All Hail Our Free-Thinking Harajuku Barbie
By Christian Tippins
For Nicki Minaj, it was another bangin’ “Hot Girl Summer.” She did not, however, partake in the basic liberal girl’s 2021 rendition, “Vaxxed Girl Summer.” In an overblown internet storm, the "Superbass" star alienated a significant part of her fanbase, but gained new Barbz, when she tweeted that she would not get vaccinated until she had done the proper prerequisite research. The outrage intensified when Nicki mentioned the unfortunate bodily reaction that a friend of her cousin in Trinidad suffered after getting inoculated. She encouraged her followers to pray on the decision and make sure they were comfortable with it rather than bullied into it. Most reasonable people would understand her perspective and respect her choice. Unfortunately, Twitter and mainstream media have never been all that reasonable, especially lately.
Nicki was quickly called an "Uncle Tomiana" by MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid, which set the accused off into an expletive-filled retort, and rightly so, that was highly criticized by the likes of The Daily Beast, Yahoo News, LA Times, Teen Vogue, and more. Among the allegations levied against Nicki were that she was endangering lives and spreading "false information." Fauci took a hiatus from being the “sexiest man alive,” as The Guardian anointed him, (absolutely not) to interject in the debate. Thankfully, Nicki Minaj has never been one to roll over and take this kind of treatment lying down and has been killing it with spicy, based responses.
In a display of absolute straight-shooting that I honestly never expected from a liberal celebrity notorious for her risqué lyrical references (hint: “Anaconda”), Nicki went after the false reporting from the media, namely The Daily Beast’s crazy inaccurate headline “Nicki Minaj Won't Get Vaxxed, Says She's Worried About Swollen Testicles.” She noted that she was “glad [her followers] get to see how the media REALLY works,” followed by some classically savage passive-aggressive emojis.
Also, having read that Daily Beast article myself, they were definitely a little salty that they got corrected by The Harajuku Barbie, Minj’s famed nickname referring to her girly alter ego. She also came for multiple news outlets that claimed she was missing out on The Met Gala because of the vax mandate when in reality she simply just didn’t want to travel because of her young child.
Nicki then surprised everyone on Earth when she retweeted Tucker Carlson of all people, which undoubtedly is the most electric crossover of 2021 and no one can tell me otherwise. When she was criticized for that, naturally, Nicki didn't back down and defended her “radical” right to agree with or be persuaded by a different political party than Hollywood’s.
The best and worst thing about this statement is that Nicki hits the nail on the head. Black Americans are in many ways expected to conform to the world's expectations for us. Whenever we step out of line, we're scolded and condemned until we hurry back to the liberal plantation. Therefore, daring to agree with a conservative or identifying as one *gasp* is the ultimate betrayal to the so-called "black experience."
Just when Nicki was on an absolute roll, she was of course put into Twitter jail for the online crime of asking questions. But if you thought that was the end of the line for our Miss Barbie, you'd be sorely mistaken. She then turned to her Instagram stories to call out those who "pretend to love people with backbones,” referring to how hypocritical people (read: liberals) can be when it comes to black Americans.
Her reference to Malcolm X is particularly telling. In a famous speech, he warned of the dangers of the "white liberal,” comparing them to foxes who “show their teeth...but pretend that they are smiling.” Wolves, on the other hand, who could be today’s Republicans, show their cards without pretense, making them more trustworthy even if they seem more dangerous at face value.
The Trinidadian rapper also went live on Instagram, sharing her frustrations over being attacked for simply questioning the liberal narrative on vaccines. She expressed that intelligent women of color are often subjected to this kind of hostility. I highly suggest listening to the whole video she posted on her Instagram to get all the details, and if it disappears for whatever reason, you can trust the conservative base has reshared it. It was significant that she was so shocked to learn that many citizens in Trinidad must be vaccinated as a condition of employment. Love you Nicki, but haven’t you visited New York City lately? Or, as much of a struggle as it can be, listened to Biden’s sweeping mandate declarations?
The mandate protocol has been implemented in the Big Rotting Apple by Mayor DeBlasio. So now, a good percentage of the population, particularly blacks, are facing medical segregation. Not being vaxxed means they can't enjoy food, gyms, and events in New York City, and basically, everything that makes the city desirable. Additionally, Biden has since announced his intention to make all businesses with more than 100 employees require the vaccine for staff in order for them to retain their jobs. Although Democrats claim they want to empower the black American community, we are shut out the most by their edicts.
In the United States, black Americans have the lowest vaccination rate across the board, and their hesitancy isn't for nothing. There is a disturbingly long history of medical experimentation on the black community, from The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment in 1932 to Henrietta Lacks's cell line being used for medical research. Her family has never been compensated. Liberals even claim that the United States is systemically racist, so if that is theoretically true, why should black Americans trust the government to develop and administer them the vaccine? History doesn't favor this backward thinking, but liberals aren't the best at making things make sense.
Since the internet showdown, Nicki has been invited to the White House to discuss the vax and ask questions of Fauci and the Surgeon General. I genuinely hope that Nicki sticks to her guns and takes their word with a grain of salt, given that they have no incentive to offer a reasoned critique of the vaccine, and I doubt they will. However, when it comes to the media and some of her more rabid "fans," Nicki should be sure to remember her own words: "the people that are inclined to hate, are also inclined to be losers."
Photo via Nicki Minaj
