TMZ.com On Beyonce: Roboho

We just can’t seem to escape the word ho.  It’s everywhere we go.  It’s blaring from the speakers in the cars that pass us by on the street.  It’s coming out of the mouths of the kids that walk past our homes and offices.  Occasionally some white shock jock uses it to refer to a group of women basketball players and then there’s the Internet and infotainment media.

In its recap of the BET Music Awards held on Tuesday in Los Angeles, popular Internet site TMZ.com described recording artist Beyonce’s choice of outfit as “roboho,” and this was among other things.

The website posted the following comments in regards to Beyonce:

…From Beyonce's roboho performance getup to Eve's streetwalker chic, check out why it's time these artists hired new stylists and put the hip back into hip-hop!...

And while I tried to shake it and chalk it up to TMZ.com just being TMZ.com, I can’t.

Not too long ago Black America raised its voices over the Don Imus “nappy headed hos” slip of the tongue which resulted in him ultimately being fired from CBS.  Some would argue it had more to do with that fact the women he referred too didn’t deserve to be called that and that they weren’t public figures worthy of such a demeaning name.  Others, like myself, believe that there’s no justification for calling someone a ho, directly or indirectly, in the media, and that includes the online media.

So with that said, back to Beyonce and her being described by TMZ.com as having on “roboho performance getup.”  For real now.  Is that what it’s come down too?  There are many colorful adjectives that one could use to describe Beyonce’s outfit.  So why then did ho have to come into the equation?  And the last time I checked, Beyonce was an African-American woman which to me makes the description worse because it seems that these days it’s us Black women who are always being called hos.  If the Don Imus’ and TMZ.com’s of the world aren’t calling us hos, then its our brotha Snoop Dogg who believes that he’s justified in doing so because he’s “talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money.” 

But back to TMZ.com, obviously Beyonce doesn’t need anyone to defend her and that’s really not what I am doing.  I am  more interested in defending the way that Black women and in fact all women are depicted by the media when it’s negative.  Like I said earlier, there are a many colorful adjectives that TMZ.com could have used and I am curious to know why they went with ho.  Was it subconscious?  Was it on purpose?  Do they not care how that word, thanks in part to websites like TMZ.com and rappers is becoming more and more synonyous with Black women.

And before you race off to your inbox to send me an email defending TMZ.com’s use of the word, note this:  I get what TMZ.com is all about.  I understand fully why they are as popular as they are.  My point is that Black America has already made it clear that “ho” is not going to be tolerated in conjunction with describing Black women.  Not from Black rappers, white shock jocks, and yes not even the writers at TMZ.com.  Today is a new day, and just like when nigger, negro, and colored were acceptable descriptions of Blacks, we have now replaced those words with African-American, Black American, and my favorite, just Black.

I think at the very least TMZ.com owes Beyonce and America an apology for using such a derogatory slur in their description of her outfit.  I don’t care that they didn’t like it but I do care when they use their platform that’s read by millions to describe her as a “roboho.”  That’s just wrong and inexcusable after the Imus controversy and sends a clear message of how Black women are viewed by the TMZ.com writers.

This is one Black woman who isn’t down with the word ho.

Comments

[T.]

Yes it was wrong for them to call her a ho, but she should not fit that stereotype. You know what people are going to say when you dress and act like that. When your black you have to work ten times harder. Therefore you have to be careful of how you act and the way you dress. You do not have to dress like that in order to make it.

[marie]

Beyonce, KEEP DOING YOUR THING!!!
haters going to be haters.Next year come harder so they can really hate.

[fatusankoh]

tmz,com is way out of line but hatters will always be hatters shs has all quality beauty grace and class they cant take it because of her and monque thats is why i watch the show tmc.com you make my love stronger for bey i cant wait to see her on concert

[fatusankoh]

tmz,com is way out of line but hatters will always be hatters shs has all quality beauty grace and class they cant take it because of her and monque thats is why i watch the show tmc.com you make my love stronger for bey i cant wait to see her on concert

[fatusankoh]

tmz,com is way out of line but hatters will always be hatters shs has all quality beauty grace and class they cant take it because of her and monque thats is why i watch the show tmc.com you make my love stronger for bey i cant wait to see her on concert

[shon]

Do you see how TMZ describes Brittany Spears?? Comparatively speaking, RoboHO would be considered relatively mild. I get so pissed off at how some people are so freaking sensitive. If people keep making big deals of relatively minor incidents, then how can you expect anyone to take you seriously when there's a real problem?? GET A LIFE, PEOPLE!

