This is America Pt. 1.

5/12/2018

Please have your parents watch, analyze and discuss the video with you for a clear understanding of the content/meaning.

For millennia, artists, of all genres, have created music that delve into social consciousness. The goal is to "awaken" society to anthropological, sociological and psychological problems and injustices and spark movements for change.

Unsurprisingly, from Bob Dylan's "Time's They Are Changing," Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," and Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene," to Sam Cook's "A Change Gone Come," Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam," and Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)," protest songs have ridden the waves of every generation of music that sails along because, more than any other art form, music is universal and far-reaching.

Today's protest songs are no different. They reach far and tell a different story about the false social constructs that portrays America as a melting pot, the land of the free and opportunity, a place where all men, who were created equally, can be treated...well...equally.

But things are not always as they seem. And Donald Glover, Jr., aka, Childish Gambino, is letting the world know that the more things change, the more they stay the same, especially when it comes to ideological constructs such as gun violence, police brutality and racism that America is grounded in.

Watch and analyze the video above. Then, explain the meaning of the video and what the artist's motive was for making the video."

1. INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

2. Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five.

3. You MUST respond to at least TWO other posts from any student. Your replies cannot be identical comments on different posts and posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will earn you a zero. Make sure your reply addresses the comment that you are responding to.
Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade.

Due: Sun., May 13, 2018 11:59 p.m. CST

I. Florence 1st

5/12/2018 05:21:01 am

It is very evident that the video was created to reveal how we as African Americans are so distracted by the trending music and dances that we pay little to no attention to the violence that plague's our community. In the video, Childish Gambino is dancing and singing to a catchy beat, but behind him there is chaos. It is easy to become so concentrated on Gambino that you may not realize what is occurring in the background. You may have to watch the video several times to fully understand and see everything in the background. Gambino had two motives, to elicit conversation about our country and to cause his audience to reflect on their attitudes and actions when violence occurs. He did this because it is time for us to really make a change for ourselves and for the future.

Z. James 1st

5/12/2018 07:52:06 am

One of Gambino's motives was to elicit conversation and attention. He is well known for having popular R&B songs about love and fidelity. However, with this social awakening piece of work he popularized, it's different from his old work (songs that are on the charts). He knew that this was a drastic transition from "I love you girl, you have my heart" to "Wake up America, open your heart." Not only was it a drastic change, but it included cameos from other artist. For instance, you can hear ad libs from American rappers Quavo, BlocBoy JB, 21 Savage, Slim Jxmmi, and Young Thug who also gives the outro. This is another pop culture moment that we need to take and dissect carefully.

Erin

5/17/2018 07:16:17 pm

I agree with Z.James, because there's other cultures in music then just hip hop, but Childish Gambino was showing something different in music and the culture

R.Garcia 1st

5/14/2018 12:24:25 pm

While i completely agree with your statement, i think that it is important to note the "peaceful guitar" breaks in the song. It seems that during these breaks in the song, all the chaos in the video disappears. What this says to me that perhaps dances in the video do not simply display ignorance in the negative sense, but perhaps they are used as a form of escapism from all the issues that surround people.

Z. James 1st

5/12/2018 07:31:23 am

The video is saying that "This is America". This is what we do when we see one of our fallen Black American on Instagram and we swipe to see the new dance trend. This is what we do when guns have more rights than the average American. We are so caught up in pop culture, that we don't even what's really going on in our own country. Police brutality, suicide, Black genocide, mass murder, gun control, mentorship, and much more were evident in this video to provoke an 'awakening' from America. It is evident in the artist work that the motive for this piece of work was to 'wake up' a country that is blindsided by the new trend and dances. For instance, in the song "Redbone" also by Gambino, he sing "Stay woke, they be creeping... Gon catch you sleeping... Don't you close your eyes." This means to stay aware of the social injustices of the world, because they will find ways for you to be distracted by them. They will fill your mind with ignorance when your naive, so don't attempt to look away or close your eyes when you see these injustices.

D.Carter 1st

5/13/2018 12:12:27 am

As young black people we focus more on trends than we do real world problems and this video gave us an example of riots happening in the background however we are to focused on dancing to notice.

c.jackson 6th

5/16/2018 09:28:46 am

I agree, because we focus on the trends and not pay attention to the stuff that's going on in the world, all the songs, and dances are just a cover up

T.Dawson 4th

5/13/2018 12:51:05 am

I have to agree with your comment. Americans are way too focused on the materialistic things instead of social injustices and other problems this nation has. As Americans, we tend to ignore the real issues and focus on the unimportant aspects of things.

