Closed Reading #2

“Madonna’s Tone-Deaf Tattoo”

Meghan Daum

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-1018-daum-yousafzai-madonna-20121018,0,1844038.column

In her article, “Madonna’s Tone-Deaf Tattoo,” Meghan Daum remarks on a recent incident where pop singer Madonna revealed a new fake tattoo during a concert. Emblazoned on her lower back was the name of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who has gained a lot of recent media attention after being shot by members of the Taliban. The article carries a strongly negative tone that ridicules Madonna and attacks her tattoo. Daum uses pejorative diction to style Madonna as obnoxious, which goes in sharp contrast to the honorific diction she uses to endear readers to Malala. The language throughout is very sardonic, often used to mock Madonna. Also, Daum’s deliberate choice of details highlights many of Malala’s good deeds while bringing up ugly things from Madonna’s history.

The article uses a very sardonic language that mocks Madonna. With the very first line in the article, “There goes Madonna, classing up the joint again,” Daum immediately sets the sardonic tone of the article, making it clear that Madonna is not going to get much love from her. It doesn’t get much more sarcastic than saying someone is “classing up the joint.” By calling Madonna the “Hottest Bod in the AARP,” Daum gives Madonna a backhanded compliment, more of an insult than a real compliment. It’s a demeaning title for Madonna, meant to ridicule and dismiss any remnants of her status as a sex symbol. Daum again ridicules Madonna’s tattoo as pathetic and ineffective against the Taliban. She says, “Take that Taliban! Mess with a girl’s education and you’re messing with a 54-year-old pop star in a leather corset.”  The sardonic and belittling language that Daum uses throughout the article doesn’t do anything to flatter the pop singer. Instead, readers get the sense that Madonna is classless and grossly promiscuous.

            Daum also uses diction to put critical labels on Madonna, while putting positive ones on Malala. She says Madonna has an “obsession with her body.” She calls Madonna an “extremist.” She describes Madonna’s tattoo-exposing as “relentless self-promotion” and “envelope pushing.” All of these words carry negative connotations for Madonna that depict her as obnoxious. On the other hand, Daum describes Malala’s face as “earnest” and “un-primmed.” She refers to Malala as a “modest Muslim girl.” Although these words don’t directly praise Malala’s character as fervently as Daum’s criticism of Madonna does, they highlight some of Malala’s qualities that endear the reader to young girl. Daum’s choice of diction in this article is subtle, but it still does enough to influence the reader.

Through her deliberate choice of details, Daum gives unflattering stories and examples of Madonna’s actions to depict her as disgraceful. For example, the article mentions that Madonna “superimposed a swastika on the forehead of French politician Marine Le Pen.” It mentions that she “called President Obama a ‘black Muslim’ while ‘endorsing’ him at a performance.”  Yet, the details that Daum chose to leave out of the article are just as meaningful as the details she chose to include. Madonna has had a long, successful career as a singer. Like many pop singers, Madonna has done volunteer work, charity concerts, and fundraisers. But of course, Daum doesn’t mention any of this. Why? This article is supposed to be explaining why Madonna’s stunt is inappropriate, as the article title suggests. By highlighting a lot of the stupid, ugly things that Madonna has done, Daum paints a negative picture of Madonna.

In contrast, Daum chooses to highlight certain details about Malala that depict her as a virtuous person. For example, the article mentions that Malala has written a blog for BBC. It mentions that she was the first ever to receive Pakistan’s National Youth Prize. It mentions that “Desmond Tutu nominated her for an International Children's Peace Prize.” These impressive accolades definitely make Malala a respectable and morally righteous young girl.

            In the article, not only does Daum express her disgust with Madonna’s tattoo, but she also reveals her disgust with the pop singer in general. This is clear in her heavy use of sardonic language, negative diction, and biased choice of details to define and describe Madonna.