The Imagery and Politics of Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’

The Brian Lehrer Show | Feb 10, 2016

Beyoncé did it again: Over Superbowl weekend, she dropped an unannounced song and video called "Formation," which invokes post-Katrina imagery in New Orleans, Black Lives Matter (though not by name) and other racial justice issues.

So here's a (maybe) unpopular question: is Beyoncé worthy of the praise she’s receiving for her new-found social consciousness?

Wesley Morris, culture critic at The New York Times and winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, discussed whether symbolism as a surrogate for activism goes far enough.

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