"To me... this is America." Dude... that hit me so hard. Beautiful video as always, you always touch my soul with your words. Thanks man, you help me realize that I'm not even close to as woke as I thought.
"This is America" makes me feel deeply disturbed but in a way that feels good for me? It's hard to really describe. Maybe it's less that it feels good for me and more I just admire Donald Glover for making something that evokes such emotion from me. It's just really good art even if it leaves me unsettled. Plus it's catchy as hell
Absolutely the best commentary I've seen on UA-cam. I had this exact discussion a while back with some friends and we came to the same conclusion. There's so much more that could be said, but I appreciate all of this so much.
HAHAHAHAHA @ "The Water Bottle Man." Seriously, the way you build up to that moment and get our expectations going and then flip everything on its head-it's genius. I paused the video right there, at that moment, to type this comment. And I think I did that because the writing teacher in me, the guy that assigns craft analyses every semester, just loves that you've centered on something so specific and seemingly minimal at the start of your video. And, even if it's totally going to turn into another joke the moment I hit play again… I might love that even more, because it would then be playing with my expectations that you're about to turn something seemingly trivial into the thesis of your piece. Anyway… gonna go press play now and see what else you've got for me.
The water is a symbol for purity and survival. For those two rappers to teach more and insight more people they both need water, to be pure and survive what challenge it will be. Our generation, especially in America needs to open their minds, maybe... that’s why they need to the symbolistic water
I love the UA-cam video essay community. You think you've found someone who has the best editing, the best reasoning, the best voice, and then you just find another. No matter how many poor critiques there are, amazing ones always rise to the top of the cream and receive the well deserved views that they need. Keep on the great work.
I am honestly appalled as to why you don’t have as many followers as you deserve. The interpretation, the editing, and the overall quality of your videos gives me the impression that you put so much energy and passion into everything you do. You have a way with words and analysis. Even to this day, every time I listen to Wait for It and Hurricane, I remember your interpretation in the back of my mind; it was that impactful. Now i’m sure that every time I happen to come across This Is America again, this interpretation will be at the forefront of my brain. Wow, thank you for this video.
You're so right to say we would normally be numb to these kind of violent clips if it wasn't juxtaposed with rad dancing and silly faces. The sheer amount of attention this video had gotten and will continue to get is proof the message was well-communicated. Great video and editing!
Nobody: Make Stuff: *Builds Suspense* Me: *Interested* Make Stuff: " *THE WATER BOTTLE MAN* " Me:*Dies laughing*, "Well this is going to be a masterpiece of a video."
Another masterpiece... I love your interesting take on This Is America. As a longtime Childish Gambino fan, I'm so happy he is finally getting his due. But back to you... I rate you among the best, commentary UA-camrs out there; right up there with Austin McConnell and Nerdwriter. Thanks for making more stuff for us to consume. Looking forward to the next video!
you have to watch the video with your phone facing a bathroom mirror with the lights out to see the secret demon hidden message @ 3 minutes and 36 seconds in that when you read it while saying your crush's name out loud three times fast that A THIRD WATER BOTTLE MAN APPEARS.
God, I know I've already said this, but I just rewatched this without the stress of making my own video in the way and I'm re-realizing that this is an absolute masterpiece. Legitimately. It is so good man.
Great video man, I've been increasingly frustrated by an over-saturation of mediocre video essays about very popular topics, and it was refreshing to see a Donald Glover video essay handled with a bit more care than the typical 'fan-boy waffle'. Minimal editing used to great effect, a great script which balanced arguments with actual funny comic relief, all delivered with good energy into a mic setup which sounds lovely. All you could ask for from a great video essay, keep it up man
This is really, really cool. Your analysis is deep and your fascination is clear, which in turn, transfers to us. Making the video even more fun to watch. I also love that this video was a conversation, not a rant, and becomes extremely refreshing because of it.
This video is a work of art! The editing with the black and white the juxtaposition theme is genius... This video has so much though into it and I'm all for it. Grate job man, truly a masterpiece in itself!
