The Hidden Meanings Behind Childish Gambino’s ‘This Is America’ Video
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- Childish Gambino’s provocative new video for ‘This Is America’ has taken the Internet by storm, and has critics scouring every frame for hidden meanings. Dr. Lori Brooks, who teaches in the African-American Studies department at Fordham University, says the video purposefully evokes themes including blackface minstrelsy, Michael Jackson, the KKK, gun violence and cultural appropriation. “It raises the bar,” Dr. Brooks told InsideEdition.com. #InsideEdition
Their dancing is so smooth that you literally fail to see the carnage in the background.
Abraham Jin that’s the point
The first time I watched this I didn't even notice a thing that went on in the back.
Thats the point they use entertainment to hide whats happening right now
distract you with the shiny object/entertainment/etc so you don't notice what is really going on... nothing to see here, look at this new product for you to consume... don't mind those booms and the blood, look over here... there's a prize if you look over here... yeah. marx called that Opiate of the masses.. he equated it to religion but it's whatever works to control and distract you..it's TV, it's a lot of things.. while they rob and kill you..
I know right its just straight chaos
She didnt get the 17 second moment of scilence for the 17 victims of the parkland school shootings in the middle
Jack Rogers
Soviet doggo i meant in the middle of the music video
He never said it was a middle school LMAO
Poyato what if he didn't finish the sentence
Poyato yea he did he legit said its a high school not middle what else would that mean lol
This video is simply genius. I have been a professor for 20 years and rarely have I seen a better representation of art as protest. Enjoy this video folks it’s a once in a generation event.
Pet Goat II
We know what you all represent EVIL but your time is limited my professor and your illuminati colleagues.
Guernica anyone?
Yes! It's art used as a form of protest. During the June 2020 protests and riots this song is getting the recognition it deserved more so than when it came out. SAY IT LOUDER AND SAY THEIR NAMES!!!
general holychild What? Bro get outta here
Notice how in the beginning the gun is taken care of better than the body. They just drag the body away but the gun is grabbed and wrapped. (Y’all thanks for the likes! I know you don’t care but kinda means a lot 😂)
The meaning is that America values a gun more than a life
red america seems to value guns more than human lives
Its bcs america values weapons more than human lives
You know it could be for evidence so they can find the guy......but no no America likes guns you’re probably right
Kyle Does Everything that was intentional
She didn’t notice the “this is a celly, that is a tool.” Which was referencing the black man that got shot because cops thought he was pulling out a gun but it was just his phone.
Shut up
Ya she did
Thats what i thought too
Oscar Ortega no she didn’t. Not anything about the this is a celly that is a tool.
Ya at 6:15
When she mentioned how we RARELY see the look of terror in black men’s eyes when they’re about to get killed, it immediately took me to the death of George Floyd and how just that one video was enough to cause an uproar of protests and riots.
I think there's a look of terror in anyones eyes when they're about to get killed. Unless you mean to say that fearing death is only a black thing.
@@askepticalcharmander9815 I think what @Rea Lity was trying to say has more to do with the theme of the video. Your comment is true, but in what we've seen about police brutality, lynching, and other acts of violence towards black people, their reactions rarely get shown in the media - we just see what happens after, the end result. Maybe that's meant to show how we can forget to think about how much terror they might've felt, or that we usually pay attention to things only when they reach a very brutal or tragic extreme.
yummy baby wipes You took the words straight out of my mouth. Thank you, I appreciate this so much.
@@askepticalcharmander9815 omfg she never said it was an only black thing god help ppl with no comprehension skills
As it should have.
this song is one big easter egg
Yep
It is a chocolatey one to say the least :D
no one song/video, with a whole wealth of Easter eggs.. ;) .. great video & song.. it's genius..
@@nutpeg6915 LMAOOOOOOOOOO
It's a Russian nesting doll
Hi, you forgot a few things. 1# The choir is singing about money, greed is a religion now. 2# He has S. African choreography comparing their civil rights to American civil rights. 3# The white horse is referenced in Revelations & most important, when he pauses as if he's shooting, but no weapon, how many Black men die because of no weapon but it was assumed they had it?
Imani Strong Don't forget the church shooting.
ahhh you got the south african reference
Thank you for noticing that
Nvm
Not only that but she called it a "Semi auto weapon" when it's quite clearly a fully automatic weapon or an assault rifle.
Finally, someone has talked about him dancing like Michael Jackson in Black or White. Also, the moves he does when he comes into the room with the choir really look like James Brown's signature dance moves. His poses and expressions really mimic African American entertainers and images throughout the whole video. It's really genius.
