“Feminist” Beyoncé has a new single out, 7/11, which means that her legions of fans have already flocked to it. Nothing screams “female empowerment” like rolling dice off a woman’s butt and mugging for the camera in your underwear, but this post isn’t about that. It’s about listening to the decline of Western Civilization in action. All you have to do is listen to about 30 seconds of “7/11” and, say, Bach’s rendition of “Jesu, meine Freude” to actually hear what the death spiral of a civilization sounds like.

Compare the two works. First, Beyoncé:

Contemplate the lyrics:

Legs movin’ side to side, smack it in the air
Legs movin’ side to side, smack you in the air
Shoulders sideways, smack it, smack it in the air
Smack it, smack it in the air
Legs movin’ side to side, smack it, smack it in the air
Smack it, smack it in the air

Then, Bach:

Contemplate the lyrics:

Jesu, meine Freude (Jesus, my joy)
Unter deinem Schirmen (Beneath your protection)
Trotz dem alten Drachen (I defy the old dragon)
Weg mit allen Schätzen (Away with all treasures)
Gute Nacht, o Wesen (Good night, existence)
Weicht, ihr Trauergeister (Go away, mournful spirits)

How can anyone close their eyes, listen to both pieces of music, think about Beyoncé’s popularity, and not objectively conclude that it is one small bit of evidence that we are collectively spinning down a cultural drain?

This is not me bashing all contemporary music. There is plenty of good music out there. This is me saying that if you consider Beyoncé’s record sales, her $115 million payday for 2014, and the millions of fans who are ecstatic over “smack it, smack it in the air,” then it is hard not to conclude that strange days lie ahead.

This is not me saying that the only music worth listening to is classical. This is me asking you to listen to where we once were and listen to where we are now. This is me asking if you can listen to both creative efforts and honestly deny that Beyoncé’s degrades and debases the soul into an embarrassing spectacle while Bach’s stirs it to strive for greatness.

We sit around and wonder why women like Kim Kardashian are famous for exposing themselves while we listen to songs like Beyonce’s 7/11. We incredulously wonder how it is that a woman can easily tape herself getting cat calls while walking through the streets of New York, while we collectively cheer Beyoncé’s objectification of herself and others — to the tune of millions of YouTube downloads.

That, “meine freude,” is classic.