This post is about artist M.I.A.'s new music video for her song "Born Free."
I cannot embed the file in this post via Youtbe because it has been banned on the site in the United States.
And that is exactly why I am writing.
However, there is a much better site than Youtube called Vimeo, and they are showing the video. Check it out now. Really, you need to watch it or else don't read the rest of this post.
The basics: M.I.A. is a worldwide superstar of experimental/world/hip hop/popular music. She is not for everyone, but I am a big fan of hers. Her music is vastly unique. She uses it to (mainly) explore ideas about politics and what happens in third world countries. She herself is a genuine artist, a rare talent, an actual creator with something important to say. She is a true original and she has spawned many imitators. I actually saw her perform two years ago and it was quite a sight to see.
So the big controversy is that her new video for her song "Born Free" is too violent. Well, ok.
The actual issue is that her video depicts a USA version of what kind of torture and brutality minorities face all over the world -- and yes, that sort of thing does not happen in the USA. M.I.A. replaced prisoners of war or Jews or Africans with gingers, and people were horrified. They were mostly horrified when a beautiful 12 year old boy who looked straight out of a Hidden Valley ad got his head blown off.
However, that kid actor has something to say about it:
"I think she was trying to show violence to end violence," Hamrick told the site Thursday. "The video is definitely not for kids — I haven't even seen the full video myself — but for all the adults and people in different countries who are doing that in real life ... doing the genocides to whatever: Italians, Africans, wherever it's from, it's still genocide. So it's showing violence to end violence."
The kid makes his point, and likely her point, very well. She is using her position as a pop culture figure (and one that appeals to a so-called progressive generation) to show us, not tell us, what is going on. A Sri Lanka refugee herself, she is no stranger to the violence and injustices of war and minority abuse.
The BIGGER issue some people seem to be taking with the video is that she chose to depict the minorities with white, red haired boys. I'll get back to that point after this video, a discussion and debate about "Born Free."
Coincidentally, I wrote a massive argumentative essay about
"gingerism" being the last acceptable form of prejudice. I wrote
about the agreed upon definition of prejudice and of racism, and
I compared it to the way people with red hair are commonly treated.
Granted, we don't see much ginger hatred in the US. It is much,
much, more prevalent in the UK, where most of the redheaded
population is located.
I conducted copious research for my argument and found numerous
accounts of violence, discrimination, and torment against gingers
in the UK, so much so that it is a clearly stated problem in their
society. People have created support groups, written editorials,
and one photographer even published a book of photos, capturing
portraits of red haired people and writing their testimonials of
how they have been treated as freaks, or been harassed, or
generally made to feel ugly because of their hair.
As you can see, I could go on about how I think gingerism is the
last acceptable form of prejudice, but I won't. But because of my
information and familiarity with the topic, I found the argument,
that M.I.A.'s choice to use gingers as the targeted minorities
dulls the message, weak. In the UK, these people are targeted.
It seems silly, but it happens to be true. So what does that say
about other minorities that are targeted? Not as silly, right?
So, M.I.A. is being criticized for putting out music and media
that has a message, a purpose, and a HUGELY important one at that:
she is showing a demographic of listless, naive kids who don't
read the paper or watch the news a video about cultural violence
and she is not keeping it tame. God fucking help us that Lady Gaga
shows us her crotch and dances around a prison. M.I.A. just wants
us to wake the fuck up and see what happens beyond our borders.
And for Youtube banning it in the US? That's just adorable. Keep
us complacent and try to shield us from the ugly violence. No,
please, post hundreds of videos of people chugging hot sauce
and jumping off their roofs and squeezing their zits, but don't
let us see any political commentary that portrays the United
States negatively.
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