By ELIZABETH
VALENTIN
Arts Editor
Donald Glover returned as Childish Gambino in his newest song and video “This is America,” which he dropped on May 5. This video immediately became the topic of controversy and conversation because of the content that it presents.
The video starts with Glover dancing alone and acting in the relaxed manner that he typically does as the Childish Gambino character. This is then followed by snippets where he breaks out of his dancing to shoot other artists around him. This is a major point of debate that came out of this video. It is believed that this segment is meant to be a depiction and a reminder of the Charleston shooting, where an armed gunman shot and killed nine Black churchgoers.
Throughout the video, there are also riots happening behind Glover, which are meant to depict Black Lives Matter protests. Glover seems to be taking a strong stand on gun violence, racial inequality and discrimination, and the policies that the government places, all of which he uses to describe America.
There is also the fact that Glover commits acts of violence and is witness to violence by others and simply dances through it. This is thought to show the ways in which Americans are either desensitized or ignoring the problems around them.
This video immediately caused people to have a conversation about what this means. One twitter, user, @AliyahLeshae said “Childish Gambino literally playing out what’s happening in America… all of this turmoil and we focused on the wrong things especially when he did every fad dance there was.”
Another user, @TheYoDude, said “Going into a Childish Gambino song looking for a good head banger versus coming out of a Childish Gambino song with social awareness.”
There were also several people who compared Glover to Kanye West, who has used Twitter as a platform to voice his views. One user, @Al_YourPal, said “Donald Glover has become what we wanted Kanye to be in 2018 #ThisIsAmerica”
Another user, @Freeyourmindkid, said “Childish Gambino is what Kanye aspires to be but fails to attain #ThisIsAmerica.”
The video has several subtle details that speak volumes if noticed. One subtle feature of the video lies in Glover’s wardrobe, which is similar to the trousers that would have been worn by Confederate soldiers.
There is also the fact that every time a gun is used in this video, it is taken away and wrapped in a cloth, while bodies are being dragged and brutalized. This shows the ways in which the guns in this country are more cherished and are treated better than human lives.
There is also an image of a horse, whose rider is unidentifiable. This is thought to be a reference to Death riding on a pale horse while followed by Hell. The horse and its rider pass by police cars in this image. The exact Bible quote that his is referenced comes from Revelations 6:8 and reads, “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed him.”
There is so much that happens in this video with so many representations of Black oppression. Despite this, it is difficult to catch anything happening because it is so difficult not to focus on Glover’s dance fads throughout.
This is representative of the fact that Black people are acceptable and appreciated when they are talented and entertaining. Despite this, the second Black people unify with one another in order to try to better their lives and in many cases fight for their lives, they are looked down upon and ignored.
While it is difficult to take in everything that is happening in the video, especially the first time you watch it, that is exactly the point. You’re not meant to see everything in the background the first time you watch it full through. It should take at least three times to understand the depth. I watched this three times originally, the first time it was difficult to take my eyes off of Glover. I then watched it again and forced myself to pay attention to the background, but found that I was still distracted by the music. I watched it a third time muted. This video and song are masterpieces that already feel so timeless in a time where musicians are all trying to release the next catchy hit song. This song is not super catchy, yet is is still amazing.
Glover is expected to release his newest not yet titled album soon. If this track and video are any indication of what is to come, it’ll be interesting to see what else he has up his sleeve.
