Some years ago, Tom Wolfe attended a Manhattan fundraising party that composer Leonard Bernstein hosted for his Black Panther pals. The result of the evening was a sardonic piece by Wolfe titled “Radical Chic” which continues to provide us with language to describe an undying phenomena: The intelligentsia’s desire to associate, adopt, or advocate far left or minority causes as a way to offer penance for past misdeeds (real or imagined).
It was easy to be reminded of Wolfe and his essay after noticing that Beyoncé’s new music video, “Formation“, had caused quite a stir amongst people who, today, might populate a Macklemore party for Baltimore rioters. Most highly praised was Queen Bey’s use of provocative imagery. In one scene, the singer crouches on top of a submerged police car as post-Katrina landscapes are shown; in another cut, a boy dances in front of riot police; in another, the camera pans across graffiti reading “stop shooting us.” Complementing this provocative imagery, are some equally provocative lyrics: I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin’); When he f*** me good I take his a** to Red Lobster, cause I slay; I see it, I want it, I stunt, yellow-bone it; slay trick, or you get eliminated. With such strident juxtaposition, no wonder the latest radical chic circles loved this video! In fact, there seemed to be a lot of love to go around. Beyoncé loved the attention; Beyoncé’s handlers loved the revival of an aging media property; Super Bowl promoters loved the pregame attention their main attraction brought; the people loved a new song; and the media loved being on the right side of the latest in edgy stances on race relations.
And then Saturday Night Live had to ruin the fun by lampooning these very earnest emotions. In a recorded sketch tagged by NBC as “The Day Beyoncé Turned Black,” white people, after watching “Formation,” realize the singer is African-American and consider that “maybe this song isn’t for us.” Scenes from the apocalypse follow as hoards of pale Americans unravel before this new truth.
Now, what’s interesting about this sketch is not the sketch itself, but what it tells us about the concentric circles of the new radical chic. See, when Wolfe was capturing the radical chic of the ’60s and ’70s, leftists in the country were more or less sincere. Today, we still have our true believers, but mostly, the new generation of leftists are only comfortable entering the culture wars with a protective coat of cynicism. Thus, perennially “hip” SNL showcases its knowingness by making fun of the leftist movement of which they play a part. One short clip is all it takes, and with a wink to viewers hip enough to understand the conceit, SNL’s place in the inner sanctum of American intellectuals who, over dinner parties, analyze and decide where best to lead the rest of us, is preserved.
God forbid they take anything seriously.
