Are we surprised? Nope.
Conservatives are always mad about something: A Black woman playing Ariel in the Little Mermaid, A Black woman owning her space and body size, and now, the same Black woman playing a 200-year-old flute owned by dead slave-owning President James Madison on stage – while twerking, bedazzled, and cheered on by crowds – has them annoyed and ‘triggered.’
As previously reported, on Tuesday night (Sept 27), Lizzo made history as the first and only person to play the fourth president’s priceless, 200-year-old crystal flute.
The historical instrument was an inauguration gift to James Madison after he defeated DeWitt Clinton in 1812 to secure a second term in the White House, per reports by Rolling Stone.
It found its way into the possession of the Library of Congress, where it sat unplayed until this week, when Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden invited Lizzo, a classically trained flutist, to play some fluttery notes during her DC concert.
Lizzo had, of course, practiced in the historical Library prior to the concert, and everyone was excited to bring some attention to the crystal flute and hear for the first time ever what kind of sounds came from it.
But this move seems to have set some white conservative Americans to the edge, and their complaints have been loud and jarring.
“Simply desecrating American history just for the sake of it,” wrote self-described theocratic fascist Matt Walsh, adding that letting Lizzo play the flute sends a “message that our heritage and history are meaningless and that nothing we love or care about has any value.”
“This Lizzo-flute controversy is a perfect example of what I have termed Face Tattoo Phenomenon™,” tweeted Ben Shapiro of the Daily Wire, where Walsh hosts a podcast, “the phenomenon whereby someone does something deliberately controversial in an attempt to draw attention and then acts offended when you notice.”
“It speaks to the sort of gentility of America’s founders being brought into a context that is vulgar. It’s the vulgarization of American history,” he added.
Jenna Ellis, a former member of Trump’s crack team of election fraud lawyers, felt the need to address the ‘issue’ on her show. “It’s hideous,” she said. “Lizzo is famous for being one of the most morbidly obese people in the world who claims that she’s oppressed.”
Right-wing commentator Greg Price wrote that “they” want to “degrade our history and then call you a racist if you actually value it.” Trump superfan Nick Adams tweeted, “the Biden Administration is making a mockery of the country.”
Matt Walsh: “Simply desecrating American history just for the sake of it.”
Columbia Bugle: “A humiliation ritual. They don’t care about our history. They just want to mock and defile it.”
Greg Price: “They degrade our history and then call you racist if you actually value it.”— T.P.Barry (@TPBarryOfficial) September 30, 2022
Let’s just take a moment to recognize that these were tweets from ‘triggered’ conservatives about Lizzo playing a 200-year-old flute that they almost certainly weren’t even aware existed before she gracefully and historically played it for the first time!
And while they’ve indeed been hilariously annoying, Lizzo’s comment about the incident has been the most entertaining and, ultimately, the best reaction.
“I just twerked and played James Madison’s crystal flute from the 1800s. We just made history tonight.”