright."

Call me a hater if you want, but I have no respect for this woman deciding to go backwards - this is something she should have released as a juvenile. As a 30-something new mother, one would expect her judgment to have gotten better. She has always talked about empowering women/girls, etc... Guess what, this is not empowering. This is just like every other raggedy song you hear now that has something negative to say about women. It seems that all she is doing is falling into the trend and following her husband's lead. 

I tried to believe that she was really this great person and maybe the reason why I was annoyed by her was because she seemed to have it all and perhaps I was just jealous. Now she has reaffirmed that my aversion to her was not a simple case of envy, there was something under the surface that was bugging me and I just couldn't pinpoint it. Now, she's brought it right up to the surface. 

I'm not bowing down, I'm just done. 

I May Be Criticized For This, But...

I have an issue with a recent CNN story I read about the parents of a first grader filing a complaint (I don't think it's a lawsuit yet) against a school district alleging gender discrimination.

The article talks about a child who was born with male body parts, but as a toddler started identifying as a female. The parents decided they wanted the child to be happy so they let the child continue to identify as a female. The picture of the child with the article shows what appears to be a little girl with purple hair and wearing a dress. The complaint is based on the fact that the child was previously able to do everything in school as a girl, but recently the parents were told that the child can no longer use the girls restroom. Quote from the parents, "We were very confused because everything was going so well, and they had been so accepting, and all of a sudden it changed and it was very confusing and very upsetting because we knew that, by doing that, she was going to go back to being unhappy" 

I have many thoughts/opinions/possibly judgments (I have to tell you the truth) about this situation - mostly about the parents. First of all, I would not be comfortable with my first grade daughter walking in the girls restroom and accidentally seeing the private parts of a boy. I believe this is a big part of the issue the school is probably dealing with. It's one thing if you have siblings of the opposite sex and you happen to see them naked - it's another thing when it comes to strangers - whether you're a child or an adult. I actually went back and watched the video and felt kind of bad for the parents (because my initial question was if part of the problem was them over-indulging their child - but again, I was being judgmental), but I especially felt bad for the child who was there and had to hear all of this! If your child was depressed at the age of three, wouldn't it make sense to shelter them from situations where they may feel as though an entire school district hates them? Why should this child (and apparently the couple's other kids) be there during the press conference? Reporters always ask crazy questions. This is just exposure to another emotional roller-coaster. 

The last thing I'm going to say about the whole issue is this: I was born black. If I had decided when I was a toddler that I was white, should I have been able to be treated as a white person the rest of my life? Come on, we all know the truth, yes, everyone is supposed to be treated equally, regardless of race, but everyone is not treated equally. I can make a phone call right now to anyone in corporate America and they will have no idea that I am black, but the moment I meet them in person, I will see the flash of surprise/shock cross their face. My point is, being black is a biological fact for me. I can't do any manner of bleaching my skin, straightening my hair, or changing my accent, that will make me white, Asian, or anything else - someone (actually, most people) will see me for who I am. What if my parents had decided to let me identify as a white person? Would I have a better life now? Heck No! I would be all the way confused and jacked up! My life would be absolutely miserable because I would never understand why everybody else does not see me the way I want them to see me. 

I realize these issues are slightly different, but are they really? I'm confused and frustrated. Guess what? This world isn't fair and no matter what we do, it never will be. This is earth, not heaven. Every person in this world looks at someone, or something and wishes their life could be different in some way, but it doesn't work like that.

Please share your opinions with me because I am struggling with my feelings about this issue. I don't want to be "unloving" or hateful, but I truly would like to understand this better.