Yesterday Feministing published an article about vlogger NineteenPercent, and her incredibly awesome analysis of Beyonce's new song "Run the World (Girls)." NineteenPercent's video has caught fire, and rightfully so.

My first reaction to Beyonce's song was that it fell in the same category as grade inflation. Imaginary self-puffery designed to make everyone feel better. The kind of "A trophy for every player" dispensing of entitlement that has proved so corrosive to actual progress and self-improvement.

A surprising number of young women are simply unaware that they live in a sexist society. Women think that misogyny is a thing of the past, which is why they also think that feminism is an unnecessary holdover from the bad old days. So in that sense alone, NineteenPercent's video is awesome.

But the more I listen to the song, the more I think a lot of people may have it wrong. It is precisely by failing to provide concrete examples of the ways in which we run the world that Beyonce tips her cards. When she performs lines like "We're smart enough to make our millions, strong enough to bear your children, then get back to bidness" she isn't talking about how women are running the world. She is talking about how we have the capacity to run the world.

And in this sense, Beyonce is spot on. Achieving gender equality isn't going to happen if we just hang back waiting for someone to hand it to us. It's only going to happen if we step up and take it. Her song isn't a statement of fact. (Which is good, because if that were the case it would be the ugly gloating of a bad winner). Instead, it is a rallying cry to the troops.

This aspect of the song can also be seen in the video, in which Beyonce and her backup dancers square off against a line of impassive male riot police. (Granted, I wish that Beyonce's team were doing something more riot-worthy than dancing in skimpy outfits, but consider the medium.) This adversarial relationship permeates the song, from its martial beat to the aggressive, confrontational tone of its lyrics.

Unfortunately, by doing this while dancing sexily, Beyonce runs perilously close to the grotty old misogynist and rape apologist trope that "Women have all the power because they control the sex." Even if we skirt this issue, the viewer is left wondering, where is the power for ugly girls? The unfit, the overweight, and those too afraid of getting mauled to walk a pair of hyenas on a chain?

Regardless of what I think of the video, here is what I love about it: it's getting people talking. And everything about NineteenPercent's analysis is awesome and right on, and I would definitely stand beside her as we square off against the riot police (while dancing in heels and skimpy costumes obviously).

And finally I wanted to tip my hat to the outtake at the end of her video. I am plagued by the same problem, and it's why I will be canceling Avast as soon as my subscription runs out. And if the makers of Avast Antivirus are listening, YOU NEED TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT STOP DOING THAT. Nothing that a computer does is worthy of a VERBAL NOTICE, not least of which being the daily antivirus update. STOP IT.