Kids Are More Likely To See Cardi B Grinding On A Pole Than Dumbo or Peter Pan. What Could Go Wrong?

[Ubiquitous]

On Sunday evening, audiences watched the 63rd Grammy awards in Los
Angeles. Hosted by Trevor Noah, the semi-socially distanced ceremony
celebrated last year’s musical heroes, with notable awards going to
Beyoncé Knowles, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish.

However, social media and headlines alike were dominated by one topic:
Cardi B’s performance of her hit song, “WAP.” Alongside Megan Thee
Stallion on stage for the first time, they brought the monumentally
popular song to life.

Media members couldn’t celebrate the performance more enthusiastically
if they tried. CNN’s Chloe Melas described it as a “very sex-positive
performance.” “They gloriously twerked and strutted and owned the stage
in Barbarella-esque outfits, referencing female empowerment, sexual
pride and delivering undoubtedly one of the most memorable Grammy
performances of all time,” she wrote.

People magazine described the performance as “provocative,” saying that
“If it existed, the trophy for the night’s most jaw-dropping moment
would’ve gone to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.”

Variety viewed the onstage spectacle as “jaw-dropping,” saying that
“the song’s message of sexual empowerment remained clear.”

For those who aren’t aware, the song’s message begins with the lines “I
said, certified freak, seven days a week, wet-a** p**** make that
pull-out game weak,” and only continues to further demonstrate its
Shakespearean lyrical genius. “Bring a bucket and a mop for this wet-
a** p****,” “Spit in my mouth, look in my eyes, this p**** is wet, come
take a dive,” and “Gobble me, swallow me, drip down the side of me,”
are just a few highlights. Perhaps rivaling only Oscar Wilde in terms
of creative artistry, the masterpiece ends with “There’s some whores in
this house. There’s some whores in this house.”

These lines were delivered as Cardi B gyrated on a stripper pole,
before joining Megan Thee Stallion on a bed to writhe around, mimicking
sexual acts.

While conservatives are mocked for their “pearl clutching,” it’s
important to understand that the issue here is not necessarily the
content of the “song,” or even the manner in which it was performed.
The problem is the context of the society in which it is lauded.

WAP, which if you haven’t already guessed is an acronym for “Wet A**
P****,” exists in a world which celebrates such performances as
expressions of “sex positivity” and “female empowerment.” This is the
same world which now seeks to erase certain Dr. Seuss books for
apparently portraying people in “ways that are hurtful and wrong,” in
which Disney hides Peter Pan and Dumbo from children due to “outdated”
depictions, and in which French cartoon skunks are canceled for
perpetuating “rape culture.”

It is simply impossible to argue that Dr. Seuss, Dumbo, and Pepe Le Pew
must be eradicated from our society for various moral offenses, but
that Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance on Sunday evening is
one of empowerment that must be celebrated.

If Pepe Le Pew is canceled for perpetuating rape culture, for example,
then it is absurd to claim that Cardi B is not perpetuating that same
supposed culture by — albeit willingly — presenting herself as an
easily accessible sexual object on a stripper pole as men in the
audience cheer her on.

We are witnessing the growth of a culture where children are often more
likely to watch Cardi B grind on a pole than the Dumbo or Peter Pan
movies, all while the former stripper tells audience members that she
wants them “to park that big Mack truck right in this little garage.”

What could possibly go wrong?

--
Trump won.