Facts I was thinking about African dances and facial expressions
@@caydenrgarrettthe facial expressions were actually based off the Jim Crow character, those minstrel performers would regularly stick their tongue out, bite it and wink. They'd make 😮 faces, and over the top faces to push the narrative that were goofy and stupid
I also loved how she said the figure possibly being a racial aggressor like a KKK member was a he or SHE cuz ppl forget that white women weren't allowed to go to KKK meetings cuz it was like "men only" so they literally set up women only KKK groups, that also supported the male groups, lynching and, terrorizing black ppl, wrongfully accusing black men and messing with black children and women
He was smart not to explain this video. Artists ruin it when they don't just let everyone interpret it in their own way. That's where all their power comes from.
yes
I’ve never seen anyone address the detail of the chair that the guitar player sits in is wet. It may mean nothing, but it’s an odd detail to be meaningless.
I never realized this. What could it mean?
Yes good question
I was thinking that it might have something to do with the Klu Klux Klan? They had hats vaguely similar to that.
That chair is cushioned and upholstered in red fabric, you can't see water on it or in the material, so you can't know if it was wet.
RoofDogBlues I’m referring to the guitar players pants appearing wet when he falls out of the chair.
"i got the strap i gotta carry em" to me refers to this obsession in America with carrying a gun and specifically for open carry for no other reason other than I have a gun so Im going to show it off and make sure everyone can see it
Trust me if you've been in danger you wouldn't believe that same mindset
Thatonefpsgamer 13 ?
Crazy how the kids were wearing masks while recording on their cells... 2 yrs ago... 🤯
Probably because when they use their phones, it removes their identity but it is also symbolic of Covid now.
@@mercuryangel9223 it could be those kids above it all can see what is happening...but don't use their voices to say what is happening...instead choose to consume it as content on tiktok and youtube...
I’m looking at this 2 years later again. He’s representing America killing us.
@@modernmopcar1832 what?
THANK YOU Inside Edition for having an intelligent black woman that can explain her pov, in an articulate way. Im really impressed...no bs, no drama, just a solid explanation. THANK YOU FOR THE EYE OPENING VIDEO.
Rev.6:8 “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him....”
He’s also wearing replica “confederate” pants through out the whole video. I don’t think I need to explain why.
Thanks for the detail that some of us wouldn't noticed 💯
No please do
@@lashawnpeeples9947 the confederate flag is a racist flag basically.
confederate = democrats, right?
@@mkorinets not at all. The confederates were people who tried to secede from the United States over what they called "states rights", but was mostly over wanting to keep slavery. That's what the american civil war was.
This is *her* interpretation. What I would like to see is *Donald Glover's* interpretation since he was the one who created the video.
rvpstudioscanada ua-cam.com/video/RqjsstB1uKA/v-deo.html
Donald said that he wasnt going to explain the video, its for the people to figure out!
Artists say that ALL THE TIME about their songs/videos. They want the listener/viewer to MAKE THEIR OWN interpretation.
It's easier to understand if your black because it's based off that
He won't ever, no artist does - it takes away from the art to put limitations to interpretation on it. Peel that onion!
It's 2023, and I still rewatch "This is America" every few months, at least. I can also distinctly remember the first time my ex-girlfriend showed me this track. I actually cried. I'm not ashamed to admit it. There's just so much raw emotion that goes into every movement and frame. He will never see my comment, but he has done BEAUTIFUL work, our Donald Gambino. :)
same, and then I eventually find myself watching this to make sure I’m understanding what I’m seeing and hearing
The 17 seconds of silence represents the 17 victims of the parkland shooting
Is no one going to talk about how they just showed a clip of Miley Cyrus twerking.
Where? What time
3:02
I had to do a double take lol
Cool Beans same XD
I was like wtf 😂😂😂😂
I humbly think this video was far deeper than JUST the black struggle in America..I think it took shots at everyone.The glorification of violence and the non-chalant acceptance of it. The greed of America, the momentary "care" and chaos and right back to the same old song and dance. There seem to be a lot of ways to interpret every scene and depiction that pretty much puts all of us on blast...pure genius.
The most important part of video is the very first scene. The guitar. The easiest way to relay a massage to the masses is through music. MUSIC IS THE MASTER MANIPULATOR in every walk of life.
It's many, many things: sometimes educator, sometimes comforter, sometimes inspiration, sometimes seducer, sometimes protester, sometimes manipulator...
Its been over two years and I am still amaze at the brilliance of how he was able the capture so much in a 4 minute video.....this is so historic.
All these people caring about the type of gun (semi/auto) rather than her interpretations reinforces the message he was trying to portray that Americans care more about guns than people.
the horseman is a reference to War one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalipse
not the kkk
Right.
