The Problem with Hillsong Y&F's PEACE Video
Ah, Hillsong back in the news again? Well, I am little late to this controversy, but better late than never. I recently came across Hillsong Y&F's (the Y&F apparently stands for young and free) music video for their song "P E A C E". Wow, that was interesting. That was pretty much my reaction to the video which is chalked full of some rather questionable imagery. First off, if you haven't seen the video take the time to watch it and also take the time to notice the like to dislike ratio and also the fact that the comment section has been disabled, the clear signs of a controversial video.
I hoped you watched it, cause now we are going to talk about it. Like I said above it is interesting. It's funny, when I watched the Hillsong movie they seemed to have a pretty good vetting system before just putting stuff out there, either they don't have that vetting system for their secondary band or they really don't think there is anything wrong this video.
But first, what is wrong with this video? Pretty much everything, from the white robed people, to the blood spill at the end, to the singer cloaked in red for some reason (I guess that is to get her to stand out from the others in the video). The video is apparently supposed to be about anxiety, but the lyrics of the song get completely lost in the video. It's like watching The Weeknd's "False Alarm" video which is about a crazy bank robbery and then get-away, shoot-out, chase sequence. In other words, no one at this point is really listening to the song when they are watching the video. The lyrics of the song are fine, they are Biblical. The video strays so far from the original message of the song, that again it just becomes background noise to this weird and creepy video.
When the video first started all I could think of was the KKK, at the end it looked more like some type of blood sacrifice was talking place or ritual of some sort. It's all very concerning and not okay, especially when Hillsong cannot see the problem with this video. They obviously had to make a response, because it was so controversial. I laughed out loud when I read their response, it's the most laughable thing I have read in a while.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to watch and engage with our new music video for P E A C E.
Yeah, it was a tad bit hard to avoid.
As many of you know, this song is an especially significant one for us because it deals with such an important subject – anxiety – which so many young people are struggling with.
Oh, your lyrics make that clear, but I'm afraid your video misses the mark entirely!
When it came to making this video, we deliberately chose to represent the struggle of anxiety, along with the refuge that is found in God’s peace, in a symbolic way, allowing each young person who watched it to respond to it personally.
Can you explain that symbolism, cause I'm really not getting it. Yeah, the crown falls off the girl's head so she is not in control of this anymore, she is giving God control. But there is a lot more in the video than just that part. Can you at least clarify some of that rather than acting like NO ONE sees how confusing this video really is. More than just a few people think something is wrong with your video. You have 17,000 likes and 18,000 dislikes.
We know that art is always interpreted through each individual’s unique and special frame of reference, but it seemed extra important for us to make space for that to happen in this video, given how varied every experience with anxiety can be. Cesar A. Cruz famously said “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” so we’re pleased to hear that so many of you have found the comfort of God’s peace through the artwork of this music video.
Oh, using the 'it's art' defense, never heard that one before. You are again missing the point, the majority of viewers disliked your video. That is when someone has had a bad experience (why do I feel like I am talking to a two year-old?) watching your video, not a good one.
For some, our visual representation of anxiety in the video might trigger some confronting feelings. In this case, it’s vitally important that you speak to someone who can help you process what you’re feeling.
Yeah, go ahead put a trigger warning on your video about dealing with anxiety and having peace in one's life. Sounds like a win to me! *Clear sarcasm*. What do you mean by confronting feelings, do you mean confusion because that is what I felt. I little angry too, because it would seem the majority of the major Christian blogs and magazines are letting you guys off the hook for this video. This is the part where I laughed out loud, because Hillsong or whoever at Hillsong put this little post together, proceeds to tell me to seek professional medical help for not liking their video. And if they are not saying that, then they really should've been a lot more clear on what they were trying to say instead.
In the end they really didn't directly talk about the controversy, they skirted it as much as possible and that is clear when reading their post. Look, I give props to Hillsong and the whole Hillsong ministry for what they do, I listen to some Hillsong music. But this is blatantly something that needs to be addressed more clearly, an actual response addressing the symbols in the video would be nice. Also, just because I disagree that your video depicts the proper message does not then mean that I need to seek professional medical help. I really wanted to use a not so nice expletive when I saw that. Hillsong, just clear up your response and own it that your video is controversial and maybe missed the mark. Living in denial is really never a good thing.
Honestly, after watching this video I kind want to be a tad bit more tentative with the Hillsong stuff I consume and I think you should be more cautious too. I guess I am going to end here cause I really don't know what else to say...let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.
