Because I like my 9-minute videos to be thought-provoking instead of technicolored confusion. I salute you M.I.A.
This video is graphic and violent. There are shots of an older woman’s breasts. Exploding gingers abound (Queen of Hearts, I’m looking at you and you KNOW why…LOL). Don’t say I didn’t warn you:
M.I.A. “Born Free”
Discuss.
No seriously. I want to know what you guys think about this one. What did you get out of it? What is she trying to communicate? Why do people pick on the gingers?!?!
Ok, GO!
UPDATE: I like this guy’s breakdown of the meaning of Born Free. Definitely worth a gander. Leor Galil for True/Slant.
—-
Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr you can watch this video. I totally jacked Ladyfag for it and it’s a nice follow up. Actually, it would have made a better precursor, but it’s down here. Ummm…yeah.
21 Responses to “…video: born free…”
Actually… I was pretty confused. HAHA.
I don’t understand music videos in general, but all the ginger hate reminds me of South Park. Brutally satirizing or symbolizing still-existing racial issues, racial profiling, etc.– or the treatment of illegal immigrants? That’s my two cents at least.
.-= sui´s last blog ..{ portrait } by a guest photographer =-.
Alicia Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Ok, I’ll admit that I was a little “WTF?” but not in the way I was after Telephone…that shit was confusing. I’m still confused. LOL.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Alicia, Licier, etc.. Alicia, Licier, etc. said: NEW POST: M.I.A.'s "Born Free" http://www.innyvinny.com/2010/04/27/video-born-free/ Discuss… [...]
One thing to remember about M.I.A.’s music is that it has always been, at least since the beginning of the American War in the Middle East, a comment on the injustices executed by the West. I wouldn’t say necessarily that she’s Anti-West, but she sure isn’t Pro-West either. Her past songs have been about conspicuous consumption, racism, stereotypes; pretty much anything she considers a Western (or perhaps even human) vice.
Two things to note about this – the gingers are throwing stones at the army passing by, and they are all wearing the keffiyah, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.
Something to note about current events: young children in Palestine will often throw rocks at the Israeli Army. The saying is often perpetuated that Israeli’s fight with guns, Palestinians fight with stones.
I would venture to say that this song and this video in particular is a comment on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in the broader sense, a comment on being treated as an outsider within a community to which one should rightly belong. (The injustices are far too many to list, but with research and an open mind, it shouldn’t be too hard to get enlightened.)
When you look at the conflict on the surface, it carries some rather heavy issues – apartheid, genocide, war crimes, being some of them. But when you replace Palestinians with a character, in this case gingers, that no one would think to separate as a lower class of citizens, the idea of these issues becomes rather silly. Exactly, what you said, “Why do people pick on gingers?” So then the question becomes, why do people (the West, Israel) separate Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians and classify them as terrorists, militants, menaces to society? Isn’t that just as silly? Aren’t we all just human beings?
I think this is where the idea of being “born free” comes to play. The first lyric is “man made power stood like a tower.” It’s the idea that social class, gender and racial stereotypes are all man-made; that we are all born free of this as human beings and as citizens of the world.
Soooooooooo yea either that’s it or M.I.A. just really fucking hates gingers.
.-= Kristine´s last blog ..0427: Just Another Day =-.
Alicia Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I don’t think you can even begin to understand how much I love you.
Nope, you can’t.
I’m glad you checked in. You are always so thoughtful when it comes to issues outside of ‘the fashun’ and I dig it. A lot.
Kristine hit the nail right on the head. (At least, we have the same interpretation, not necessarily the end all, be all answer.) But when I watched this last night (in stunned silence) I had the feeling that she was pointing out how absurd racism, discrimination, colonialism and police brutality is when it’s perpetrated against *anybody.*
It’s just as absurd to raze someone’s home, bomb their neighborhoods, or beat them half to death simply because of the color of their skin, their gender, or their religious affiliation as it would be because of the color of their hair.
