YouTube bans MIA's ginger-bashing video

YouTube bans MIA’s ginger-bashing video

Once upon a time, you were NOBODY unless you’d had a music video banned by Top Of The Pops. Here Robyn Wilder reports on an instance of the modern-day equivalent…

YouTube has removed the video for MIA’s new single, “Born Free”, for being too violent. The verité-style nine-minute film bleakly depicts sinister US forces hunting down people with red hair, driving them out to the desert, then executing them in various unpleasant ways.

It’s NSFW (depending on who you W with, I suppose) and features - in addition to the violence - some deeply unattractive naked people.

It may be a little upsetting for people who don’t enjoy watching children being shot in the head.

So the rest of us psychos are fine.

MIA responded to YouTube deleting her video with this cutting remark on Twitter:

BOOOOOOOOO ▬►▬►▬► ▬►♫ WWW.MIAUK.COM ♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥

If the video on Vimeo goes down, you can watch it on MIA’s website in Big-o-vision.

The film was directed by French director Romain Gavras, who’s quite fond of the old dystopian violence. Here’s his video for Justice’s “Stress”, which depicts gang violence in Paris:

Gavras is soon releasing a feature-length film, Redheads , which spins the plot of the MIA video out further. So that should be quite a giggle.

What are people saying about this GROSS example of CENSORSHIP? According to The LA Times music blog:

The transnational hip-hop star’s decision to team with Gavras and release a video that clearly connected to the history of political filmmaking is no rash impulse. With “Born Free,” M.I.A. lets her growing cult of fans know that she has no intention of softening her message to court the mainstream.

YEAH MAN.

But what do you think? Is the video genius? Gratuitous? “A Taste of What’s to Come?” Bad news for gingers? Do you think YouTube is run by gingers? Are you a ginger? Do you feel offended? Do you burn in the sun? How *do* you combat that?

And, is it just me, or is the music just not loud enough in the mix?

Well? SHE ARKSED YOU A KWESCHUN. You can see more of Robyn’s good scribblings at her webasite.