liiiiike, not only is the black panther a literal symbol of black power and history, but Michael had a clear message that unsettled the socially conservative 90âs America. The video played literally only ONCE before it got taken down and edited the next morning. The âsexualâ dancing and âviolentâ destruction of property created so much controversy. Immediately after release, networks got phone calls of parents in a panic that Michael was corrupting the youth with perversion and violence. He was having an unsanitized and raw reaction to racism, and of course it made the white media and public uncomfortable. The same stereotypes that they created for black men- hypersexual and aggressive, were being displayed right in front of them with full empowerment. The biggest star on the planet, a black man, was being unfiltered and not submitting to a squeaky clean image.
The Black or White video in itself is a colorful, sanitized version of anti-racist rhetoric. It promotes world peace, diversity, and overall completely different in tone from the Black Panther dance. There is a brief and more intense portion of the song where Michael calls out the KKK, which is very powerful. But as a whole, the video has a more upbeat feel and acceptable atmosphere than the dance that follows. This shift was intentional. Michael leaves the set to morph from the panther into a human. He is taking off the mask to show you his deeper feelings about racism in America.
Black people have historically been told how to behave emotionally, sexually, and politically to survive in America. And Michael took these ânegativeâ tropes and turned it into powerful art. He showed them true black rage over injustice (especially at the time with high racial tensions that led to Rodney King being brutalized by police). In a country that polices black men in many ways, Michael took full agency and rejected those standards. Black men can be sexual, black men can take up space, black men are allowed to have âanimalisticâ anger over their own people being beaten and killed by police. The same public that claimed Michael was too innocent, soft spoken, or not sexual enough suddenly demonized him for showing the exact opposite of that.
He does his signature dance moves, with even more âcrotchâ grabbing, erotic hip movements , and even a close up shot of him pulling his zipper up. Despite the backlash that Michael usually received over his usual âsexualâ moves, he amplified them to show control over his body and his sexuality. He was showing an edgier, less controlled version of himself that shocked the public (fits the Dangerous album theme very well). He also throws trash cans, breaks glass, and shows unbridled raw emotion.There is no restraint or a planned choreography in the video either. There is no music, only Michaelâs movements and breathing. Itâs pure emotion and energy, much like an animal, as Michael stated. At the time it was just seen as overly sexual and inappropriate.
The video ends with Michael ripping his shirt and yelling, returning back to his panther form. It transitions to Homer Simpson (a white American cartoon character) taking the remote from his son and turns off the tv for watching Michaelâs video. Itâs as if Michael foreshadowed exactly how the media would be shocked by his art and the pressure for him to be more palatable to white audiences. The controversy was inevitable but the message will never be forgotten. The graffiti of the racial slurs were added in 1993 for a Dangerous: The Short Films and made the symbolism even stronger.
A lot of the general public just thought Michael was being âstrangeâ or out of control in the original 1991 video. But thatâs no where near the case. It was a giant fuck you to white supremacy and the standards put on black performers/ black Americans in general.
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