"Bad Romance" Musings

Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" video has sparked many a conversation lately. Many critics applaud its production and unique idea, but others are deeply troubled by its premise. The video portrays Gaga being undressed and force-fed alcohol by two women before being displayed in front of an audience of men who bid on her. Gaga eventually approaches the highest bidder just before he and the bed he lays in burst into flames.

I will concede that the production values of the video are very praise-worthy, but I am also one of those disturbed by the video's subject matter. I would really like to sit down with Lady Gaga and find out why she chose human trafficking as the video's plot. I hope that her intention is to bring attention to a travesty that goes terribly unnoticed, but I'm afraid the true answer might be that "it makes a cool video."

I agree with critics who consider the effort put into this video to be a breath of fresh air in the realm of pop music videos. The music video is an art form that often goes unexplored in mainstream music; all night clubs now seem to blur together. But at what cost should something "cool" be created? The "Bad Romance" video does not glamorize human trafficking outright, but the line that Gaga toes is so dangerous.

I suppose it is possible to ethically justify the video that combines the horrors human trafficking (the video is appropriately dark) with the glitz and glam of pop music (sensual choreographed dancing) if it does reduce human trafficking through raising awareness. After all, the man who bids on Gaga gets what's coming to him at the end. But why include anything glamorous? Lady Gaga is a very popular artist and, if the goal is raising awareness, the video will be watched regardless of content or quality.

Is Gaga trying to raise awareness or is she simply trying to be edgy? Does it matter? Can a disturbing portrayal of a real-life atrocity be justified if it causes some good, even if that wasn't the intention?

I would prefer that artists take more responsibility for their art, but it can't be forced. I think the "Bad Romance" video has significant potential for good, but the portrayal is too ambiguous. At one moment it disturbs, but at the next it almost entices. Is the video making light of a horrible crime, merely trying to sell sex a new way, or perhaps trying introduce ourselves to the darkness within us that almost finds the "bad romance" enticing? All I can say for sure is that watching a video this controversial without meditating on its meaning can be very dangerous.