Anushka Reddy Week 6: "This is America"


    During his career, music artist Childish Gambino, also known as Donald Glover, released a single called "This is America" which addresses various social and political issues in America—more specifically, the African American experience. This created a cultural impact as the song as well as the music video served as a thought-provoking and wake-up call to the political issues currently happening in the United States.

    The song aims to bring awareness to gun violence in America. In the music video, the video starts off joyful but takes a dark turn when Childish Gambino shoots a man in the head. This depicts the sudden gun violence that could take place at any minute. The rest of the video shows multiple other individuals getting shot at to represent the mass shooting that happens in America. The lyrics "This is America" immediately after the shootings indicate that gun violence in America is a norm. Additionally the lyrics "Don't catch you slippin' now" once again demonstrate how shootings can happen at any minute. 

    Throughout the song and music video, Childish Gambino also raises awareness of racism and police brutality in America. When Childish Gambino shoots the first man at the beginning of the video, he strikes a certain pose. This pose was an imitation of the first Jim Crow drawings. Additionally, he also makes a "goofy" face during the video which is actually a reference to the minstrel show era—an American form of theater in the early 19th century that portrayed racial stereotypes of African Americans. The lyrics "Police be trippin' now" highlight the police brutality that takes place in America.

    Childish Gambino also uses juxtaposition throughout his song and music video to illustrate how people overlook these problems. The video starts off joyful and then switches to the man getting shot, and then switches back to joyful. This contrast not only highlights how suddenly these issues can happen but also how people tend to ignore these problems. Similarly, Childish Gambino maintains a cheerful expression throughout the video with individuals happily dancing in the background. This further illustrates how individuals in America turn a blind eye to the issues that occur.

    Overall, "This is America" by Childish Gambino serves as a powerful critique of American culture by highlighting issues such as gun violence, police brutality, and racism. By illustrating these sudden topics in an appealing and entertaining manner, he forces viewers to recognize the uncomfortable and harsh reality of living in America. 




Comments

  1. Mahesh KarthikeyanNovember 6, 2023 at 5:49 PM

    Hi Anushka! Your blog proves to be insightful and analytical. I am impressed by the degree to which you have encompassed the issue of gun violence in the broader context of American violence. Your breakdown of a well-known song into smaller parts helps decrypt the overall meaning of the song. Your idea of intricately gaining visual cues for interpreting the message of Childish Gambino is noteworthy; you successfully connect a societal motive to a musician’s lyrics and depictions in the video. The rhetorical breakdown that you employ to understand the language of the music video is essential to comprehending the overall purpose of the music video.
    The majority of Americans do not look into the meaning behind the lyrics of music we listen to—by decrypting the striking hidden significance of music that we may not consider as particularly impactful. Altogether, your blog serves as a reminder that the political connotations are meaningful when considering the purpose of Gambino’s music. It is interesting to note that musicians can use their platform as a medium to advocate for reform and pose as an outlet for positive social change.

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  2. Aarya PatilNovember 8, 2023 at 5:27 PM

    Hi Anushka! I think it's really interesting how you chose to analyze a song and its impact on America. Your analysis of Childish Gambino’s song was really eye-opening as I would not have deeply analyzed the song in the way that you did. Your blog was well-structured as you displayed the imagery and symbolism that were portrayed in the music video, and the key ideas such as racism, police brutality, and gun violence in America. The references to old racial stereotypes, and the contrasting effects of the music video, as it began with a joyful scene and ended with moments of violence effectively describe the challenges and issues in American society. Additionally, I understand and think as well that Childish Gambino effectively portrayed these issues in a format that would make a big impact on the audience. I think Childish Gambino brings in viewers by describing truths that most people do not address. Overall, your blog was very well formatted, and effectively analyzed Childish Gambino’s song, “This is America.” Great job!

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