The 65th Grammy Awards ceremony is being shredded by conservatives for featuring what has been described as a “Satanic” performance.
But MSNBC’s Joy Reid viewed the award show as a sign the liberal side had utterly defeated conservatives in the culture wars. And on Monday, she devoted several minutes of her show to celebrating the perceived victory.
“I actually really enjoyed it,” Reid said. “Although I’m not sure everybody else did. It was, to put it mildly, a celebration of the very thing the American Right has turned into its latest anti-wokeness bogeyman: Diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
The host noted Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny kicked off the show by performing a song and singing 99% of it in Spanish. Then comedian Trevor Noah “walked and talked through a room that was diversity, equity, and inclusion in human form.”
Reid went on to note singer Brandi Carlile was introduced by her wife, and transgender artist Kim Petras won a Grammy.
“Black acting superstar Viola Davis became an EGOT, winning a Grammy to add to her Golden Globe, Oscar, and Tony awards,” she added.
Watch the video below:
.@JoyAnnReid: The #Grammys “was a celebration of the very thing the American Right has turned into its latest anti-wokeness bogeyman: Diversity, equity, & inclusion … So yeah. The culture wars are over, and the Left won. Like total defeat.”
.@JoyAnnReid: The #Grammys "was a celebration of the very thing the American Right has turned into its latest anti-wokeness bogeyman: Diversity, equity, & inclusion … So yeah. The culture wars are over, and the Left won. Like total defeat." pic.twitter.com/gPiAsM6VzJ
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 7, 2023
Some other parts of the show Reid listed included singer Lizzo’s performance with her “choir of many sized singers,” and Beyoncé winning her 32nd Grammy. Additionally, she pointed out singer Harry Styles, who “frequently puts on dresses,” won Record of the Year. Finally, the host noted an “epic” 15-minute tribute to Hip-Hop.
“So yeah. The culture wars are over, and the Left won! Like total defeat,” Reid cheerfully declared. “I can only imagine the heads exploding in red states. I imagine Ron DeSantis is somewhere stalking through his governor’s mansion trying to figure out how to ban the airing of the Grammys.”
She added:
“It’s a helpful reminder that despite the almost hysterical war the right is waging to take the culture back to the John Wayne era, they are not just losing, they literally cannot win. Cultural progression is relentless. Once people get a taste of modernity, they almost never go back willingly.”
Sure some conservatives may not have liked Carlile being introduced by her wife, but at this point, they are used to such moments during award shows.
And they may have raised concerns that celebrating Lizzo and her “many-sized singers” goes beyond fighting back against unreasonable beauty standards, and ventures into celebrating unhealthy lifestyles and being overweight.
Regarding the room being diverse or Davis reaching EGOT status, conservatives would not have much to complain about. Some might take some issue with Bad Bunny singing in Spanish, but it is not a hill they would die on.
What really disturbed conservatives was one thing Reid left out of her ebullient monologue: Kim Petras and Sam Smith’s creepy performance.
The performance featured creepy red lighting and a stage display apparently meant to depict hell.
Hollywood freaks still thinking they’re so edgy with their Satanic themed performances 🤡🤡🤡
Hollywood freaks still thinking they’re so edgy with their Satanic themed performances 🤡🤡🤡 #GRAMMYs #kimpetras #SamSmith pic.twitter.com/6IyL8YYFdt
— Stephanie Hamill (@STEPHMHAMILL) February 6, 2023
Even if you do not really care about culture war issues or think conservatives blow a lot of things out of proportion, you have to admit that performance was, in the mildest description, weird. Why would you want to be entertained by a performance depicting a place typically seen as a location of eternal torment?
It perfectly encapsulates many conservatives’ fears: That the culture is decadent and goes beyond simply being accepting and inclusive. And it is celebrating and advocating for lifestyles and ideas that are dangerous to a person’s physical well-being and soul.
But did the award show constitute some victory in the culture wars or a “total defeat” for conservatives? Not at all. You can have all those aspects without constituting a victory in a war.
If Reid thinks a bunch of celebrities winning awards based on what members of some institution think is award-worthy constitutes a victory, she is going to have another thing coming.