( CNN ) -- On Friday , Madonna posted a photo to her Instagram account of her teenage son , Rocco , throwing a punch in a boxing ring with the caption : `` Nobody messes with Dirty Soap ! Mama said knock you out ! '' she wrote below the picture , adding the hashtag `` # disniâ€ ” a . '' Yes , of course . When the inevitable public outcry began of her use of the n-word , the photo was deleted and reposted , its caption replaced with , in true Madonna fashion , `` # get off my dâ€ ” k haters ! '' None of this furor is accidental . The pop icon is no stranger to controversy , but now it may be time to examine the consequences of her latest cultural tourism in the name of reinvention . In each of her many visual incarnations and cultural flings , Madonna has been predictably parasitic . She shamelessly moves on to the next character , having usurped all the cool or controversial parts of the previous one . Now , there is her use of the n-word . This lack of concern for the impact of her words is especially troubling because of her rainbow coalition of children , adopted and biological . But this is Madonna we 're talking about . As rumors of a possible performance with BeyoncÃ© at the Grammys next month swirl , it make sense that she 's crept back into the news . This is the woman who embraced her title as the Queen of Obscene decades ago . This is the woman who bared all for her widely banned coffee table book `` Sex , '' released alongside the `` Erotica '' album in 1992 . She has performed hanging from a cross , criticized the Iraq War and masturbated both on stage and in movies . Lady Gaga may live for the applause , but Madge no doubt lives for the uproar . She is as adept at generating headlines as she is at churning out chart-topping albums . And she 's more likely to respond with a middle finger than a heartfelt apology . She stands firm in her decisions and historically does n't back down from her statements . I previously valued that very quality in her . Madonna : ' N-word ' hashtag was 'term of endearment ' to son . As a dancer and former aspiring choreographer , I appreciate the bold spectacle in Madonna 's live shows . Her wildly successful Confessions Tour , for example , demonstrated the penchant for pushing creative boundaries that has kept me on board even when critics abandoned her . But even that fandom comes with reservations . It 's expected that influences change as musical trends and interests shift . But Madonna ? She has put in overtime to earn her status as cultural tourist-in-chief , cherry-picking the most catchy , marketable aspects of her current host culture for commercial benefit with little regard for integrity or respect of the reception to her behavior . When she offended Hindus by wearing a bindi , which is symbolic of chastity and purity , while wearing a see-through top at a VMA performance , a spokesperson told MTV that Madonna did not `` understand why [ they ] are upset . '' She defended her use of Nazi imagery during her MDNA Tour as being used to highlight `` the intolerance humans have for one another . '' Madonna has repeatedly demonstrated that she views cultural iconography , from dance styles to religious symbols , as artistic statements and sets them aside when no longer convenient . In her early days , she mimicked Marilyn Monroe . Then came her Spanish fixation in the late 1980s with `` La Isla Bonita . '' In 1990 , she introduced voguing to the world , a dance style made popular by gay black and Latino creators . Then came bindis , saris , funky henna tattoos and ambiguous prayer-chanting magic on her `` Ray of Light '' album . She was a butt-kicking female Che Guevera type on the artwork of `` American Life . '' Each image immaculately styled , each revamp merely enduring the life cycle of her current fascination . Using the n-word on Instagram is just Madge being Madge . And her `` I 'm sorry if you were offended '' -style nonapology does n't indicate that she 's learned anything from the backlash . Would she defiantly brush off the same `` term of endearment '' were it directed to her black children adopted from Malawi , David Banda and Mercy James ? Has she become overly comfortable , having black friends , peers and black children ? This incident is less about Madonna being a racist and more about her continued lack of tact . This would make a great teachable moment for her children about mistakes and consequences , in her latest reinvention as a humanitarian and mother . But it should first be a lesson for Madonna herself . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alexander Hardy .
Madonna 's recent controversy should not be a surprise , the author says . Hardy : This is the latest in a career that borrows from what is `` cool '' in culture . Now , as a mother , perhaps she should consider the impact on her children .