Yo! Medium D sent me. And I gotta say, I'm glad he did. Your videos are top notch! I love how you don't dumb anything down or sugar coat, like most people feel they need to, you just say it like it is and then continue to explain further. I'm subbed for the long haul. Keep up the good work and the great videos.
I can truly appreciate all the time it must've taken to complete this video & I'm sure it's not easy, but let me just say that I'm so glad you take the time to put out such amazing, top-notch art.
The main problem with people searching for "THE definite meaning" of "This Is America" is that it's incredibly multi-facetted and layered. The discussion shouldn't center around it being about "Black Lives Matter" OR gun violence OR the entertainment industry, it should be about how those aspects of "This Is America" overlap and intersect and what THAT tells us. In my opinion, this crypticness but also openness to interpretation is what elevates "This is America" above a mere music video for entertainment purposes and into the realms of fine art.
This video would lend itself well to a larger discussion of the language of trauma. Many trauma theorists express that trauma is often communicated illogically, without temporal sequence, in a repetitive manner that is difficult to make sense of. Definitely something to think about with respect to racial trauma, racism, intergenerational trauma etc.
Spectacular video. The ever present spotlight on juxtaposition really hits home and (imo) dials in what makes the video so interesting and polarizing in the first place. As a side, I have incredible respect for the amount of work and effort you put into this video, it really makes it shine. Thanks for sharing.
I both agree and disagree with this interpretation (like the video, there's some, uh, contrast, in my thoughts on your thoughts on the video). I think to some extent, the dancing is supposed to contrast against that violence, but it also functions as a distraction. I think this is most obvious in the way the audience has responded to the video, more than anything else. The video is saying 'hey, we distract ourselves with spectacle in the face of violence, and that's bad, so I'm going to force you to look at both at the same time so you can't just meme-ify this and are forced to see the violence for what it is through this contrast' but also what the audience then proceeds to do with it is, well, meme-ify it and focus on the funny donald glover dancing and the rap easter eggs and the kids. In this way, the video juxtaposes not just the content within the video to craft an argument, but contrasts the videos argument itself against the audience's reaction to it (a reaction that was almost certainly anticipated, since it's what we do with **everything**). It both functions as an argument against the way America distracts itself from its own violence with spectacle, and a piece of media the public used as spectacle to distract from violence. In this way, the audience doing EXACTLY what the video is arguing we shouldn't do makes the video prove its own thesis, so to speak. So yeah, the video, to a keen viewer, does use the spectacle to contrast and accentuate the violence, but the general audience misuses that spectacle, and thus it functions as a distraction as well, which to my mind strengthens the original contrast and the overall argument. The video is doing both in a way that somehow manages to be coherent because the video is operating on like a dozen levels of 'holy-shit-this-is-bonkers-and-amazing'.
I think the problem with calling it a "distraction" is that it kind of undermines the artistic work that went into making the dancing and choreography expressive and arresting to your attention. To say it's a distraction means it's not as important as everything going on in the background when it's actually the opposite - if it were just violent imagery, it would lack an emotional connection. Both elements are equally integral in creating a sensory intensity for audiences.
WOW! Absolutely the most amazing commentary I have seen on UA-cam thus far. I mean in literally anything! WOW! I agree with almost every single point you made; this world does not make sense. At. All. and maybe its been designed that way. Thank you! I was thinking the same thing for the past 3-4 years.
Epic discussion!!! Don't know where to start. your conclusion was well articulated. The feeling of anything is possible is the feeling of modern America.
watching this a year later with everything that has been going on TikTok has opened my eyes to perspective and understand all the different thing going on during quarantine
Easily my favorite content creator on the internet. I've been working my ass off recently for a LARP company in hopes to make it my full time career. You're a positive attitude by my own heart and the world could use more folks like you in it. It reminds me why I want to make things for people to enjoy. Thank you. May the algorithm make our paths actually cross one day.
You did the same thing Started mystrious that dropped my jaw and i couldnt put it up until the end of the video Thanks for your great work and keep up👍
Legitimately one of the greatest videos I've ever seen. Ever. On UA-cam.
