Music Video Discussion: "This is America" - Childish Gambino

I liked it a lot. Donald Glover is a talented guy. Also isn't it strange to tell someone they can live elsewhere if they're unhappy with, e.g., race relations, police community interactions, etc? Like, afaik, these are pretty legitimate problems that we shouldn't delegitimize, and that was even before trump took office.

In other words, should people not voice the problems they see around them? I don't even think this is what you mean,just confused

 

Why do people think we (Americans) are free to go live anywhere else in the world?

 

You don't just up and move to Canada... legally.

 

I also think that peace and love are great, but when you have certain groups that are discriminated against, preaching peace and love delegitimize their experiences. It also isn't a sufficient motivation to change the status quo. Nor is this video of course, but I don't think that was it's purpose.

Also agree they are world problems. But race relations in America exist within a cultural context and history and even current political climate that differs from those in other countries so they can't be thoght of or perhaps even worked on in the same ways.

Any case, point is well taken man. Certainly don't want to put words in your mouth and I don't think we necessarily see things drastically differently, just offering my response to the video and your post.

Interesting review of relevant literature for those interested: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0963721410363366

Cool ass paper title too "let them eat harmony: [something something]"

 

Just had a watch/listen. I very much prefer Kendrick Lamar. Also Lamar's stuff is mixed way better.

 

1) comparing injustices can't be done, and the sociedad de castas obv sux.
2) society with black working professionals and social protesters aren't mutually exclusive or incompatible.
3) if there are fewer minorities practicing law or medicine or engineering, that's a reflection of the societal problem.
4) I'm glad you have friends who are married to black engineers lol
5) I <3 U and I'm just arguing.

 

Agreed. He might not have the voice of an angle Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye had. His style is different. The way he presents existing problems makes you think. People should think more and art can make that happen. Remember Pink Floyd with "Another Brick In The Wall"? The world is changing again...

 

Late, but: while I totally agree that these are world problems, America is in a unique position, globally; they're the bleeding edge of pop culture, and given that it's as ethnically and culturally diverse as it is, it's unsurprising that the USA is in the world's eye whenever you hear of hate crimes and the like. Not that it doesn't happen A LOT elsewhere, only that it's more visible in the USA.

As for the This is America video, for one, I'll admit it was shocking to watch, which speaks for Glover's showmanship. The symbolism was so on the nose it was like a suckerpunch, but his performance and the attention to detail is laudable. It was an okay listen I think? Sorry, not my usual genre )

 

I adore this video. It's raw, honest, and important.

Speaking truth to power is never popular, but we're at an inflection point in this country. I hope people are listening.

 

@Lyer25 I am more of the opinion that this video is more of an American phenomenon. Amongst first world countries it seems to be an outlier when it comes to racial tension and violence.

When I watched it, I was mainly thankful that it completely didn't strike a nerve with me, because if it did, it would have been a disturbing reflection on the places I've lived in.

 

personally, I think this is a song/video we (meaning, culturally aware audiophiles) are going to be pondering for at least a few years. Very powerful exposition. Within the more academic circles, there are no doubt going to be theses upon theses written about this video for years and years. In other words, beyond it's initial shock, this, folks, is good art. And we're gonna be talking about it's meaning and implications for some time. Thank goodness we're moving hip hop to post-Kanye; post-Lil Wayne. Thanks Kendrick Lamar, for pulling hip hop out of it's glut of trope. That video is probably a goodly bit sacrosanct among audiophiles because ORAFS, but I do believe hip hop (right now) is the most culturally succinct means of understanding the American zeitgeist.

edit - just want to add that although all that above sounds "above the fray" - I do hope that it's obvious that I appreciate the affordance that great art like that video allows my white-ass to at least try to understand, in a kind way, trying to drop the hate, what it means to not be a part of a privileged class in American society.

 

It has always seemed to me that Americans are discouraged from emigrating, or even temporarily relocating out of the country. They have to pay dual taxes (i.e. if you're in the UK, you pay British taxes, and them US taxes too). It's one of the few countries to require this. Off memory, the list of countries that double tax is very short and unflattering. If you renounce citizenship, the government reserves the right to do very nasty things to you economically if they decide you're doing it for 'economic reasons'.
^^^ The reason I'm going on about this a bit is that my wife is American and literally has nightmares about the tax system on an annual basis. In the past, whole dinner party conversations have been about changes in tax reporting and citizenship renunciation. Thrilling stuff.

Okaaay... dragging this slightly back to the video on hand. As a non-American it totally did not resonate with me and was just a bunch of impressively odd dancing and the lyrics seemed heavy handed. Certainly not my cup of tea, but I could appreciate that there is a lot more to it than the generic crap that Tidal seems to keep trying to push at me.

Oh, and I watched the video twice. Once from work using $5 earbuds out of a PC. The second time from a dedicated chain ending in the HD6XX. It highlighted the reward of going down the audio route.

 

I'll keep it short.

It is high art and thus is a reflection of our world or at least one view of it.

You don't have to share his same viewpoint to appreciate it.

It also leaves a lot up to your own interpretation, just remember it is only art.

And he has a right to do it and say it and a right to be unhappy with the way things are in this country without moving out. Suggesting he just move is unfair and short sided.

 

As a child of a failed state who has experience with being legally discriminated against because of the colour of my skin, and as someone who has emigrated twice and is now working on emigration to my third, and hopefully last country:

All countries have problems, it's how we approach dealing with those problems that define our success or failure as humans and as nations. Open discourse is, in my experience, the best way we have to go about this process. Such discourse has historically been a key tenet of the USA's persona, something that as an outsider looking in, I feel is being actively undermined lately. Perhaps this is meant to be a bit of a wake up call?

I think that the fact that we disparate maniacs are having this discussion in the first place is the core reason the video was made. In that context this piece of art is a resounding success no?

Childish Gambino chose one specific way to make everyone stop, think and TALK about the current state of affairs in the USA. There are a whole lot of other ways too, but as we know music is the soul of protest and revolution.

It takes a lot to make our jaded, over stimulated brains stop and take note these days

In any event it is certainly art , and good art at that.