[Michelle West]

I Too was very hurt by TMZ's comments. Please email them at TMZ.com and let them know that Harvey Levin is a racist bastard. He always says negative things about African Americans , this was not the first time. But he is a coward and will absolutely back down. LET HIM KNOW WE ARE WATCHING
www.tmz.com

[Nick]

I forgot to mention this: Did you not see Ciara's outfit or performance, her dance moves were just as slutty and vulgar as B's dance moves.(Not to mention the outfit that she(Ciara)was wearing). TMZ just wants some attention and they had to make a false comment about one of the most sucessful African American women in the industry today. TMZ is full of BS!!!!!!!

[B-Hud]

Ummm....

So, as a Black guy I read and reread that blurp about 100 times to find any inkling of racism in the comment. I couldnt

Intially, I interpretted "roboho" to being a hybrid of robotic and bohemian (as in boho chic) However, upon firther inspection I do believe that the ho part was meant to invoke 'ho'.

The problem I have is the assumption to it being racist. Sexist? Defintely. But racist? I think thats going a little far. I can totally understand the sentiments expressed by both the blogger and fellow commentors, but I just think it had nothing to do with race.

A ho is a ho no matter what race (or ethincity), its just unfortunate that Beyonce also had the "handicap" of being a sista. Perhaps we have so closely equted the word ho to Black women that we then cant divorce the two. This is were I find a problem. Obviously, there is some root or soemthing that needs to be severed so that Black women are no longer eqauted to being ho's.

In this world we will encounter racism as Blacks, but we cant assume all the time. But, I feel you... I used to have a saying that " the moment I think its not racism, it will be" Im glad that we are on our guard, this shows that when true racism rears its ugly head, the blogger and commentors will be well equipped. But tread easy... Peace

[lana]

FYI...the reason why it IS a racial thing is because Bey stole that performance from that Kylie M. chick, she did it last year and not a word was said about her being a ho or anything of the sort. Actually Kylies fit was more skinpy than Bey's cuz she is skinny and can get away w showing more....

[Nick]

First of all B is not no Roboho. I didn't see yall calling Kylie Minouge a ho when she did the performance a couple a years ago. Yall just jealous because B did the same performance and KILLED IT, unlike Kylie Minouge. So the next you wanna call somebody a ho make sure you call Kylie a ho first. And FYI Kylie stole the SAME performance from Janet Jackson and yall didn't say nothin then. TMZ is just as racist as Don Imus. I hope TMZ gets SHUT DOWN for that racial and uncalled for slur!!!!!!

[douglass]

http://www.overthrow.com/lsn/news.asp?articleID=5754

Orthodox history is a lie and must be placed back into its proper perspective. The veil of White supremacy has thrown us off track about world history truths and who we are as Black people in relationship to everyone else on the planet. Whites have many believing they are not only the progenitors of civilization but also the progenitors of humanity. Our ancient heroes and saviors have been whitewashed. The world believes that everyone on Earth who's not White is primitive and uncivilized.

First, we must understand what White skin really means and who White people really are. In a nutshell Whites are mutated inbred albinos. Scientifically speaking biologists say that white skin is a result of adaptation to climate, but let’s pay close attention to that for a minute. When we think of an adaptation to something, we think of acquiring physical traits and characteristics that would make us successful in surviving the environment. Let us understand what White skin means biologically and genetically. White skin does not meet the criteria for being a result of climatic adaptations.

Scientists write that White skin is an adaptation to northern cold climates. The lack of melanin has proven to be non-beneficial but actually detrimental to cold climates, technically. Melanin has thermal regulating properties in that it absorbs all forms of heat and energy and can actually allow a person to warm up quicker after coming out of the cold and keeps them warmer longer while in a cold environment. The claims are that White skin was an aid in the metabolization of vitamin D, however, it has been determined that melanin is needed for the efficient metabolization of vitamin D and calcium. Since White skin reflects sunshine, a primary source of vitamin D, compensation for not getting adequate amounts from the sun because of calcium depletion from bones, therefore decreasing bone density and making Caucasians more susceptible to Osteoporosis.

Whites are also the most susceptible to kidney stones composed of calcium oxylate. It is a well known fact that the sun causes skin cancer in White people more than any other people on this Earth, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that the sun also sterilizes Whites. The lack of melanin or pigment leaves Whites vulnerable to photolysis. The decomposition of folate or folic acid in the blood levels is critical for cell replication and reproduction. This is the real reason behind the low Caucasian birthrates. The experienced problems with fertility are not behavioral but biological one that cannot seem to be controlled. The foliate levels plummet by up to 50% when exposed to solar radiation, and even in the radiation in tanning salons. The genetically deficient genes give ABSOLUTELY NO benefit in nature, in tropical, temperament climates OR northern cold climates.

