Don't Normalize Hate tells the story of an 89 year old woman of Japanese heritage whose family was put in an internment camp during World War Two. Except it's not really an 89 year old woman of Japanese descent. She pulls her face off Scooby Doo-style and you realize it's a Muslim woman. You could pretty much tell something like this was going to be the case because the prosthetic make up job is horrendous. Perhaps if this wasn't fifteen hours long it would have been a little less obvious. This ad ends by telling us that a Muslim registry is the first step in repeating history and tells us not to turn against each other out of fear.
Can someone please tell me who this is for? Is it for regular people? Because we're not in charge of such matters. it for the government? After all, these are the people who register everyone here in every fashion from a driver's license to a library card to registering for the draft, going all the way back to when our parents register us for social security, the application of which includes questions about your ethnicity. With that in mind, are we all one step away from being put in camps?
Perhaps it's for the new administration? But that's weird since they aren't yet in office.
More importantly what is the call to action here? Besides sharing this video which was executive produced by Katy Perry? Don't hate each other, y'all. Okay, thanks. You didn't need to create a vanity project to tell me that. Are you seriously trying to tell me there wasn't one organization you attach this project to, in order to raise donation money?
Moreover, equating what happened during world war two to what isn't actually happening today is a straw man argument.
A much better idea would have been to shine the light on the fact Muslims come from all walks of life. Muslims are all over the world, not just from the Middle East. They can be white, or african or, asian. There are nearly 70,000 Muslims in Japan alone. How can you hate someone based on religion when it's practiced by all kinds of people all over the world from every walks of life? Instead, Katy Perry and company, decided to go with looks here. Not sure if it's out of the usual Hollywood ignorance or just racist. Either way, a white pop singe and Christian has taken it upon herself to speak for Muslims here. This is something we need less of, not more.
Executive Produced by Katy Perry
Co-Directors: Aya Tanimura) & Tim Nackashi
Producer: by Mari Rivera
Haru voiced by Haru Kuromiya
Haru & Muslim American played by Hina Khan
Made possible in part by
Visual Communications - www.vconline.org
Alterian, Inc. - http:/www.alterianinc.com
The Local Skill - @thelocalskill
Coyote Post - www.coyotepost.com
Photo Credits:
Haru as Young Girl – Haru Kuromiya