Noah Berlatsky

If my wife and son had thought bubbles above their heads, like in the comics, you would be able to read them saying, "dog dog dog dog dog dog dog."

Rather than seeing Beyoncé's sexual performance as linked to destruction, we can consider whether eroticism might be an alternative to violence.

A new Facebook post calls into question cover depictions of hyper-sexualized men and women.

It's not the gender that's the problem: It's the oppression.

To understand this debate, it's important to consider historical context.

In the U.S., anti-Semitism is universally condemned. This means that, effectively, anti-Semitism doesn't exist.

Their sexuality traps and destroys male innocence, as they grad hold, by the penis- the better to lead him to castration. Make no mistake that castration is greeted with fear, terror, and disgust—but also with glee. Women as super villains allow their characters to be super powerful; a force for evil is at least a force. In a media landscape where women are often rendered secondary, invisible, and passive, the femme fatale, in her icy violence, seizes female agency along with the phallus that she so efficiently cuts off.

So, if there are so many ways to sing this song, and if it's meant different things at different points, why complain about Beyoncé's version?

The loss of gospel history has meant forgetting how important black women have been to American performance styles.

Talking about race can get you into a lot of trouble . . . especially if you don't have a lot of class power or status.