This is brilliant.
❤❤❤
Didn't fancy seeing you here, Mauricio
The editing on this video is really cool in how it also plays into the theme of the juxtaposition stuff!
Amazing ❤️ Couldn't enjoy a explaination better then being given examples
@@malachidaw9730 gggggggggfgfggggfgggggfgggggfgggggggffggggggguuyhkjjjjjjjj4jjjjjj4yyyhjjhj4jyjyy j yyjjjyj44jt4jjjj4hjjte t33tt44jjjj44jyttyy4jjj ygyyjkj4h4j4j44444444j4t4tt 4 r4tttr4j4tt44j4444j44jjugy jyj44h444444t4tt444j34ttt34t43ttttt4jj44444j444jhjyjkyy gyj4j4j5444ttttjt4h3ttrt 4j4444j4jjyyjg4k4kjjuj4j4r444444h3h4ttttttttt4j4454jhjujkujj4jkhuyyuyuttttttt43tttttt4j44j4yyy444jgyjgyjjy tttttttrttttttttttyyyyjjjjjk444j444 u tttt4444344443þttt44jty4j4jj 4gy hj ukjkyjkjyttt44444tttttt44444ty44yy y4jjyyjjjkujjhj juju5jtt44tttttt4tttttttttttyj uj44juujyyuijju5ju uyyytyttt5tttttttttrtttttttttttttttttyyggyyyt4tttttttttttgrrreee34thHg gttttthr4ttttttt43ttt tjyuuhhyrŕrrdgdrrretrete rrgfrete rretrete rrdrrretrete rrrerr rrtrTerry trote rrrrrrtrterrestre r
Ok, Gambino is a mastermind.
Fuck a bitch to pass the time.
Mass appeal, orange rind, smoke your green, I'm spendin' mine
Medium D Speaks of STEALING songs
DIGI Tal what
Medium D Speaks this song came out about a year and a half before this is america ua-cam.com/video/whcr-JiOJCA/v-deo.html
"To me... this is America." Dude... that hit me so hard. Beautiful video as always, you always touch my soul with your words. Thanks man, you help me realize that I'm not even close to as woke as I thought.
I FEEL AMERICAN
taht line was corny af tho
Agreed. It really hit different after this video.
"This is America" makes me feel deeply disturbed but in a way that feels good for me? It's hard to really describe. Maybe it's less that it feels good for me and more I just admire Donald Glover for making something that evokes such emotion from me. It's just really good art even if it leaves me unsettled. Plus it's catchy as hell
I totally feel you. There's definitely a satisfaction in that sense of "thank god someone's using their platform to talk about this shit", hahah.
I agree, it almost feels cathartic
Ok 💀
Absolutely the best commentary I've seen on UA-cam. I had this exact discussion a while back with some friends and we came to the same conclusion. There's so much more that could be said, but I appreciate all of this so much.
This hits hard in June 2020, post-George Floyd and all the protests.
Not to mention those face masks on all the kids with cell phones up on the terrace...
i come from the futureee
HAHAHAHAHA @ "The Water Bottle Man."
Seriously, the way you build up to that moment and get our expectations going and then flip everything on its head-it's genius. I paused the video right there, at that moment, to type this comment. And I think I did that because the writing teacher in me, the guy that assigns craft analyses every semester, just loves that you've centered on something so specific and seemingly minimal at the start of your video. And, even if it's totally going to turn into another joke the moment I hit play again… I might love that even more, because it would then be playing with my expectations that you're about to turn something seemingly trivial into the thesis of your piece.
Anyway… gonna go press play now and see what else you've got for me.
Yes. I subscribed right after that point in the video. Brilliant.
He is doing that thing that he explains its like the first gun shot in the video
The water is a symbol for purity and survival. For those two rappers to teach more and insight more people they both need water, to be pure and survive what challenge it will be. Our generation, especially in America needs to open their minds, maybe... that’s why they need to the symbolistic water
I also wondered what was up with the water bottle guy when I first saw the vid.