I, Florence 1st

5/14/2018 08:26:38 am

When an African American is fatally shot by the police, we dedicate posts to them on our social media, we leave condolences to the victims family, we protest, we express our anger on social media and then a couple weeks later we go on like nothing happened. Until another one of our people is killed again. It is a cycle of behavior that we have to break if we want to see change in our communities and it is a cycle we see in the video. You see this cycle throughout the video, but it is the most noticeable when the school children run away from Childish Gambino when he makes a gun with his hands. That scene alone proves that we know what is going in our community, but we give it little to no attention until violence strikes again.

Courtney M 7th

5/15/2018 10:46:00 pm

I Agree Everytime A Black Person Is Killed They Get Posted On Social Media. Then Later Its Like It Doesn’t Matter.

Savion s

5/20/2018 05:08:36 am

I agree very much black people get posted every time the die it never fails

A. Chicas 7th

5/12/2018 08:31:02 am

The imagery has sparked conversation about several themes, including police brutality, social media habits and what people are really paying attention to in the United States.Childish Gambino’s dance moves distracted all of us from the craziness that was happening in the background of the video. And that's exactly the point he's trying to make.No one caught the fact that at 2:13, a man jumps to his death. It shows how we don’t care about suicide in America, yet are all in when it’s a dance/trend.One of the most disturbing scenes is him features an all-black church choir getting shot up with an assault-style rifle. The massacre appears to be a reference to the 2015 mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in which a white gunman killed nine black churchgoers.

A.Moore

5/12/2018 06:53:01 pm

I strongly agree with your statement. I like how you stated how nobody caught on to the man committing suicide.

c.jackson 6th

5/16/2018 09:30:52 am

Exactly also caught the part where you see the white horse I'm guessing it my symbolize death

R.Young 6th

5/14/2018 02:09:45 am

I agree with your opinion, it shows that we don’t care at all but if there was a dance or new song trending everybody would be all in that’s just the roll social media plays ...

Z. James 1st

5/14/2018 04:06:42 am

Suicide is in the Black community is really overlooked. No one ever really catches it , just like how we saw in the video. Signs leading up to suicide is highly overlooked. Things like depression and anxiety are seen as “doing too much” or “being extra”. We have to wake up and see that this is one of the issues in our community. It traces back even to the slavery times where the slaves would jump off the ships instead of being held in bondage. This subject should be treated with care in the Black community.

Courtney M 7th

5/15/2018 10:41:24 pm

I Agree With You Because People Are Brainwashed To See Whats Really Going On in The Real World.

Daijah Jackson 6th period

5/12/2018 08:38:55 am

To me this song mean that our black community is over welm by guns, naked women, and social media . Because when he killed the man and how he killed the church people that remind me of how the people killed all the church people in the church on Sunday which was sad. And he says things that nobody really know about like how he saying how our world is blind by social media and we need to be aware because I bet nobody watch the news the only stay on Instagram, snapchat , Facebook, and other etc. But this video is explaining how our world is blind and not awake.

D. Hearne 1st

5/12/2018 09:50:37 am

The news often spreads to these social media platforms and adolescents think that a simple like or comment saying "#Changegunlaws" will solve the issue. Yes,we are young but we still have a voice in the world we live in. We should use it fix society we live in.

F. Aleman 1st

5/14/2018 07:52:09 am

Social media is one of the biggest platforms out there. Not that social media can solve these issues but it can bring awareness to these issues.

A.Moore

5/12/2018 06:49:23 pm

I agree,the black community is overwhelmed by unnecessary things .

K. Brown 1st hour

5/13/2018 09:12:35 pm

Of course as a generation plauged by technology we don't sit and watch the news. Though this isn't because were blissgully consumed in social media, it's the fact that the news spreads quicker through these platforms. And people who are over these news stations know this because they make social media to help get the word along.

camren harris 7thp

5/14/2018 09:55:28 am

this is not the world its just Are generation , china doesn't even allow there people on social media they can even talk agist the government and still people are aware and fight for freedom of knowledge , and other places people and the police have a grate relationship but in America we rather play Fortnite then read the Constitution or any book

D. Tonche 1st pd

5/12/2018 09:16:47 am

The statement "This is America" is repeated during the duration of the music video. The artist uses this repetition to bring the public attention to the harsh realities of modern America, such as mass shootings and police brutality.He demonstrates this by showing police cars and a mob of police officers. Glover references to mass shooting by murdering a gospel choir with an assault rifle just like the Charleston massacre in 2015. Another statement Glover makes in this video is the public inattentiveness to their surroundings and their willfulness for obliviousness. He does this by showing himself dancing with a group of uniformed teenager when their surroundings is filled in pandemonium. I infer that Gambino is referring to the public denial to injustices in America by using entertainment to distract their attention. The uniform teenagers would rather dance along with Gambino than acknowledge his crimes, they finally react when Gambino takes a threatening position towards them. I think the overall statement of this video is ironic because music videos are a form of entertainment but instead of bringing enjoyment to the public it makes them face the harsh realities of modern America.

