![]() ![]() Others noted with disappointment that a vocal young feminist role model was being attacked on a feminist blog.ĭespite the overwhelmingly critical response to her post, Bayetti Flores told CNN in an email that she stood by her comments, which had focused “on how the song lands in the context of the United States.” Not everything in this world should be viewed through the lens of Americans, particularly when it comes to race and cultures of other countriesĪ commenter on, Amelia Harris, called the post “a dreadfully done piece of deconstruction.” “I hope you have a better understanding of your own bias and lack of understanding of the world beyond your own, and an interest in the impact of imported American culture on the rest of the world.” writer Dave Schilling said Bayetti Flores’ reading of the song “couldn’t be more simplistic” and asked: “Why should anyone be surprised that the proliferation of pop songs about conspicuous consumption would get tiresome eventually?” “Blood stains and ball gowns? Celeb socialites… Trashin’ the hotel room? Rock stars.” “Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash? I’m thinking Richard Branson and maybe Russian oligarchs there,” wrote Brendish. ![]() While a few of the trappings of conspicuous consumption cited in the song were associated with rappers, it also name-checked others associated with other wealthy, high-living stereotypes. “The theme of the song is the dissonance between that life… and the one she lives in New Zealand, but it is not at all about race.” The track was the songwriter’s response to the images of unattainable luxury often conveyed through a U.S.-dominated pop culture, Brendish wrote. To insist otherwise is ignorant at best and imperialistic at worst.” “And not everything in this world should be viewed through the lens of Americans, particularly when it comes to race and cultures of other countries. ![]() “I realize not everything in this world is an instrument of oppression,” wrote New Zealand journalist Lynda Brendish. The post attracted a massive online backlash from Lorde’s fans and compatriots as well as other writers, with many claiming that Bayetti Flores, by interpreting the song through the prism of American race relations, was guilty of the kind of cultural arrogance she was attributing to the singer. She concluded her post with the observation that the singer “apparently calls herself a feminist.” “Let’s just hope her feminism gets a lot less racist as she develops as an artist,” she wrote. While I love a good critique of wealth accumulation and inequity, this song is not one in fact, it is deeply racist The writer attacked critics who “have been so captivated by ‘Royals’ call-out of consumption that they didn’t bother to take the time to think critically about the racial implications of the lyrics.” So why s- on black folks? Why s- on rappers?” “Because we all know who she’s thinking when we’re talking gold teeth, Cristal (champagne) and Maybachs. “While I love a good critique of wealth accumulation and inequity, this song is not one in fact, it is deeply racist,” wrote Bayetti Flores. In a post on the prominent feminist blog, writer Veronica Bayetti Flores took issue with the song’s lyrics, in which Yelich-O’Connor sings that “every song” is about gold teeth and Maybach luxury cars – both fixtures of hip-hop music videos – before concluding “we don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams.” The singer – who sings about rejecting the trappings of consumerism in “Royals” and has admonished fellow pop star Selena Gomez for being insufficiently feminist – has won plaudits from critics as a refreshing presence in the charts. ![]()
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