Beyoncé’s Top 40 single “XO” has received a lot of backlash and scrutiny for sampling the controversial clip of the ill-fated Challenger Space Shuttle that crashed in January of 1986.
Sarah McNulty, a Florida resident, has created an online Care2 petition calling for the singer to donate 25 percent of the proceeds earned from the sales, syndication, and performance of the song “XO“ to the Challenger Learning Center.
Below are McNulty’s claims:
“Beyoncé’s new song entitled ‘XO’ samples a famous audio clip from the tragic space shuttle Challenger accident, in which seven American heroes were killed. This thoughtless gesture has shocked America and reopened an old wound. In addition, such a casual pop culture treatment trivializes what should always be remembered as an extremely painful chapter in American history.”
“Beyoncé, claiming no harm meant, has suggested that the inclusion of the clip was meant to honor the fallen astronauts. While this is ill conceived logic, it indicates that Beyoncé is sensitive to the grief of the deceased’s families and regrets that her mistake has caused so much harm.”
The Challenger Learning Center is maintained by the families of the fallen astronauts and uses all donations to continue the legacy mission of the ill-fated shuttle: to explore, educate, and inspire young minds in space and science education. The petition calls for 5,000 signatures and has already received over 4,300.
View the petition here.
“XO” a single lifted off Beyoncé’s self-titled album, which has already reached platinum status. The visual album, which was released without any prior promotion, is the fastest selling album to reach 1 million downloads in US digital history.
“XO” now stands at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Do you think Beyoncé should donate proceeds of “XO”?