Yea revaluation 9 I think, death rode in on a pale horse
Can't it be both? Can't it be both?
Yes, Nikola, it can. A work of art is more suggestive than it is referential. It contains multiple meanings quite comfortably.
Absolutely in this context, Nikola.
The first time I've seen the music video it scared the hell out of me, even now it gives me shivers, because of the meanings.
The first shooting besides just the jim crow pose, I took 2 more things from it. 1 the mask symbolizes the lack of media attention for black lives. Faceless violence. 2. The pillow the gun was put on shows the respect gun rights and those causing violence get over the victims.
lack of media attention? Its all they talk about. If a black career criminal is killed by police its in the headlines for months, especially around elections. The fact is that black on black crime is 10,000 times likely than a police shooting
The ending also referenced Get Out and Lynching
1:15 - 1:35 was just plain creepy
Yeah blackface is creepy
That pose gave me anxiety though
Haha it is creepy
I’m so stoked that this video is reaching people in a big way. What an amazing piece of art.
Damn would I ever kill to see gambino explain this video in an interview
@@krypton1142 I love it so much that he refused too. He really just wants us to really dig into it and figure it out and learn about these problems ourselves.
@@noahnolte7288 Or he just used it for the 10mil and actually doesn't give a dang.
@@Ghost-fe1vp doubt it
@@maxbear4655 Go on google and research the guy, tell me if he's building wells in africa or helping young black males in the ghettos of America.
He did it for the clout and fame using people like yourselves emotions and lack of understanding of the issues.
you should probably ask the director
If you seeing this comment thanks
Kk Loren You’re welcome 😃
Kk Loren I was forced too
Majestic asf
Kk Loren np
Kk Loren your not welcome
*The “Michael Jackson” Reference Was NEW TO ME‼️‼️👀*
This is the longest video inside edition has Made that I ever saw
shay range that I’ve ever seen, das racist mane
shay range for real
I was so emotionally crushed the first time I watched the music video. I didn't understand all of the references, but I _absolutely_ received the twist of pain, shame, and anguish of not only racial conflict, but frustration with perpetuation of damaging stereotypes and pursuit of destructive values. I've never had such a detailed emotional reaction to a song before - I can't remember specifically, but I want to say that my eyes were welled up with tears by the end of that first watch. It's tough to listen/watch because of that, so I've mostly avoided it like a weirdo. When the parodies and jokes started coming out, I'd become upset that people were taking it so lightly and belittling the message; like a fresh mixture of sadness and anger. I'm not at all a fan of his music or his standup, I only ever watched the work he did on UA-cam with Derek Comedy, then a few years later with Community; so it adds another layer of confusion on the IMMEDIATE intensity of my reaction and subsequent respect of the seriousness of what he brings to light and how effectively he's communicated that. I'm just rambling in semi-circles, so I'll stop, haha.
In summary: Typing all this out made me realize that the music video for "This is America" is the first piece of art that's ever _SPOKEN TO ME,_ and I'm just some doofus white dude in his late 30's
Megalike. Me gustó lo que escribiste👍
You write very beautifully!
That was not a "semi-automatic weapon"
That was a fully auto
SharpScope nah it has a gun mode like single, burst, and auto
SharpScope yeah, sure
Eric Rush the ak wasint the outers was
So what, one mistake, doesn't change the point
The video is whole a genius. I can't really believe someone can be this creative. He made a video of how racism is going on and got away without anyone getting mad. He's a genius, hats off.
R.I.P George Floyd
💔
he deserved better, I feel horrible for the family ❤
kenny yeah he did do bad things but nobody deserves to die like that
kenny like what ?I actually don’t know
He held a gun to a pregnant ladies head
Miley Cyrus has nothing to do with black dancing😪😂🤣
Terrell Williams right 😂😂🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️
Terrell Williams She was twerking with black girls around her she used to act like she was African American
Terrell Williams she has everything to do with copying black culture.
Where does that happen anyone pls tell me the time???
No. She meant on how white people can normalize things that black people can't do. Twerking was considered ghetto, until miley cyrus did it, but no one thought it was ghetto.
Three things you missed: Glover C-walks into the room with the choir. "Celly" is a double entendre- cellphone and cellmate. The ending is almost definitely a reference to The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, specifically the last page of chapter 1.
does it really matter what type of gun it was can yall calm down
Elizabeth Nagy it’s really just because you can edit videos and she had no reason to say that. But if you don’t know something maybe don’t talk as much about it.
Gun nuts be nuttin'.