“Born Free” is violent and stunning and disturbing and genuinely thought-provoking. Goooo M.I.A.
.-= Danielle´s last blog ..An answer. (From Toni Morrison no less.) =-.
Alicia Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
I love you too, Dani. =D
I’ve always been bothered by how easily we create “us vs them” scenarios. I remember watching the Dr. Seuss story about the sneetches and getting really upset at how the most mundane and completely arbitrary things divide and serve as a basis of hatred and violence in our cultures.
I also agree with Kristine’s assessment of the video and I thought it was very well done. Although it was violent (exploding gingers? Really?), I do understand what M.I.A is trying to point out. I know she gets a lot of flack because her music is poppy/dance set to lyrics about war, injustice, racism, classism–well, every “ism”, but as she said “I put people on the map, that never see the map”.
.-= Sheena´s last blog ..I’m in the mood for… =-.
Alicia Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
I hate that she gets flack. At least she stands for something. Any person with an opinion and some integrity gets more respect from me than some p.c. person who says one thing in your face and another at home. Ugh.
Kristine’s assessment is spot on. It definitely felt it was a commentary on genocide, clothed in a Euro case of racial profiling (as sen in the past with the Irish). I think it speaks to those who may be unmoved to see bodies of color blown up by landmines or mulilated by schrapnel, by providing a likeness that is closer to home for the West.
It’s a beyond clever way to speak to power, and privilege, police-state hivemind, senseless abuse of power/the frenzy-state of the power-drunk against the helpless.
I am amazed. Folks speak of other vids recently ‘being deep’ and etc. Nothing comes close to what M.I.A’s placed before us. This is revolutionary, and i am completely unoffended by the graphic nature of the vid. The graphic nature was entirely needed to make its point.
We’re so cushioned in the West, from what many of our siblings in the East suffer in horrific norms. I’m all for removing the ‘softening’ of realities. It’s a decade into the new millenium, and we’re in at least 2 completely unnecessary wars right now. How many people even know that in this country? And of those who know, how many care?
Alicia Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
I agree. Things are “deep” when they challenge our egos and preconcieved notions about whatever is in our immediate circle or area of interest. I think the video, graphic content and all, forces us to think a little bit beyond that circle(assuming we think about it). I agree that it is revolutionary – that by putting the ridiculousness of persecution based on race/religion/place of residence/sexuality/whatever else we come up with in our faces by using redheads in place of the usual “others” is very compelling. I haven’t seen anything like it.
–of course, what I’ve seen isn’t all-inclusive and I may have missed this somewhere else. If I have, please let me know–
I love M.I.A. – she’s always had a message, but I think she was tired of people missing it with all the colors and cartoonish backgrounds that came with the videos for songs from Arular. This is one of those “no chasers” that I think more people need to see, if for nothing else, than to challenge what they normally let go unnoticed or see as “necessary.”
Kristine’s assessment is spot on.
I definitely felt it was a commentary on genocide, clothed in a Euro case of racial profiling (The abuse of the Gingers might be reflecting on the abuse of Irish, who were even labeled ‘Black’ at one time, believe it or not).
I think it speaks to those who may be desensitized to seeing bodies of color blown up by landmines or mulilated by schrapnel, by providing a likeness that is closer to home for the proclaimed-majority in the West.
It’s a beyond clever way to speak to power, and privilege, police-state hivemind, senseless abuse of power/the frenzy-state of the power-drunk against the helpless.
I am amazed.
Folks speak of other vids recently released ‘being deep’, even with those that were remakes, and etc.
Nothing comes close to what M.I.A’s placed before us. This is revolutionary, and I am completely unoffended by the graphic nature of the vid. The graphic nature was entirely needed to make the point.
We’re so cushioned in the West, from what many of our siblings in the East suffer in horrific norms. I’m all for removing the ‘softening’ of media-extended realities, where reporting on human rights is concerned. It’s a decade into the new millenium, and we’re in at least 2 completely unnecessary wars right now. How many people even know that in this country? And of those who know, how many care?