D. Hearne 1st

5/12/2018 09:45:00 am

"This is America" could have also been repeated because Glover was trying to get across the message that these actions are the ways of America and how nothing is going to change.

I. Florence 1st

5/14/2018 08:30:10 am

Childish Gambino is a creative genius for video. He specially implanted themes into the video to show us how we react to the violence around us.

D. Hearne 1st

5/12/2018 09:41:08 am

The artist's motive was to show how blinded we are by social trends that we don't see the social issues around us. America loves to consume Black culture but couldn't care less for Black people. There are some who chose to ignore it and those who see it happening but don't stand up an do anything to work towards change. Two times in the video there were instances where Glover shot people, and both times the guns were handle with care and taken from the scene. The bodies were treated with no care and disregarded. Glover is dressed as the foundation of America, a slave. With slavery came many complications in the following years and they continue today. By the end of the video Glover is seen running from the people from the video, trying to escape the a sort of spell that America had over him.

A.Moore

5/12/2018 06:47:17 pm

When I first heard about Childish Gambino’s music video it was all over social media. People kept wondering why he did a sudden pose just to shoot the handcuffed man in the seat, but that pose came from Jim Crow. I believe Childish Gambino’s motive of "This Is America ", was to show how blinded this community is to the outside world. When Childish Gambino, killed those innocent people in the church house it made me think about the boy that killed those nine people in Charleston,South Carolina.Also, I think Childish Gambino,is representing how African-Americans see America.

K. Brown 1st hour

5/12/2018 08:12:31 pm

The cheerful and upbeat beginning, to shooting a seated man in a Jim crow poster's stance. 'This is America' by Childish Gambino was created to disillusion people, shock people, and make people think about this facade America has been putting on. Gambino uses a mixture of modern dances and older dances to show the progression of culture. While he also references live events such as the Charleston Shooting, to show how out of order and brutal America is. Lyrics in the song also speak about "not slipping up" meaning stay on your guard because America is truly out to get you. Gambino even uses a bibical reference that states the America being one of the first countries to fall. This video is to show everyone the mess America has been lately, and that the American dream as of right now is a lie. We as Americans have gone from living free to trying to keep a grasp of it's slipping presence.

T.Dawson 4th

5/13/2018 12:30:03 am

I have to agree with most of your comment. I do not agree with "the mess America has been lately." To me, America has always been a mess. There is no real progression in America. Americans are quick to say that this is a "free country", but it is obvious that not all are free. Slavery may be over in this country, but there are still people mentally imprisoned and born into communities that will belittle their potential based solely on the color of their skin.

F. Aleman 1st

5/14/2018 07:57:03 am

Although we are not completely finish with our journey to freedom, we do have to admit, you can't deny that there has been progress in America. Not so long ago black people couldn't vote, and black people weren't even consider citizens.

D. Tonche 1st pd

5/13/2018 03:45:57 am

I concur with your statement, America has the veneer of a country that upholds the liberties of their citizens.

D. Carter 1st

5/12/2018 11:05:59 pm

Childish Gambino’s motive for the video “This is America” is to showcase society’s ignorance in the face of the nation’s problems. At the very start, a black man takes a seat playing a soothing song on an acoustic guitar, As the video pans out, it shows Gambino in the back and leaving the view of the man. Gambino approaches the black man now with his head covered and pulls out a pistol, shooting him in the head in the Jim Crow caricature position as the gun shot officially starts the song. As he walks away singing, the gun is carefully placed in a red cloth while the body is disrespectfully dragged off; essentially showing guns are handled more carefully than black lives. He walks off happily dancing, also depicting the way America is easily distracted by trends in social media, therefore the death is forgotten to the viewer. As he continues, chaos ensues in the background and young school children join in his dancing antics. This shows that America focuses more on our culture than they do our lives.

B Turner 7th period

5/13/2018 03:44:09 am

And the dancing in the video is throwing us off but I heard on the radio on k 104 about this video and I listened and to the video it’s about the World

D. Tonche 1st pd

5/13/2018 03:51:31 am

I concede with your observations, America values firearms more than the lives of their own citizens

S.johnson1st

5/13/2018 11:17:09 pm

The dancing was was the curveball to distract from the real problem and that was exactly Glover’s point that he was trying to convey. Also the major problem in our society is gun violence and how we treat them more than people.

