To whom much is given...

I had an interesting conversation with a friend today. We were talking about the BET awards this summer. Now, let the record show that as a black man, I HATE BET (I'll talk about that in another post). I hate MTV, I hate E! Entertainment, I hate People magazine; I really don't like VH1 that much. Basically, I hate pop culture entertainment as it is today.

Now, before I get too far off topic, let's get back to my point...

This post is about the performance that Destiny's Child, featuring the lapdance that they included in their performance. Of course this sparked my curiosity...but not for the reasons that one would suspect. I took interest in seeing their performance not because I wanted to visualize Beyonce and her crew gyrating in short skirts (although they are incredibly beautiful), but because I needed ammunition for more of my blog. Fortunately for me, it worked!

After watching that video, I was absolutely stunned! At the end of their song Cater 2 U, they went out into the crowd and pulled three gentlemen (and I use the term "gentlemen" loosely) in for a little "show". These guys were Magic Johnson, Terrence Howard, and Nelly. Now, to properly inform myself before opening my big mouth, I did some research on these three men. After conducting my own investigation, I learned that two of these men -- Magic and Terrance -- were married. Here's my issue: they both seemed to be enjoying Destiny's Child(ren) more than Nelly; the only single man from the group. Terrance, at one point, looked like he was going to faint. The picture above doesn't lie...

With these men being married, shouldn't these men have rejected the idea of being on the receiving end of a lapdance even if they did so in front of a live studio audience and the entire nation? I can just see their wives at home fuming! What message does this send to married men? Is it OK for married men to get lap dances so long as it's in a performance at an awards show?! Give me a break!

Now, let's turn our attention to the other key players -- Destiny's Child themselves. Although the claim that it was all just a "tease", the point is, they were teasing married men. I wonder if they realize that it's not just adults who watch this stuff, but children as well. What does this type of stuff say to our youth...young girls in particular? Don't they realize that young people are easily influenced by what they see? They try to wear the clothes, talk the talk, and mimic the behaviors of entertainers.

Secondly, last I checked "divas" have all the 'goods' that women have (beauty, elegance, talent, style, and attitude), but they also bear responsibility for how they use it. People like Phylicia Rashad, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Camille Cosby, Oprah Winfrey (as much as she annoys me. This is for another post) -- hell, even Condoleeza Rice come to mind. These are truly dignified black women who don't need to gyrate in tight clothes to gain respect and earn a following. Instead, they rely on their class, aura, and remarkable achievements to set their legacy.

Finally, I'm left wondering how Destiny's Child can profess Christianity while using sex to advance their careers. Does that not ruin their testimony? Does that not water down their faith? On national television at that! If I'm not mistaken, Michelle made a Gospel CD. I wonder how her sales are doing...

But, I guess that, in all things, I can't judge what they do. I think that Christians must be congizant of our roles as Christ's ambassadors without being judgement of those who we feel are ruining their ministry. The only people who can really judge them are God and themselves. I'm not either.

Still, I'll always fervently believe that "to whom much is given, much is required..." Later!

- ACL