Something has to wake the collective up…
I honestly don’t know what to say. I’m disturbed by it but applaud MIA for being brave enough to do it.
.-= Lenya Jones´s last blog ..The Styling Process for Editorial =-.
I loved Kristine’s take on the video. I think the video was intended to showcase how far we have taken our idea of creating a utopia, and how we target innocent groups with the intention of eradicating them. We as humans have gone from killing black slaves, to killing Jews, Arabs, and now we have become so nit-picky that we find flaws in people simply because of the color of their hair. Maybe she wanted to show human evolution and how we are growing to disregard the lives of others?
I think that the previous comment that MIA is attempting to show the citizens of the U.S.A., the majority of whom are white, what it looks like to see people that bear ethnic similarity to them being rounded up and murdered. I think that she is doing this to break through the the de-sensitivity that has developed at seeing Americans doing unpleasant things to people who are obviously from other cultures.
I don’t think she is saying that such de-sensitivity is silly, at least I hope she isn’t. I know that it’s tempting to suggest that we all “just get along,” but, regional, cultural and ethnic de-sensitivity is usually the product of real competition or exploitation. For example, the Israelis and the Palestinians are not at each others’ throats over some silly and groundless bias. They are in competition for a resource – the land. They both feel that the land in question should be theirs. The Israelis claim that it is theirs from the mythic past and that it should be a predominantly-Jewish state. The Palestinians note that they were largely dispossesed of the land by the Israelis. They have a real issue between them that causes them to dehumanize each other and become de-sensitized to each other’s suffering.
One could easily draw a comparison to European settlers (believing that it was their holy mission to build the new world) versus the indigenous mostly-stone-age (and thus easily de-humanized) people they took the land from. Supporting the ‘holy-mission’ aspect of European expansion was the depletion and over-crowding of Europe and the discovery of a new-world-full-of-plenty that seemed to be the miraculous grace of a benevolent, Christian god.
Anyone who assumes that they are morally-superior to the feelings de-sensitivy to another population in conflict with your own for resources is probably rather comfortable and has eaten well today and is not in fear of being murdered by ‘outsiders.’ We in the western world are in conflict with many among the masses of the near-eastern world because we purchase or take their energy resources at a cheaper price than can bring prosperity to all the masses at the source. They see a few people getting rich and the oil from the ground of their country leaving for the west and their families still in poverty. They know their governments are corrupted by the oil trade. They become recruits for the one force they still trust – God/Allah in his wrath. Unless we want to cut off aid to Israel and stop driving cars and using all of our energy-intensive gadgets so much, this will not be changed immediately. This means that muslims will still be gunned-down by helicopters flown by non-muslims. It doesn’t matter at all if they are ‘terrorists’ or not. It is cultural conflict over resources and who gets the benefit of exploiting them. Individual innocence or guilt is not a factor. Watch MIA’s video. Imagine this really happening to someone that you identify with. Then understand that you are asking for this to happen to someone, somewhere, for your gasoline to not cost $10.00 a gallon. If you drove a car today, don’t pretend that it’s just a matter of “why can’t we all just get along?” – or, “Why are people mean?”
“Do you care that it’s not fair?
Is this the way you want to live?
I know I can’t — I want an equal share
Even if it means i have to give.”
Kristine Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Well, of course. There are plenty of things that anger me about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I don’t think I’m morally-superior, per se, to bias or what one might classify as prejudice; I actually have very strong feelings in favor of one side of the conflict. I guess what I was calling “silly” wasn’t very well put. And maybe silly isn’t the proper word.
What I think M.I.A. is trying to point out as absurd is the West’s bias toward Israel. And the reason I say West and Israel is because of M.I.A.’s past work (commenting on the West) and the fact that the characters in this video were wearing keffiyahs and throwing rocks – something very characteristic if not specific to Palestinian nationalism and this conflict. What is absurd is that the West chooses to support Israel and not Palestine; that we, in our media, call Israelis “soldiers” but call Palestinians (and Jordanians and Iranians and Iraqis and Afghanis and Lebanese and Yemenis) “militants” and “terrorists”.