T.Tate1st

5/14/2018 12:56:06 am

The dances was done to illustrate how kids are more focused on new trending things like dances instead of the right things . In the video it shows how guns are handled with more care than peoples lives

T.Dawson 4th

5/13/2018 12:24:29 am

In the video "This is America", multiple messages are being conveyed. One message being conveyed is the gun violence in America. In the video, after each shooting incident, the gun is placed on a red cloth, implying that the guns are treated with more care than the people. Additionally, there is a message of police brutality and systematic oppression against blacks. In the video, there is a stance derived from the Jim Crow laws. Towards the end of the video, Gambino is seen running away from a mob of people. At this moment, the only thing that is visible are his eyes, an illustration seen in many stories told regarding slavery. The consistent dancing stands for two things, the benefit America has from black culture and how it is a distraction. Many things from the black culture are not regarded as unless used by a white person. The dancing also symbolizes how the black community is consistently under attack and dancing distracts from the pain.

D.Moseley-4th

5/13/2018 03:16:47 am

I agree with your personal interpretation of the video was, but the pose shown when he was shooting the man in the chair did not come from the Jim Crow laws. The pose derived from a popular fictional black character, Jim Crow, that white people created expressing all the stereotypes of black people. From there is where the laws adopted the name because it was racial shot at the black community.

R. Garcia 1st

5/13/2018 01:59:27 am

I think that the video was a way of portraying ignorance to the issues surrounding Americans. How we are distracted from these issues by social media, and by the latest trends. Childish portrays this from this beginning of the video with the mellow melody and the lyrics “ We just wanna party party just for you we just want the money money just for you, ah (yeah) I know you wanna party” that is later disturbed by the shift in the melody accompanied by the lyrics “ this is America
don't catch you slippin' now (now)”. This shift was a way of bringing the viewer back to reality, to the violence, racism, and other issues that make up America. This message is further extended throughout the video with the imagery of the chaos occurring in the background while maintaining Childish Gambino, enacting popular dances as the focal point. His overall motive for this video was perhaps to address and bring light to this issue of ignorance.

Hope Aleman 1st period

5/13/2018 09:56:12 am

That's a great observation. I never realized that the shift in tone could have a message too.

J. Maple 1st

5/13/2018 11:39:59 pm

I never even payed attention to the musical aspect of the video. The shift in tones after the gunshots are evident and an important part of the message.

T.Tate1st

5/14/2018 12:51:27 am

After watching the video multiply times I never recognized the shift in the tone after the gunfire . I would have never thought it was apart of the message .

B. Haynes 1st

5/14/2018 04:03:51 am

I noticed how Childish Gambino changed the tone as well. I think it could also allude to how America reacts when there is shooting. Since we are desensitized to them, one moment there is an uproar in the nation, and the next moment we are unconcerned, dragged back into popular culture and trends.

S.moncivais 4th

5/14/2018 11:04:17 am

I have to agree with you because I had to rewatch the video a couple of time and also I turn on the captions to understand what was the message convey completely. I also notice that the tone changes throughout the song. By doing this he was portraying the reality to the world.

J.jackson

5/13/2018 03:07:11 am

Victoria L 6th

5/14/2018 05:27:57 am

I agree with you on the gun violence this video showed so much about shooting makeing it seem like no one cared about those innocent lives and I felt like there was a bit racism because it showed only black people i felt like they made this to show that people think only black people do it . In reality everyone does it .

D.Moseley

5/13/2018 03:10:51 am

"This is America", presented by Childish Gambino was a video to spark conversation about today's society that we live in. Allowing people to explicitly see their own reality evokes change because the truth is ugly and people will do anything to makeover unattractive features. His motive was to creatively use his platform as a known influential artist along with the other big stars featured to force change. The topics that are swept under the rug by our government are now out in the open and addressed. It is now up to the people of America to help themselves because we can't receive help if we don't want to be helped first. We see the damage being done,but the same reoccurring problems continue to happen.

B Turner 7th period

5/13/2018 03:41:45 am

Yes and also the things that happend to our ancestors and in America and the what the polices do to us African Americans

T.Shelton 1st

5/14/2018 02:36:07 am

Everybody speaks of change but doesn't do anything to change. Childish gambino has always been out there artist in never hailed his tongue. I'm glad that he made this video to share light on subjects that people don't usually like to talk about.

B Turner

5/13/2018 03:38:59 am

I’m the video it’s showing polices and and the things that happens in this world and a man getting shot and dancing.

