Fanwork Friday: Shake it Out by mresundance

Fans and fanworks are often discounted. I think that fans and fanworks offer some of the best commentary on our culture, past and present, out there. For example, the vid Shake It Out by mresundance. This is the kind of vid that could be used in a classroom to illustrate in a short period of time the damage done by colonialism. To quote mresundance’s post at Livejournal:

1. This is an allegory. It might work better if you think John Smith = Europeans, Matoaka (Pocahontas) = Native Americans.

2. Like an allegory, this narrative greatly simplifies very complex ideas. It is one of the unfortunate limits of both the choice to use allegory, and the structure of a vid itself. I have only five minutes to make a coherent point of some kind.

3. The target audience for this vid is white European Americans. Mainly because, I don’t necessarily think Native Americans are the people who need to “hear” this message. They heard it, unfortunately, loud and clear, ages ago.

4. I am a white dude and this vid, despite my best efforts, remains a European perspective on colonization in the Americas.

5. Because the vid is a European perspective on colonization, and is targeted at European Americans, the primary goal is simply to provoke. I wanted the vid to provoke a reaction, and to provoke discussion about a topic which is too often glossed over, or actively ignored, in American culture.

For me, the final shot in this vid is absolutely moving, chilling, and shaming. See what you think.