I subscribed at that moment. LoL.
4:29 Yas, best interpretation so far AND you back it up with references and stunning editing!
Human Beings Suck
(At logic)
Can I have that on a T shirt
Someone make it and send it to me so I can wear it a bunch plz and thnx.
Make Stuff Just make it a patreon reward
But... But *I* want the reward...
Open a P.O box and I'll do it 😂😂😂😂😂
Make Stuff Subscribe to MY patreon and I'll make it a reward
"Wait is that Sza" lol
YDKM thats a trans.
I love the UA-cam video essay community. You think you've found someone who has the best editing, the best reasoning, the best voice, and then you just find another. No matter how many poor critiques there are, amazing ones always rise to the top of the cream and receive the well deserved views that they need. Keep on the great work.
I am honestly appalled as to why you don’t have as many followers as you deserve. The interpretation, the editing, and the overall quality of your videos gives me the impression that you put so much energy and passion into everything you do. You have a way with words and analysis. Even to this day, every time I listen to Wait for It and Hurricane, I remember your interpretation in the back of my mind; it was that impactful. Now i’m sure that every time I happen to come across This Is America again, this interpretation will be at the forefront of my brain. Wow, thank you for this video.
I was so scared when you starred talking about a water bottle man like honestly thought this ish was about to turn into a horror story😂
You're so right to say we would normally be numb to these kind of violent clips if it wasn't juxtaposed with rad dancing and silly faces. The sheer amount of attention this video had gotten and will continue to get is proof the message was well-communicated.
Great video and editing!
Nobody:
Make Stuff: *Builds Suspense*
Me: *Interested*
Make Stuff: " *THE WATER BOTTLE MAN* "
Me:*Dies laughing*, "Well this is going to be a masterpiece of a video."
Another masterpiece... I love your interesting take on This Is America. As a longtime Childish Gambino fan, I'm so happy he is finally getting his due. But back to you... I rate you among the best, commentary UA-camrs out there; right up there with Austin McConnell and Nerdwriter. Thanks for making more stuff for us to consume. Looking forward to the next video!
Please tell me I'm not the only that noticed that after he said scared he switched the background music to the instrumental of Terrified
Okey first, great subject matter.
Second Great start of the video.
Third, I love what this video did with his split screen and reverse effect.
Thank you because it took VERY LONG.
Make Stuff it's great that you take your time for making good content.
*THE WATER BOTTLE MAN😱*
dang. this is one of THE BEST analysis essays abt that song. deserves way... way.. more views
you have to watch the video with your phone facing a bathroom mirror with the lights out to see the secret demon hidden message @ 3 minutes and 36 seconds in that when you read it while saying your crush's name out loud three times fast that A THIRD WATER BOTTLE MAN APPEARS.
😱😵
Stop playing......Too scared to try it😂
Your best video yet - I can see your style strengthening, and love your sense of humour getting more airtime. Well done!
Liked as soon as he said:
"The Water Bottle Man"😂😂
This is the best video I've seen covering this topics.
I truly love the way you direct, and create your videos. Amazing.
That was so great.
And man, it just flew by.
God, I know I've already said this, but I just rewatched this without the stress of making my own video in the way and I'm re-realizing that this is an absolute masterpiece. Legitimately. It is so good man.
Great video man, I've been increasingly frustrated by an over-saturation of mediocre video essays about very popular topics, and it was refreshing to see a Donald Glover video essay handled with a bit more care than the typical 'fan-boy waffle'.
Minimal editing used to great effect, a great script which balanced arguments with actual funny comic relief, all delivered with good energy into a mic setup which sounds lovely.
All you could ask for from a great video essay, keep it up man
wow...I actually love everything that you're doing right now, all your videos are so refreshing to watch
Incredible video, thanks for uploading this
This is really, really cool. Your analysis is deep and your fascination is clear, which in turn, transfers to us. Making the video even more fun to watch. I also love that this video was a conversation, not a rant, and becomes extremely refreshing because of it.
