He said, 'As long as people keep labeling other people as terrorists, it seems like we'll always have terrorists.'"

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bal-to.bsohold02oct02,1,403647.story?coll=bal-features-headlines


By ERIC R. DANTON
Hartford Courant
Originally published October 2, 2004
It's a chilling social statement from a musician better known for talking sexy: Prince's video for the song "Cinnamon Girl" depicts an Arab-American girl detonating herself in a crowded airport terminal on what looks like U.S. soil.
Featuring Keisha Castle-Hughes from the movie Whale Rider, the four-minute clip opens in a stylized urban schoolyard, rendered in pen-and-ink and stylized gray watercolors drawn by artist Greg Ruth. A group of teen girls reacts with horror to the whining roar of jet engines that fades into the opening notes of the song. When it becomes clear who's responsible for what we presume is a Sept. 11-style terrorist attack, classmates of Castle-Hughes' character torment her for her ethnicity, and she flees for home, only to find her parents covering over the Arabic script on the sign outside the family store. Someone has scrawled "terrorist scum" on one of the store's windows.

"Cinnamon girl mixed heritage/Never knew the meaning of color lines," Prince sings. "9/11 turned that all around/When she got accused of this crime."

Intercut with straightforward scenes of the singer and his band playing on a blasted, war-torn landscape, the video shows Castle-Hughes donning traditional dress and headscarf and videotaping what appears to be a statement of martyrdom. In the next scene, she's back in Western garb and arriving at the airport. Perhaps for emphasis, the camera lingers on the U.S. passport she shows to airport officials.

Then she's standing in the terminal with a detonator in her hand. She closes her eyes and presses down on the red button with both hands. The perspective shifts outdoors as flames rip through the glass-paneled front wall.



It's only for a moment, though, and then the scene reverses itself to the moment just before Castle-Hughes hits the button. Is it a fantasy?

Prince isn't saying, according to his publicist, Ronnie Lippin.

The video's director, Phil Harder, offered a few details in a phone interview Thursday.

"It began with just talking to Prince about the current political situation in our world today, and I really mean in our world, not just our country," said Harder, 42. "And this long conversation really sparked this idea with a sentence. He said, 'As long as people keep labeling other people as terrorists, it seems like we'll always have terrorists.'"

The video is Castle-Hughes' first project since Whale Rider in 2002. Harder said the New Zealand resident, who is part Maori, was perfect for the role because of her expressive face.

"When you do a music video, it's kind of like making a silent film. There's no dialogue," he said. Harder said the video is "definitely not literal," but he prefers to leave the ending open to interpretation to spark dialogue.

"That's what Prince was really interested in, ... getting people to talk about these issues," Harder said. "I sort of interpret it - and this is just one interpretation - like, how far can the imagination go when your whole world is constant violence when you're that young? It's definitely not literal. The whole point is getting people to talk about it."

The video is available online for now on Prince's paid fan-club Web site, www.npgmusicclub.com, and at AOL Music. VH1 plans to screen the clip Monday at a weekly meeting held to determine which videos the music channel will add, a spokeswoman said. MTV wasn't sure whether the video had been submitted, but a spokesman said it also wouldn't review it until next week.

Eric R. Danton is rock critic for The Hartford Courant, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.

hey Prince , its not that we are labeling people as terrorists, its that there actually ARE terrorists out there and its not just a label. this sounds like we've been unfairly labeling regular ole ordinary folks as terroist and geez all the sudden there are some! naw, its that there ARE terrorist actually bombing out schools and flying planes into building and such.anyway labels are 4 high schoolers

Yes but...and forgive me if I'm wrong, doesnt the message get a little confused - after all the girl "suspected" of being a Terrorist does turn up at the airport with a bomb!!!!...doesnt that make the "prejudice people" right in their accusations ?

Its ok though because Prince,being the all powerfull one, manages to talk her out of it...where was he on 9/11 and when Bush and Blair went to war...all P needed to do was get on the old blower and we wouldnt have all these protests about supposed illegal wars and Michael Moore would be out of a job!!!

I mean, they don't even let fruit in and out of the country in hand-luggage...I think bombs are are a big no no!!!

great video, really fucking stupid quote.

l"I am surprised Prince is allowing VH1 & MTV to consider airing his video."

great video, really fucking stupid quote.

Tessa said:

The quote means that even though we call certain people terroists, they may consider themselves freedom fighters. The label "Terrorist" only compliments the USA's agenda. Just like the label "evil".

HisRoyalBadness07 said:

I disagree with you. I'll paraphrase Prince's statement. As long as we keep letting ourselves see people as monsters, then there will always be monsters in the world.

Here's the deal about this, which I'll call the "hunted boogeyman theory." The fear that this kind of thinking can generate can be summarized in two words: ooga-booga." I won't let myself be pulled into this kind of mentality.

Another way of thinking about this is: Whatever is on your mind is what you get. There are no more terrorists in the world than we let minds believe eixst.. This is not what the mind is supposed to be used for. It's supposed to be used for practical things, like telling time.

This, I think, is Prince's point. We've got to stop our minds from creating any more boogeymen.

they can CALL themselves whatever they want, but when they intentionally perpetrate an act of war on non-combatants rather than striking at governmental and military targets, they are terrorists.


i understand your argument, that's it's the semantics of propaganda, but i reject it.

HisRoyalBadness07 said:

I disagree with you. I'll paraphrase Prince's statement. As long as we keep letting ourselves see people as monsters, then there will always be monsters in the world.

Here's the deal about this, which I'll call the "hunted boogeyman theory." The fear that this kind of thinking can generate can be summarized in two words: ooga-booga." I won't let myself be pulled into this kind of mentality.

Another way of thinking about this is: Whatever is on your mind is what you get. There are no more terrorists in the world than we let minds believe eixst.. This is not what the mind is supposed to be used for. It's supposed to be used for practical things, like telling time.

This, I think, is Prince's point. We've got to stop our minds from creating any more boogeymen.

great video, really fucking stupid quote.

Tessa said:

I completely agree that Prince's quote concerning terrorists is just stupid and simplistic. Prince has in the past said things of this nature. He seems to think if people are labeled as something then naturally they will become it. This ridiculous theory comes from the Sociological field. As a Sociology major, I have dealt with this subject countless times with all-knowing professors who honestly believe it. People are far too complex to apply this simple trite theory. People are capable of accomplishing extraordinary things despite their surroundings.

Tessa said:

I completely agree that Prince's quote concerning terrorists is just stupid and simplistic. Prince has in the past said things of this nature. He seems to think if people are labeled as something then naturally they will become it. This ridiculous theory comes from the Sociological field. As a Sociology major, I have dealt with this subject countless times with all-knowing professors who honestly believe it. People are far too complex to apply this simple trite theory. People are capable of accomplishing extraordinary things despite their surroundings.