10 Alternative Rock Music Videos You've Never Seen
2. They Don't Care About Us - Michael Jackson
For whatever else Michael Jackson is known for, his music videos were some of the most elaborate and successful of all time. For his 1996 protest song, he recruited acclaimed director Spike Lee. By this point Lee was well established as a filmmaker. He strove to reflect the harsh and unjust realities of minorities living in American, particularly the black community.
Lee seemed like the perfect candidate to direct a video for a song that railed against prejudice and racial discrimination. The original video was filmed in a favela of Rio de Janeiro, with Jackson doing all his usual moves and eccentric gestures. The inhabitants of the favela are seen rallying around Jackson, as a force of cops stand in opposition. People against the power of authority - it was a pretty clear message.
The second version was filmed in a prison with the inmates banging home Jackson's sentiment. Images of the LA Riots, the Rodney King beating and the Ku Klux Klan were laced throughout. The video was also preceded with a message that read "THIS film is NOT degrading to ANY one RACE, but pictorializes the injustices to ALL mankind". This was due to criticism Jackson received, after the inclusion of certain racial slurs was seen as discriminatory.