Thank you! Your editing was great and I liked your take on this.
I don't even have words to describe this video, just...wow
Your editing is amazing. Also great insight!
The editing on this video is very satisfying
This video is a work of art! The editing with the black and white the juxtaposition theme is genius... This video has so much though into it and I'm all for it. Grate job man, truly a masterpiece in itself!
Woahh, was not expecting to hear the music from The Last Night in the middle of this. Sweet video man!
Amazing song for an amaaaazing game trailer.
the editing of this video is absolutely accurate and fantastic
You are fucking brilliant, what a video. This is gold, honestly the best video essay type video i've ever seen. Keep it up
Yo! Medium D sent me. And I gotta say, I'm glad he did. Your videos are top notch! I love how you don't dumb anything down or sugar coat, like most people feel they need to, you just say it like it is and then continue to explain further. I'm subbed for the long haul. Keep up the good work and the great videos.
My water bottle man dealer gave me bad water. I need to find him.
I can truly appreciate all the time it must've taken to complete this video & I'm sure it's not easy, but let me just say that I'm so glad you take the time to put out such amazing, top-notch art.
So well put together. Love it.
The main problem with people searching for "THE definite meaning" of "This Is America" is that it's incredibly multi-facetted and layered. The discussion shouldn't center around it being about "Black Lives Matter" OR gun violence OR the entertainment industry, it should be about how those aspects of "This Is America" overlap and intersect and what THAT tells us.
In my opinion, this crypticness but also openness to interpretation is what elevates "This is America" above a mere music video for entertainment purposes and into the realms of fine art.
This is the best analysis I've seen on this
Wow, it's a very nice and clever analysis! Thank you for the work!
This is amazing thank you omg you’re so good at this, keep making stuff
This channel is so underrated
Holy shit, I don’t know how I just found this. But I love it. I want you to post more and I just, I am amazed and speechless. Great job.
Every explanation video of this music video felt wrong. But you are right. It covers it all. ❤
Both you and Gambino are amazing! Fantastic interpretation and editing!
The editing in this video is unbelievably good
This video would lend itself well to a larger discussion of the language of trauma. Many trauma theorists express that trauma is often communicated illogically, without temporal sequence, in a repetitive manner that is difficult to make sense of. Definitely something to think about with respect to racial trauma, racism, intergenerational trauma etc.
Very well-edited video, I love the content of the video and you communicate this very very well... Loved it.
yes!! I love how in the hamilton video you made your own motifs and in this childish gambino video you made your own juxtaposition!!
This videos visual aspect was way cooler then I expected as this is the first video that I have seen of yours
Keep up the good work! I am amazed at the creativity, logic, and smoothness of this video. Well done once again sir!
you probably wont see this but i loved everything about this video. the editing, humor, actual meaningful analysis...liked and subbed, keep it up man
I love finding good video essays
What a brilliant idea, interesting facts, bgm and video composition, and funny lil jokes as well. Truly brilliant.
11:17 "constantly terrifying" *plays terrified instrumental*
you think you're slick, ey?
Xavier El Masrur damn now that is very smart.
*clap*
*clap*
*clap*
This was powerful! Well done.
This was good.
I am also scared.
Spectacular video. The ever present spotlight on juxtaposition really hits home and (imo) dials in what makes the video so interesting and polarizing in the first place.
As a side, I have incredible respect for the amount of work and effort you put into this video, it really makes it shine. Thanks for sharing.
This video is grossly underrated. Beautiful!!
Best video about this I’ve seen yet.
This is not just america. This is the whole world.
Great video and amazing editing!
Really, really, really good video. Much enjoyed, evoked much thoughts.
It's so nice to listen to passionate people
This editing is FLAWLESS. Thank you.
This is interesting ,love the way u put things together
This has to be the best video on "This is America"
It's really simple in its approach, but complex in its message which is dope. That's approachability folks.
This was a GREAT video. Glad I saw it.
