Link to Article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beyonce-remixes-mi-gente-for-hurricane-and-earthquake-relief-jbalvin-mexico-puerto-rico/
Link to Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHgDFRpCi0
On September 28, J Balvin's hit single "Mi Gente" featuring Beyonce was released. Through Instagram, Beyonce announced: "I am donating my proceeds from this song to hurricane relief charities for Puerto Rico, Mexico and the other affected Caribbean islands...".
During the midst of September, Puerto Rico was severely affected and devastated by Hurricane Maria. It left nearly 4 million Americans without power on the island, killed and destroyed the homes of hundreds, and up to this day, the Caribbean island continues to struggle getting back on its feet. Mexico faced similar devastation after being hit by two major earthquakes within a two week range. Over 400 individuals were killed as a result of the destruction caused by the earthquake. Aware that both Puerto Rico and Mexico were in desperate need of aid and support, Beyonce and Latin artist, J Balvin, collaborated to support both locations with financial assistance.
On October 3rd, Trump visited the Island and belittled the damage caused by Hurricane Maria, suggesting that it was “not a real catastrophe” when compared to Hurricane Katrina. He continued to show merciless behavior when tossing supplies to the people as if it were a lottery game, and blamed Puerto Rico for being a financial burden to the nation.
Thoughts on Trump’s attitude and behavior towards Puerto Rico?
Is the government doing enough to support countries in times of need (such as Puerto Rico)?
Reaction to Beyonce’s actions? Is she handling the situation better than Trump himself?
11 comments:
I believe that Trump could definitely be doing more to help out Puerto Rico other than expressing his condolences through Twitter or tossing paper towels and other supplies to a crowd of Puerto Ricans. There are also a lot of opportunities for the President, or the US government in general, to help out Mexico and other Caribbean countries in time of need, but again, Trump just resorts to Twitter to express his opinions on the tragedy, or the government ignores their cries for help to talk about other minor issues. That being said, there's no doubt that Yoncé and J Balvin have gone to greater lengths than Trump in regard to raising money to help those who need it and spreading the call for help to not only Americans, but to all humans throughout the Americas and across the world. This ingenious and fire collab has obviously brought more hope to the weakened countries in the 3 1/2 minutes song than a world leader has tried to do in a few weeks. To answer your question, yes, I believe that Queen B is handling the situation better than Trump since I have nothing but respect for MY president.
I think Trump's belittling of the catastrophe is ridiculous. He should definitely be doing more to help the Puerto Ricans get through this difficult time. I think Beyonce and J Balvin are doing WAAAY more than Trump is doing. Because Puerto Rico is part of the US, Trump needs to take more action to help them out. Additionally, Lin Manuel Miranda, Hamilton star, also created a Spotify playlist with collaborations like Ruben Blades, Luis Fonsi, GLoria Estefan, etc. People who have a connnection with the country or culture of Latin America are combining forces more than our president.
In my opinion, I feel that Trump should help Puerto Rico because it's a territory of the U.S. However, I understand why Trump is being hesitant to support them because the U.S isn't the police or hero of the world. Although they have a lot of power and potential to help, if the U.S gets involved in all foreign countries' problems, then they have to help every country that needs help. I think the U.S has more important issues happening within the U.S, like in Houston, Florida, and the fires in Northern California. That's why I feel people with influence like Beyonce need to use their impact on the public to support the disaster in Puerto Rico.
So I just learned that Puerto Rico was part of the U.S. After learning that Puerto Rico was owned by the U.S, I strongly believe that Trump should provide support instead of making messed up statements of how oh it wasn't as bad as this other hurricane. I feel that Trump doesn't view Puerto Rico equally compared to one of the 50 states. Even though president Trump sees U.S as not a "hero of the world," he still should have some responsibility of helping Puerto Rico out because after all, we own Puerto Rico. I fully understand that there are more major problems that exist in the U.S especially the fires in California and the areas that were destroyed in Texas, that still doesn't give the right to ignore Puerto Rico problems. I believe that popular people like Beyonce who are well-known to many are able to help resolve the issue regarding Trump not supporting. As long as there are people out there who are willing to help the people, Puerto Rico will do recover just fine without the help of Trump
I believe what Beyonce is doing in support of Puerto Rico and Mexico is wonderful. Media is a very powerful platform in present day society, and she is able to reach out to millions of people. Trump's behavior towards Puerto Rico is inappropriate, and it is horrible when he blames Puerto Rico for being a burden when they could not have done anything to avoid the natural disaster. Trump holds a position of influence, but he is clearly not putting his power to good use. Trump's insincere actions are nothing compared to Beyonce's efforts. She also holds a position of influence, and she is actively spreading a good message.
