Madonna‘s new video for “God Control” from her latest album Madame X was bound to spark controversy. The clip recreates a nightclub shooting, recalling the 2016 massacre at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, in graphic detail. Emma González, a survivor of the 2018 shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida who has since advocated prominently for gun control, has now offered harsh criticism of the video and its star.
“Madonna’s new video for her song #GodControl was fucked up, it was horrible,” González tweeted. “She should have sent out a message warning what her new video contained, ESPECIALLY to the Pulse Victims, ESPECIALLY as it was released just after the Anniversary on June 12th.”
González continued: “This is NOT the correct way to talk about gun violence, unlike how many fans have been exclaiming … If you want to support the gun violence prevention movement, donate to the places who need it, in this case the One Pulse Foundation and listen to the actual stories from actual survivors of gun violence.”
While González’s main critique is that the video’s violence is gratuitous and fails to center real-life victims and survivors, it’s worth noting that the YouTube description links to websites for 11 gun control advocacy organizations, including One Pulse. You can watch the video and read González’s full Twitter thread below.
So I’ve been ruminating on this thread for the past few days, make sure I get the words right.
Madonna’s new video for her song #GodControl was fucked up, it was horrible.
— X González (@callmeX) June 29, 2019
She should have sent out a message warning what her new video contained, ESPECIALLY to the Pulse Victims, ESPECIALLY as it was released Just After the Anniversary on June 12th.
— X González (@callmeX) June 29, 2019
This is NOT the correct way to talk about gun violence, unlike how many fans have been exclaiming — people who have been working in the GVP community know how to talk about gun violence, not most celebrities. #GodControl
— X González (@callmeX) June 29, 2019
If you want to support the gun violence prevention movement, donate to the places who need it, in this case the One Pulse Foundation and listen to the actual stories from actual survivors of gun violence. #GodControl
— X González (@callmeX) June 29, 2019
Also if you tweet pictures or videos from the video of #GodControl, please tag it as Triggering for fucks sake
— X González (@callmeX) June 29, 2019