It only matters because shes spreading misinformation. Shouldn't be on the news if it's wrong. People that dont know about guns may think that semiautomatic weapons can actually do what was shown here.
Stop it, ShatOnYourSteak. It's a mistake, not a lie. I'll bet you're clamoring up and down your street every day because of the lies on Fox News and Breitbart, right?
Yeah it's only a gun but the fact she didn't get it right detracts from her credibility on the rest of the stuff she is talking about, how do we know she hasn't got anything else wrong?
After watching this video, I went and watched the music video, paying attention to the background instead of the dancers. How did I not notice all of the stuff happening in the background before?
This was fascinating, and I appreciated how much Dr. Brooks acknowledged ambiguity or double meanings, rather than confidently proclaiming any single definitive story.
she described “this is a celly, this is a tool” wrong . it’s about the african american guy getting shot by the police because he pulled his phone out and he thought is was a gun .
122 M views on his video in a week!!! amazing!!!!
thats not so impressive. Taylor swift's lwymmd got 250 m views in a single week
I saw it before 100k
Now its 23
Andrew Heitzeberg it's amazing for a black artist
It's more then that though
Thank you so much! I have read some about the motifs and images from his video but you raised ideas I hadn’t heard.
I don't know why but "This Is America" really explains so much about the horrible violence in America. This song very much needed the violence to go well with the song. Childish Gambing really was thinking when he made this.
Great explanation. This is probably one of the best, if not the best, video ever filmed in terms of a cultural message to America.
I know I'm years late but the man riding the horse is actually a representation of death
Yes finally someone realized it and it wasn’t abt police brutality either it was abt how America isn’t what it seems or posing as the good guy
Thank you. This us the review I was looking for.
8:30 She missed that the cars almost all have open drivers-side doors and the flashers on, linking their significance to the cars black men were driving when they were pulled over and brutalized and/or killed by police. If I'm not mistaken, many of the vehicles match the ones actually owned by the victims, like Philando Castille.
17 seconds of no music means 17 seconds of the shooting in Florida
Thank you. Thank you. What a wonderful review and explanation of a powerful and historic (in every sense of that word) work of art that happens to be a music video.
As a 'old white guy' that was sent the link to "This Is America" when it first erupted, from a very good black friend (oh, groan, such a cliche, I know) but which I would otherwise have remained ignorant, I watched it's shocking graphics in surprise. But it was the figure of a shirtless black man that seem to be an in-your-face caricature that really made me uncomfortable. Finally I realized that THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT. I was to be uncomfortable, but that I HAD to watch because the video was so good. I started to realize my unease was because he was black AND angry. Something that I needed to feel and not just see. It worked and I had to come back now after all the events following the murder of George Floyd.
I believe it is hard for most white Americans to actually see a black American let alone allow people of color to truly be human. 'Invisible Man' is iconic for a reason. But even knowing that, it is still hard to see and feel the racism in that realization. This BLM movement is getting many complacent white Americans to see and feel the racism. Realize the exploitation that racism has imbued into all of America. It was economics, was capitalism that forged American slavery and it is the same economic and cultural exploitation that has kept racism central to America. Perhaps this video can help America 'get it' and work on changing it. We have to stop running and chasing through this warehouse, or we will never get out of the darkness. As Maya Angelou said “When we know better we do better!”
Thank you so much I have watched this video so many times and didn't get all that information. Thank u so much👊🏾
Thank you for a clear, well articulated and insightful analysis. Watched this video two years ago in far away Australia and whilst I saw it, from a distance, as a critique on America's nutty, crazy to the rest of the world, culturally accepted gun violence, I didn't get its nuance associated with fear of police violence against blacks, and how this modern day phenomenon is a continuation of America's ongoing racially violent history. In light of 2020, it takes on even more meaning ... as great art always does! There is just something so, so powerful about this video that has me really admiring the artistry and talent of Donald Glover and this visually amazing, cleverly choreographed and exceptionally well produced video. I also appreciate your calm and thoughtful analysis which helped to unpack this video's more subtle references.
The school kids dancing with him represent the nine kids that were shot and killed at the school and they're dancing to show how people move on from important thing to watch a new movie coming out or something
When I first saw the video I was shocked, then watched it again and noticed the symbolism throughout. I like her interpretations, there is probably so much more.
This was very educational ! Thank you so much for making this video!!
Thank you, Dr. Brooks. Some of the references were apparent when I first saw this video but you've brought up so much more for me to appreciate and consider.
Great video! Learned a lot today and certainly left me thinking about the Black community and the struggles they continue to face.
I never understood why Inside Edition puts “Gullible” in the description of their videos
Ønłÿ Ønę you got me
I admit you got me
You got me 2
You ALMOST got me
me got you
Thank you for creating this, it was very eye-opening!