I both agree and disagree with this interpretation (like the video, there's some, uh, contrast, in my thoughts on your thoughts on the video). I think to some extent, the dancing is supposed to contrast against that violence, but it also functions as a distraction. I think this is most obvious in the way the audience has responded to the video, more than anything else. The video is saying 'hey, we distract ourselves with spectacle in the face of violence, and that's bad, so I'm going to force you to look at both at the same time so you can't just meme-ify this and are forced to see the violence for what it is through this contrast' but also what the audience then proceeds to do with it is, well, meme-ify it and focus on the funny donald glover dancing and the rap easter eggs and the kids. In this way, the video juxtaposes not just the content within the video to craft an argument, but contrasts the videos argument itself against the audience's reaction to it (a reaction that was almost certainly anticipated, since it's what we do with **everything**). It both functions as an argument against the way America distracts itself from its own violence with spectacle, and a piece of media the public used as spectacle to distract from violence. In this way, the audience doing EXACTLY what the video is arguing we shouldn't do makes the video prove its own thesis, so to speak.
So yeah, the video, to a keen viewer, does use the spectacle to contrast and accentuate the violence, but the general audience misuses that spectacle, and thus it functions as a distraction as well, which to my mind strengthens the original contrast and the overall argument. The video is doing both in a way that somehow manages to be coherent because the video is operating on like a dozen levels of 'holy-shit-this-is-bonkers-and-amazing'.
Nice analysis
I think the problem with calling it a "distraction" is that it kind of undermines the artistic work that went into making the dancing and choreography expressive and arresting to your attention. To say it's a distraction means it's not as important as everything going on in the background when it's actually the opposite - if it were just violent imagery, it would lack an emotional connection. Both elements are equally integral in creating a sensory intensity for audiences.
this was a long way to say
"why not both??" :)
why not both indeed
This was beautiful. I got chills
your editing is next level
WOW! Absolutely the most amazing commentary I have seen on UA-cam thus far. I mean in literally anything! WOW! I agree with almost every single point you made; this world does not make sense. At. All. and maybe its been designed that way. Thank you! I was thinking the same thing for the past 3-4 years.
Medium D sent me... And I am grateful to the both of you for it.
Thank you.
Epic discussion!!! Don't know where to start. your conclusion was well articulated. The feeling of anything is possible is the feeling of modern America.
You have a great knack for keeping yourself grounded and funny and impactful. Great work. Keep it up.
I enjoyed this video so much. Thank you for putting this out there!
You’re brilliant. This is brilliant. I’m always so deeply chilled by your videos. Keep making stuff.
Best Video about this song i have seen. Hands down. 👌🏾🙏🏽🧠🤯
Came here through Bailey's tweet. Truly one of the best videos ever.
Amazing analysis. Thank you for this.
This video should have get 23M video, instead of Insider's explanation
Excellent video!
Very nice highlight of how the juxtaposition creates the discomfort that conveys the message.
watching this a year later with everything that has been going on TikTok has opened my eyes to perspective and understand all the different thing going on during quarantine
My dude, you make quality video. Amazing edits that's fun to watch. Good shit homie.
Thanks for that. I really enjoyed it.
I. LOVE. YOUR. HEART. This is an exciting video, thanks for what you do.
Wow! Fantastic Video, and the breakdown
Easily my favorite content creator on the internet. I've been working my ass off recently for a LARP company in hopes to make it my full time career. You're a positive attitude by my own heart and the world could use more folks like you in it. It reminds me why I want to make things for people to enjoy. Thank you. May the algorithm make our paths actually cross one day.
Thanks so much, that is unbelievably cool to hear :D Keep kicking all the ass!
How can you nail every single video? How do you do it? Seriously, bravo.
(My secret: Keep working on it until it doesn't suck.)
You did the same thing
Started mystrious that dropped my jaw and i couldnt put it up until the end of the video
Thanks for your great work and keep up👍
That intro was literally the best intro I have ever seen I have watched it 4 times and haven't even made it past it.
Wow.. this is everything. Fine work Good sir!