North Texas Daily

One of the things I love and hate most about the technological age, is our novel ability to take anything and make it political, or otherwise offensive. Every facet of American life has a new-found obligation to become the bastion of respectability and moral uprightness.

So, allow me to assert my most trigger-worthy, controversial opinion yet at the North Texas Daily:

Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl Halftime show was fantastic, and we are lucky to have been graced by his talents.

Twitter jumped so quickly to the controversy that those of us who enjoyed the performance were robbed of our joy. True, he isn’t a minority figure, but I would hardly consider him a controversial figure by any standard. Say what you want about his music, his status or the Prince hologram, but it was fun.

One of the biggest complaints my friends had was that he spent more time dancing than he did singing. I concede to that fact, but I don’t necessarily take issue with it. One of Timberlake’s greatest attributes is his ability to put on a crisp, well-rehearsed, entertaining performance. We all know he can sing. He has been a prominent musical figure since 1995.

Which leads me to my next and likely most important point: Timberlake brings a humbleness to the stage difficult to miss. He is forefront in the performance, no doubt, but his ability to engage the audience in a self-centered performance is unmatched. Take the selfie kid for example (which made for some hilarious memes, by the way). When is the last time you saw a Super Bowl halftime show where the performer went into the audience during a party-anthem to engage with his or her fans?

Despite social media’s unique ability to demonize anything for the sake of demonizing it, Timberlake’s performance was engaging, indicative of immense talent and all-around fun.

To anyone that disagrees with me…

Cry me a river.

Featured Image: Courtesy Wikimedia Commons