dream hampton, the Beyonce Beyhive, and the Toxic Internet Fishbowl
Veteran writer, filmmaker, activist, pilot, and mother dream hampton has been an active participant in important discourse on Twitter for some time now. But she’s always been vocal about her unease with the medium, citing its occasional distractions from real-life progress and its propensity to foster premature familiarity and inappropriate interaction. In the past, she’s gone as far as deleting her account because of those concerns.
Those who follow her know that, when she’s able to fully engage with the social media site, she’s masterful at using Twitter to facilitate healthy, useful discourse on a multiplicity of topics, from street harassment to domestic violence to international affairs.
Perhaps her most impassioned topic of Twitter conversation is her daughter, whose anonymity she has always fiercely guarded, referring to her only as “the awesome daughter.” Just yesterday, she was informing her followers of the books she’d recommended for her daughter’s summer reading. They included Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Audre Lorde’s Sister, Outsider. She proudly informed readers who offered additional selections that the awesome daughter was already conversant in bell hooks, Sonia Sanchez, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Octavia Butler. Mind you, the awesome daughter is only 15. She’s also a science superstar, as hampton has informed the Twitterverse in the past. In addition, she’s cultured and becoming well-traveled, the latter trait hampton recently discussed in a column at Ebony.com.
Needless to say, dream hampton’s daughter is her pride and joy — and rightfully so. And many of her followers, who are themselves parents, greatly enjoyed hearing about the various creative bonding and educating techniques hampton uses to raise an extraordinary young woman. I can personally say, as mom to a toddler daughter, the anecdotes have truly been inspiring for me.
Despite what hampton’s disclosed about her daughter to the online community, it’s clear that she’s fiercely protective of her only child, as any high-profile mom would be. This makes what happened online yesterday, following dream and the awesome daughter’s VIP experience at one of Beyonce’s Revel shows, so unnerving.
Source: Lipstick Alley (www.lipstickalley.com)
Apparently, a Beyonce “stan” posted a picture of the singer with dream’s daughter to a Tumblr page, where commenters promptly began leaving negative comments about the teen, whose identity was initially unknown to them. dream requested that the photograph be removed. When it wasn’t, she removed herself from both Tumblr and Twitter, to the disappointment and chagrin of many of her followers.
We’re daily reminded that ignorance is everywhere. If any of us remember our middle and high school experiences, we know that unapologetic cruelty is part of humanity’s course. Someone will always divulge information that isn’t theirs to give or hone in with laser-like critical focus on a person’s physical appearance without any regard for who they could be hurting. But even armed with that knowledge, it’s still surprising when adults openly ridicule children, when they ignore the civil requests of their parents to refrain, and when they are fully aware of how hurtful they’re being.
Now, the picture is irretrievable and the damage is done. But in an effort to re-appropriate the concert photograph, which was clearly taken in a moment of unabashed joy (both Beyonce and the awesome daughter are grinning beautifully), Beyonce has posted the snapshot on her own highly publicized Tumblr account. Hopefully, her inappropriate “stans” will realize that this remarkable girl is someone of purpose and value — though it’s a shame that she’d need to re-post the girl’s picture herself to assert that.
Some dismiss Beyonce’s more radical “stans” as irrational parodies whose slavish devotion to her preempts all appeals to reason. “These Beyonce stans out here are CRAZY!” people observe with a chuckle. But behavior like this shouldn’t be excused so easily. Even Beyonce hasn’t been exempt from the kind of backlash dream hampton and her daughter experienced yesterday. When the superstar’s daughter was born, Twitter exploded with speculation about the baby’s physical appearance — some of which was truly reprehensible.
Something should be done. In an information age when celebrities are willing to engage their public and allow us access that would have been utterly impossible ten years ago, shouldn’t we all show our appreciation, for whatever openness they can afford, by being respectful of their families and keeping any criticism we may have constructive and above board?
If we don’t, we will lose our ability to interact with some of the most talented, ambitious, and intelligent minds of our generation. Like dream hampton.
It’s a sad situation that she had to delete her Twitter page because of all the
drama. This should be a lesson for and her daughter that having thick skin is very necessaryin this industry which she should know. I believe the picture was initially on Beyonce tumblur page anyway.
The pic wasn’t posted on beyonces tumblr until Dream complained to beyoince, dream explained this last night. That’s exactly why dream was pissed someone stole it from her facebook
These people are crazy, there is nothing ‘wrong’ with her daughter, even if there ‘was’ A. you’re talking about a child B. what is the need to talk anyway!?
However(not condoning these people) we all know in this internet age, say I put up a photo of me and Drake on my private locked facebook where certain friends can see it, I would expect it to remain private as with countless other fan photos in private albums. However if I am related to a Twitter famous/popular person, and they put that photo of me and Drake on a public forum like Twitter, sad or not you can expect public scrutiny and comments on the ‘civilian’ just as happens to the celebrity person they are stood next to.
Understandably a mother’s love blinded her from the notion that someone would have anything bad to say about her baby, but as a web-literate person, dream should have known better…we all know the web can be a cold-ass place unfortunately! Either don’t post family photos, or do it in full knowedge of the potential hating and keep ya chin up/keep it moving.
if this comment makes no sense its because my first comment has not been allowed to be free from purgatory but i hope it does but i would like to further add that my honest first reaction to this whole situation was that if dream had said nothing …no one would have even know that was her daughter except for the people who already knew…now EVERYONE knows for sure what her daughter looks like. without her response maybe it would have eventually come out or mentioned that this was her daughter but otherwise she would have just been a bey fan, a concert winner, radio station winner, random fan takes pic w/ Bey you get teh point
i think this was a sad situation but here is my problem…since when is cursing at someone and then saying please considered asking nicely and being polite?? i think it is horrible what grown adults said about her child but really??? no one has said one word about how she came at that person and on top of that we are even going so far as to say she ask nicely?? (im referring to those tweets on the left of this article and the author of this article saying dream “requested”) 0_o am i living on another planet?? thats like saying to someone talking too much can you please shut the f**k up..please doesnt negate the cursing.. im sorry i a stickler for peoples tone and words used as an English major who has accomplished nothing in comparison to ms. hampton and you mean to tell me as smart and accomplished as she is as a writer she couldnt find other words to request the photo being taken down. I understand she is fiercely protective of her daughter but I am willing to bet that had she simply asked that the picture be removed or where he/she got it w/o the cursing…this whole situation wouldnt have gotten as big as it did.
The daughter looks Just like her. I thought it was her
Yes, ignorance is everywhere, but, honey, its permanent residence is Twitter!
Side Note: I looked up the photo in question (on Google). The girl is cute – she resembles her mom. I don’t understand what negative things these “people” (read: animals) could possible have had to say. *smh*