Bizarre

In my visual rhetoric class we were talking about how non-profits and corporations use pictures of starving underprivileged children in order to collect donations. On the one hand, these children will be receiving aide they desperately need if their pictures are shown to an audience. On the other hand, they are often photographed without their consent, in one of the most vulnerable times in their life, they are weak and hungry. It seems like exploitation of the children in order to ultimately help them... but while they are trying to help them immediately with things like food and water, the long term effect of these images can also be damaging. It can paint a portrait that children from other countries outside of the US, Canada, and Europe have parents that are incapable of taking care of them, that people of color will always need help from the "white man" and that these people are solely passive victims of circumstance. We discussed how the rhetoric of "adopting" a child (those ads for 'adopt a child' for a penny a day, or even literally adopting a child from another country) makes it seem as though the parents or even the country as a whole is illegitimate, incapable and lacking the skills of parenting. Then some classmates brought up this Madonna music video. It was soooo bizarre to me, I had so many thoughts running through my head.

1. The song "Like a prayer" is entirely sexual in nature. "When you call my name its like a little prayer, I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there" ???? The reason why the song is so great, is that that analogy is ironic and slightly naughty. Now we are using the song to have "Hope for Haiti"??? Like we are actually praying for them? Dear Madonna, if you really want to have hope for Haiti, bust out that pen and write a new song, rather than busting out one of your old ones, that makes NO sense in this context. Don't pretend this song is about prayer. It was much better when it was about sex.

2. There are so many questions about race and religion that came up in the "like a prayer" music video. Madonna is being kissed by a Black disciple/apostle guy, while dancing about in front of burning crosses and a black church choir and the whole thing is quite odd. Most people remember the song because of this outrageous music video. So why would the producers of "Hope for Haiti" and Madonna, think that this song that caused so much controversy about race and religion, think that it's use to "help" an impoverished, mostly black country would be appropriate?

"It has the word prayer in it. People like prayer when shit goes down."



3. Madonna and Angelina Jolie are the epitome of the white privileged American adopting the a child from whatever underprivileged country is trendy at the time. I don't want to completely discount the good work that either of these women have done, but the whole singing "like a prayer" thing for the underprivileged children is just too bizarre... especially after our discussion about the 'adoption' rhetoric that takes place during humanitarian crisis'. The adoption rhetoric also made me think about the 10 missionaries that were put in jail for attempting to move children out of the country illegally. To me, Madonna equals the concept of adoption rhetoric, so to see her out there trying to bring "Hope to Haiti" is just too bizarre to me.

4. But the main problem I have is the "Buy this song on itunes" that scrolls across the bottom of this video. While the proceeds of that version may go to help Haitians, certainly Madonna is reaping the benefits and exposure of the show. Someone might go "Oh yeah, I forgot about that song. I want the Hope for Haiti version AND the old one! Look how much good I did for Haiti by buying that song for me!"

Sigh.

Selling your shit in order to "help" Haiti just seems so manipulative. I can see writing a brand NEW song, that you could only buy on a specific CD in which ALL the proceeds go to Haiti... but even then, Madonna is also reaping the UN-financial benefits of looking like that humanitarian baby saver that she is.

If I could sum up this particular performance in one word: BIZAREE. It's so beyond weird that people thought this was entirely appropriate, and the thoughts about adoption rhetoric and discourse and the exploitation of impoverished children just add to the weirdness of this situation. Any other thoughts??? Comment below!