Childish Gambino: This is America
In Donald Glover’s This is America music video, he opens the conversation regarding racism and gun violence. The video begins introducing a guitarist with lighthearted music playing when there is a sudden change to an aggressive beat, representing how in everyday life a turn in events can happen in an instant with no warning. People have become so used to acts of violence breaking out that they continue on about their day, unfazed. The fact that Americans are used to this idea of bloodshed and cruelty comes to show how corrupt our society truly is. Acts of violence committed are given the blind eye and a weapon of destruction is given more respect than those who were victimized but this statement is only accurate when it applies to those not of color. In this video, Glover represents the people who remain untouched although they are the ones initiating hate and discrimination. Glover reenacts the events of the 2015 Charleston choir shooting, acting as the gunman himself, and walking away nonchalantly knowing he will remain unharmed and without consequence. In America today, we have set the standard that a white person can go just about any hate crime and walk away with no discipline. This concept arises the controversy that has remained in popular culture today- where two people can commit the same crime but depending on their race, punishment ranges from a wide spectrum. Guthrie Ramsey, a professor of music history pointed out that, “Even though we think of popular culture a space where we escape, he’s forcing us to understand that there’s actually nowhere to run,”. All throughout the music video, background activity continues on to represent the bystanders of society- those who watch behind their phones and refuse to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.