Disturbing and very psychological. It makes me feel joy in madness
Inside edition is on a roll today
I wanted to know why was they wearing face masks? We just started wearing face masks a few months ago.
Riiiight i said the same thing he also says at the end i told u blk man u owe me wow he told us this was coming 💯
Few months ago? Where have you been past year❓
People can wear masks if they want to like in China people were lost to be sanitary you smart ass before the pandemic
The mask had NOTHING to do with Covid, it portrays young people who film EVERYTHING on their phones, they no longer have their own ID because they see everything via social media.
I mean, they were white bandanas. I would take a wild guess and say, something to do with white supremacist.
Thank you very much for this video. I am an Australian high school English teacher and I will be using this in my analysis task for students. I appreciate your work in this.
woah thats weird, im an aus high school student and im watching this for english analysis now
Wow, what an amazing song!!! The meaning of the song is soooooo deep
Re: the white horse scene, doesn't "Death ride in on a white horse"?
(or a pale horse, not sure)
Nope. Death rides on a pale horse. The rider of the white horse has several different interpretations which include conquest, pestilence, Christ himself or the Antichrist.
I interpreted the old cars as meaning that there's no progress happening is the US.
Looks like they’re from older cars to newer cars too
I thought the cars with their hazard lights on and drivers doors open might be all the traffic stops that have gone 'wrong' and have resulted in a death?
Amazing analysis
Hi, I'm from Chile, I had seen the video and didn't know the significance of it. Thanks, the explanation open my eye to the meaning of it. Thank you very much
"Some people respect the badge, everyone respects the gun".
5:10 that falling man in the bacground might relate to the 9/11 jumpers
dj cats in da house or because the suicide rates have been increasing idk
9/11 jumpers didn’t have much to do with racism, but it still might be.
No its suicide rates going up
@@itselliexox4276 facts
Or it could be just showing that media is covering up more important things like suicide. Notice how the first time you watched it you were focused on the dancing, media is covering up suicides and more important stuff that we should be facing
Certainly food for thought! Many thanks :)
This is so well done, bravo on the analysis!
One of the best, most haunting music videos I've seen. And Childish Gambino's performance is astounding - every muscle and facial twitch is masterful.
I applaud her take, but she MISSED a WHOLE LOT. That is a testament to his creative genius.
Thank for a better understanding of the video.
Great job breaking this down.. makes you think and opens your eyes and that is a thing that doesn't exist in modern music and if it does it's swept under the rug.
She mentions about “this is celli (probably spelt wrong) being a reference to events caught on cell phones .
But Celli also refers to ‘Cell’ in as prison. When it pans to those boys/men, it looks familiar to a prison setting which is also a tool used by the system to oppress black ppl. Might be wrong
Well
*This is America*
very well said and excellently researched
thank you for this, sometimes we miss the point by just looking at the obvious when there is much to be learned by fact and history.
1:59 the gun is handled with care while the body is just dragged away
The lady is turning up at 2:00 watch closely 😂😂
Cuzwhynot what do you mean
Lol
Oh yeah she's nodding her head like hell yeah
She not even doing nothin 💀
Lmao
This is so cool! I would love more interpretation about this song and other songs! ❤
This helped me thnx
To me it also says how the media always show happy "progressive people" instead of the reality of the Black man
I read the description and I saw Michael Jackson name right away but I'm gonna watch the video to see what he has to do with "This Is America"
I’ve always wanted to know the meaning but I could never put my finger on it
I don’t know why everyone cares about the type of gun. That’s one major part of the music video you focus on the little things and not the big picture.
"and it's easy to miss what's going on"
WATCH ME MOVE!!!
Nice for inside edition doing this :D
And i'm not sure the horse was the south for the african americans to be honest.
(Edit): Also in the song when he says Kodak Black In the background I think he's talking about Kodak being accused of Marijuana or something.
Powerful video beautifully explained Thank you.
I was looking a the historical date of May 5th, which is when this video was released. I saw it back then, but to hear your interpretation of this from a studied historical perspective was insightful and is appreciated.
UA-cam recommends me this video after 2 years..nice timing
Also when Childish Gambino says “This is a celly” “Thats a tool” it can also mean to police who harm blacks who just pull out their phone thinking it’s a gun
HOW WONDERFUL!!! Thank you SO VERY MUCH for sharing your insights! I so wish I had you as a professor back when I was in college!
good luck getting a job with that degree and the victimhood mentality, blaming whites for your own poor life decisions.
Brilliant. Thank you Dr. Brooks.