But what if we take race out of the equation? What if we can’t see that the people being persecuted are brown and study the Qu’ran? Well, I take that back – what if we could? What if we replaced these red headed people with Arabs and Iranians? We see it every single day when we look hard enough at the news, and yet we think it’s “justice”; for “freedom”; U-S-A and what have you. But when we see injustices perpetrated against a group that we haven’t been programmed to hate, we ask why?
I think M.I.A. is just trying to get us to ask why. Not “why can’t we get along?” but why Palestinians? To ask ourselves, who is really evil here?
Did not many of the viewers think that the victims were the gingers (Palestinians)? And yet in our own paradigm, we think of Israelis as the victims (again, I say this because this is M.I.A.’s song. If it were Matisyahu, the message would probably be the polar opposite; pro-Israel, anti-Palestine). I don’t think she’s trying to give an answer to those questions, I just think she’s telling us to take a step back and figure it out for ourselves.
.-= Kristine´s last blog ..0427: Just Another Day =-.
Alicia Reply:
April 28th, 2010 at 12:15 am
I have my own theories as to why “we” support Israel on this end…
And I’m with you; people don’t think enough. They don’t ask themselves enough questions. The majority gets by with a talking head telling them that they’re either x or y with no consideration for the issue at hand, the history behind it, or the implications for the people suffering through it.
No one wants to figure anything out. They want McDonald’s, cheap gas, and less government (I’ll end this here, because I’ll complain about a whole bunch of shit that has nothing to do with this post).
Kristine Reply:
April 28th, 2010 at 12:28 am
girlfren, seriously. Every time I get the ball rolling on society, government, religion, race, war, etc. the damn ball just keeps on rolling. Haha I have to practice constraint! Oh and “we” for sure. Our allies are only our allies because they are our enemy’s enemy.
.-= Kristine´s last blog ..0427: Just Another Day =-.
Glad you started the conversation. I’ll be brief. People who are disgusted by this should think long and hard about how their actions effect atrocities such as this, all around the world. YouTube should be ashamed that they pulled this video, as any truly egalitarian site would allow for the public discourse sure to ensue, as evidenced by your blog comments.
I have said that the Gingers here represent the counterpoint to an archetype of the traditionally disenfranchised in the form of a sort of visual heuristic to elicit a response. It could be blonde people, blue-eyed people, bald people, tall people, short people and the message would translate. There is always going to be someone dehumanized (as Dude Guy put it) for convenient compartmentalization of atrocities. Who would do these things to people? But Gingers, black people, Muslims, Indians, Mexicans in AZ, Jews?…fair game.
.-= Therran´s last blog ..Measuring Cost Per Lead =-.
Alicia Reply:
April 28th, 2010 at 12:20 am
YouTube is run by pussies. There, I said it. I’ve seen far more disturbing things in my oft-referenced library of drag queen performances.
And I’m >>here<< with you. It’s alright or “normal” to see it happen to “others” who just so happen to be in the way of “progress” or profits. Ugh.
I might be way way off, but (in addition to Kristine’s observations, very astute!) I also think MIA is pointing out how so many of the divides that cause violence are purely social constructs and not anything “real”. Someone above pointed out the Irish, 100-150 years ago in the US, Irish people *were not* considered white. The idea of “whiteness” is totally a social construct, and has changed a ton over the last 200 years. (I’m not saying this is the case with the Israeli/Palestinian situation, because I am woefully undereducated about that and have no room to speak, it was just a thought that occurred to me while watching & then reading the comments)
Just wanted to add, the main guy, the one they get at the beginning? He looks EXACTLY LIKE, and I mean *exactly*, like one of my cousins, if my cousin had red hair. Weird.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Marvelous Monday! =-.