Fun^da^mental & Hutnyk
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Fun^da^mental's “Dog-Tribe” video was controversial since it framed anti-racist ideas in a way that isn’t done in media or within the state. In Hutnyks’s text “Critique of Exotica”, he talks about how the anticipation for the video created controversy even before it was released. Indeed, platforms such as MTV and ITV pre-emptively placed censorship on the video due to their worry about it being restricted to adult audiences (Hutnyk, 59). Hutnyk argues that such worries are nonsense due to the importance of showing these types of messages to everyone, no matter the age, due to their impact on the whole of the community (Hutnyk, 60). Additionally, Dog-Tribe “appears to be a dangerous text because of its portrayal of militant Islamic ‘fundamentalist’ violence” (Hutnyk, 59). The author further argues that labels such as “dangerous” reflect these nonsensical worries of the media more than what the actual video attempts to portray. Violence is seen in movies and on television, often depicting graphic scenes without any censorship. It is only when the violence depicted showcases issues of anti-racism self-defence that it is suddenly too violent or inappropriate. Hutnyk argues this bias, and how it consequently creates further difficulty for minority groups to raise awareness on certain movements, especially when not fitting the constricted agenda and guidelines put in place by the state and the media.