Everything we have been led to believe is a myth. It has become so dogmatic that many people subconsciously try to refute this instinctively because it does not coincide with the indoctrination that permeates thought processes so deeply. Since Caucasians cannot reproduce genetic material (melanin), they could not have spawned humanity. Because the sun sterilizes and is sending Whites on a course toward extinction, they will not survive independently for very long without people of color depositing their genetic material to make their cell replication and reproduction more feasible. Caucasians are becoming extinct in Europe just like everywhere else on the planet showing NON-ADAPTATION. White gene DNA cannot be traced back as far as their genetic parents, BLACK AFRICANS! The result is sufficient evidence for their not being the progenitors of humanity or civilization. The deficient genes simply will not last that long in the presence of a majority black/brown people. Their birthrates globally are below replacement levels, and even if they didn’t have to worry about being bred out of existence by black/brown genes, their numbers would still dwindle because of victimization by photolysis.

White people like to think that they have invented everything that we take for granted in this epoch. The truth of the matter is, Caucasians have only REDISCOVERED the many inventions of OUR BLACK ancestors did deep in antiquity. It is quickly becoming common knowledge that the ancient Egyptians were Black Africans. Menes who is credited with being the founder of Pharonic Egypt and for unifying both lower (northern) and upper (southern) Egypt, is preceded by thousands of years of kings that are not taken into account in ancient history. If you will recall Egypt did not have a linear progressive history where they started off primitive and progressed to their advanced state. They started off ADVANCED. Ancient Egypt is the continuation or satellite colony of an even older and fabulous super civilization. There are many ruins and pieces of evidence from Atlantis. Not only Plato’s account but the megalithic ruins that the United States government is fully aware of off the coast of Bimini. These have to be the remains of an ancient BLACK civilization. Although the library at Alexandria was destroyed by fire as well as knowledge centers in other locations, the ancient Indian texts from the Ramayana empire still exists and gives credence to the fact that viminas (ancient Indian flying machines) are a reality and not a figment of anyone’s imagination. The inhabitants of the ancient Rama Empire are the ancestors of the black Dravidians or “untouchables” (Dalits) of India today. Written in the ancient language of Sanskrit, the text gives marvelous accounts of fantastic wars fought here on this planet as well in outer space by these ancient flying machines that utilized mercury vortex propulsion. It is also a carefully guarded secret that many of the UFO sightings of today are actually the ancient viminas of great antiquity being concealed by the United States and other world governments or reconstructions of those ancient aircraft. As I said earlier, these are inventions that White people have only REDISCOVERED and cannot take proper credit.

A major lie that the United States wants to keep alive for ego purposes is that man walked on the moon with the Apollo moon landings of the late sixties and early seventies. This is one of the greatest deceptions in the history of the world. Man (White) has NEVER walked on the moon or has he even come close. There are many ways to prove to you that the moon landings were fraudulent. One of my favorite ways of discerning this is the picture of the footprints left in the lunar soil. If you stop and think about it, how can this be? For there to be footprints in the soil there must be moisture as a bonding agent and the moon is a vacuum with no atmosphere to hold moisture, therefore, there could NOT be any REAL footprints on the moon. Many people lack the scientific background to realize this and ignorantly accept whatever is spoon-fed them by NASA and the United States Government. Many people are coming to the realization that the whole thing was a fraud, but it is important for White people’s egos that EVERYBODY believes this passionately and defend this crap as a means of “national pride”. That’s not to say that there are not structures up there. Various reliable sources tell of obelisk shaped structures on the moon along with something that resembles an ancient aircraft runway. Someone has been there, but it wasn’t any White men of today. I don’t think they were little green men from Mars either. The structures that are up there resemble ancient Egyptian artifacts and being that, that was a Black civilization as well as Atlantis, it would make perfect sense that it was BLACK AFRICANS during the golden age that accomplished this feat. What is the golden age, you ask?

When man has reached his Zenith! The ancient Egyptians have hieroglyphic text that speak of something called the “golden time” back in the days of Atlantis before it’s destruction. The Bible says that there have been many destructions of mankind, and therefore had to be many golden ages. Every time a major catastrophe occurs, we are knocked back into the stone ages to start over. We are still starting over from the destruction of Atlantis and have not yet regained that Zenith of technology that the Atlanteans, Lemurians and Lemanians enjoyed long ago. We still have to track toward the next golden age. One thing we can feel rest assured about though, by the time we get there, white people with their recessive genes won’t be there. Just like they did not exist in the context that we understand them today, in the last golden age.

It has been said that there are megalithic ruins and remains on the surface of Mars. The Zulus of South Africa as well as many other African tribes have legends that speak of their origins being from Mars. Could it be that it was OUR Black African ancestors who were responsible for that civilization that once thrived on the now debunked red planet? Evidence points in that direction. It has been discussed within various circles of Astrophysicists that Mars was once a moon of another planet now destroyed. The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is widely believed to be the remains of Mars’ parent planet. Referred to as Planet X. Tom Van Flandern has a very convincing “exploded planet hypothesis” that cannot be easily refuted by many scientists of today. If this and many of the other points I have brought forward in this essay are disseminated widely, that could force history as we know it to be rewritten.