I think President Trump could have shown more sympathy and given more support to Puerto Rico. This could have been an opportunity for him to show the public that he has a compassionate side, even if it is only to improve his reputation. I think what Beyonce is doing to help is really great and because she is so famous her generosity will set a good example for a lot of people. As president of one of the most powerful countries in the world, it would have been nice to see Trump show more sincerity when addressing the damage in Puerto Rico.
I think that Trump's actions were inappropriate and that he should show more sympathy towards Puerto Rico. However, I do understand why Trump is hesitant to help Puerto Rico. As they do need help, the US has many other issues occurring right now that needs their full attention. Also, the US cannot get involved with every foreign issue. The only thing is that I believe Trump acted wrong when throwing materials and treating this disaster as nothing. I think that Beyonce is doing an amazing job using her resources and abilities to help Puerto Rico; not only is she setting a good example for people, but she is also handling the situation better than Trump. Overall, I understand Trump's hesitation, however, I think he needs to be more respectful, understanding and try to help them to the best of his ability.
I do think Beyonce is handing the situation way better than Trump is, Beyonce is not only focusing on the U.S.'s responsibility but is also helping donate to other countries that the U.S. has no control over (Mexico, Bahamas, etc). I think many people fail to realize that Puerto Rico isn't necessarily a foreign country, because it is part of the U.S. The U.S. OWNS Puerto Rico, therefore I do believe Trump should have done way more to help Puerto Rico, not just to belittle them. I understand as to why the government did not help Mexico or other countries affected by natural causes, but Puerto Rico is an actual responsibility for the U.S. If Puerto Rico pays their taxes to us, it's up to us to help us. I also don't think Trump should have compared current tragedies to past tragedies, because like i said, this is PRESENT ISSUES. There is no needs to focus on what has happened before, but instead of fixing our current issues. I think throwing supplies around simply adds on to show how careless Trump is and how he fails to sympathize with human tragedies/suffering.
Trump’s statements towards Puerto Ricans were very disrespectful, especially considering the fact that they must cope with a natural disaster (Trump that Puerto Ricans expect everything to be done for them), though the president recently gave himself a 10/10 rating for handling hurricane Maria. I would like to clarify to Jason Hui though, that Puerto Rico is a US territory and because of this, should be given just as much consideration and aid as Northern California, Texas, and Florida. I am very proud to be a Beyoncé fan because on top of her incredible and unmatched vocals and performance skills, she has made lots of humanitarian efforts (she has also worked with the UN, has her own BeyGood foundation that provided relief in Houston and more). This being said, it is a very weird time in American history when a billionaire is doing more for American people than some politicians are.
I think that private support of those in need, such as Beyonce's initiative here, as well JJ Watt's support of Texans a few weeks ago, are laudable and generous. The government, even more so, has its duties to its citizens and residents, and supporting them during times of crisis is necessary. Although Trump himself may be a bad speech maker, I see the the poor response to Puerto Rico's disaster to be a failure of the government in general, not just of one man. The failure to send in enough support stems from other agencies as well. We have to make sure the entire government is subject to inquisition from the people, not just a single person.
Even though I agree with most of Max's points, I disagree with the fact that we should not be targeting the blame towards the President. When the President calls Puerto Rico "not a real catastrophe," it creates a negative stigma and many people are less likely to donate to the cause. On the other hand, if the President was more supportive of the efforts in Puerto Rico, people would be more likely to donate and support those in Puerto Rico. These celebrities that are supporting these causes are great. Unlike the current president, these people are using their influence for good.
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