There is information out there that could put world history into its proper perspective. However, the release of this information would be dangerous for White people. People have thrived on ignorance and fallacy and strive to keep the world in a deep sleep. Many are waking up from that deep sleep to understand what the United States Government and the Smithsonian Institute--the catalysts in maintaining widespread ignorance are trying to perpetuate. We must take it upon ourselves to learn what White people don’t want us to understand!

[douglass]

wake up, you fall right into your stereotype as well. An angry inbred,poor white trash that probably let your dog anal fuck you.

[WAKE UP]

Douglas--Thank you for Falling into STEREOTYPE

One---You CANNOT Re-Frame from cursing something I witness alot, it shows your LACK of INTELLIGENCE and why Society Isolates you.

Two---I am MOST DEFIENTLY Black, in fact my website will be out soon, and you will see this to be true.

It will be a website that uses Entertainers as examples to tackle our CRAZY Low Standard mentalities.

Am part of a MOVEMENT of PROGRESSIVE BLACK PEOPLE---Who have decided to STAND UP to our GHETTO Brothers and sisters and take back our IMAGE and GOOD NAME. Stay tune for my website it'll be called:

Black Ghetto Down

[Jeryl Prescott Sales]

Thank you Jasmyne for your thoughtful commentary. I agree, and I would add that this unnecessary and unwarrented slander aimed at Beyonce is a slap or maybe even spit in the faces of all African American women who felt some sense of renewed respect, victory, or simply satisfaction at being understood after the Imus mess. To me, TMZ is sending a clear message: Black women still don't reserve common courtesy or respect. It's equivalent to the refusal of Southern states to step into line as the federal government passed laws about integration of schools and desegregation of public facilities. TMZ is asserting its power to define, demean, and devalue African Americans, especially women, but ultimately all of us, and I, too, am offended.

[Bunny]

You are so right... Beyonces outfit was really risky and very sexy but that has no right for somebody to be called a hoe. That word is very hurtful and since rappers say the word hoe in their lyrics its been picked up by teens and kids my age. Im in high school and i hear my brothas refer to black females as hoes and that is very unexeptable. for TMZ to call her a hoe that was a very low blow and that was a very stupid way to get hits on your website. you have to hurt and put not only beypnce down but black women and black people in general down.

[fatusankoh]

they are just hatters she stole the show dress approte they just dont want to give her created all they want to do is put her down she is the best and work hard to get their you dont see her running around like others that is why she got the best fans that love her we love you bey keep doing what you do best you are doing it for your fans not the hatters god bless you my dearst bey

[fatusankoh]

they are just hatters she stole the show dress approte they just dont want to give her created all they want to do is put her down she is the best and work hard to get their you dont see her running around like others that is why she got the best fans that love her we love you bey keep doing what you do best you are doing it for your fans not the hatters god bless you my dearst bey

[planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com]

FUK TMZ....WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO THOSE HATERS...THAT WAS SAD...JUST TO GET ATTENTION TO THEIR SITE....DO UNTO OTHERS AND OTHERS WILL DO UNTO U!

planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com

[planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com]

FUK TMZ....WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO THOSE HATERS...THAT WAS SAD...JUST TO GET ATTENTION TO THEIR SITE....DO UNTO OTHERS AND OTHERS WILL DO UNTO U!

planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com

[planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com]

FUK TMZ....WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO THOSE HATERS...THAT WAS SAD...JUST TO GET ATTENTION TO THEIR SITE....DO UNTO OTHERS AND OTHERS WILL DO UNTO U!

planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com

[planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com]

FUK TMZ....WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO THOSE HATERS...THAT WAS SAD...JUST TO GET ATTENTION TO THEIR SITE....DO UNTO OTHERS AND OTHERS WILL DO UNTO U!

planethiphopworldwide.blogspot.com

[douglass]

The truth, I love when whites like you try to say all blacks speak ebonics,but ya'll love to bite off our slang. Perez hilton,D list all those white fags love bashing blacks,but love using our so called ebonics.

[The Truth]

Well I found the TMZ article and it doesn't have anything to do with race. Damn people get over yourselves. That B!tch'$ performance was utterly disgusting, but that was nothing compared to Roboho's awful outfit. H.A.M

[douglass]

wake up, you are a fucking liar. Queen latifah, is a very classy women. How is she unclassy? You sound like a real idiot and probably another disgruntel white piece of trash, posting in disguise.