D Parker 1st

5/14/2018 02:21:09 am

the video is deeper than that. the imagery serves a purpose and isn't just for show and to ignore that to stay on the surface is ignorant and vapid. it isn't about "things that happen in the world"; it's specifically about the lives of black people in america and how america's political and social issues are often connected.

J.Bonilla - 4th

5/14/2018 11:45:19 am

It portrays more than that, gun violence and more issues that are occurring right now in the world. There was a church choir with nine people, the taking care of guns closely, the dragging of bodies, the 17 seconds of pause. It was deeper than showing polices.

Hope Aleman 1st period

5/13/2018 09:53:51 am

Childish Gambino's "This is America" reveals several messages about the hate and violence surrounding black lives in America. Gambino can be seen dancing with school children, while chaos erupts in the background(while children record on their phones.) These actions suggest that in today's society, people focus vehemently on black culture and entertainment, but pay little attention to the violent acts towards its people. A scene in the music video also alludes to the Charleston church shooting- Gambino plays the part of a white supremacist who shot and killed 9 members of a black church. In the video, he walks away unscathed after the shooting. At the end of "This is America," Gambino is running away from a herd of white people, suggesting that the black man spends his life running, while the white man spends his chasing.

K. Brown 1st hour

5/13/2018 09:18:44 pm

At the end Gambino is running not only from just white people, there were multiple races, even including black people. I feel this chase scene has more to do with chasing out people who break the illusions of America, like trying to remain ignorant to the chaos. Though it is a hypocrital movement because in turn they are causing chaos.

D.Molo1st

5/14/2018 12:10:11 am

I concur with the following statement. This is a very good interpretation of what he was try to make people see. In an explanation of the video that was made by analysts it was said that he was running from/out of the sunken place. So in a sense the white people chasing him and are trying to get him to brainwash him into seeing what they want them to see. They want him to see that everything is ok and that there is nothing wrong with what’s happening.

J. Maple 1st

5/13/2018 11:34:27 pm

I agree. The black man being chased by white officials could also allude to systemic racism, where the black man will always be looked down upon and not be given the same opportunities because of race.

T.Shelton 1st

5/14/2018 02:40:04 am

I think the end of the video can be seen in different ways. Not only is he running from white people but he is also running from other races of people. This can symbolize how gambino feels as a black man from both sides. He has says some wrongful things about black women in the past and feels like hes still running from a few black people but he is also a black man live in America so he feels like hes running from white people also.

Summer Johnson

5/13/2018 11:11:14 pm

Daniel Glover’s, Also known as Childish Gambino, “This is America” reveals many different messages that occur in America specifically partaining to the black community. One message that occurred multiple times was the issue of gun violence. It is seen that once Glover shoots his gun he places is neatly on the red cloth which shows that gun are handled with more care than people. Another message was when him and the students were dancing and someone jumped off a building and fell to a car commuting suicide. This portrays how suicides has climaxed and we are not paying any attention to it. Additionally, the dancing throughout the video suggests how the black community uses it as a get away from all the harsh conflict and also how it distracts us from all the cruel problems that we are facing in America.

J. Maple 1st

5/13/2018 11:31:15 pm

This video was created with the intention to bring light to gun control, systemic racism, and the effects of social media on teenagers. After Gambino shoots the man, Trevon Martin’s father, and kills the church members, the guns are being taken away carefully, as if they are being held at a high status. This emphasizes the way gun laws are still too lax, that anyone can have access to dangerous firearms. Systemic racism is shown through the lack of fancy cars, contrasting what is usually shown in pop culture music videos, as well as through the rioting happening in the background, and the end of the video where black people are being chased by officials. The children are happily dancing to all of the trending dances as people are shooting, rioting, and dying. This suggests that black people, more specifically teens, are distracted by social media and pop culture. Instead of using the power of social media to spread awareness and chnage the system, we are distracted by trends and gossip that happens through it. The video overall has an ironic tone, where America is the land of the free where dreams come true, but has so many political and social problems.

D.Molo1st

5/14/2018 12:00:24 am

I concur with the following statement. Reason being is that Childish Gambino got exactly what he wanted “worldwide awareness.” Although disturbing at first it’s not too cryptic to figure out what the video is talking about. The fact that people still did the things that he talked about when watching the video hints that we have a lot of work to do on our hands. What I’m talking about is that most people were distracted by the dances/dancers more than the background. That’s what we tend to do today we get distracted by the Facebook’s, Instagram’s, and phones. Those are our equivalents to dancers/dances in the video.

D Parker 1st

5/14/2018 02:18:24 am

i agree with what you're saying, but i have something to add onto your comment about black youth only caring about social media and trendiness. media tells us that these dances, clothing styles and social accounts are important and useful for communicating and expressing ourselves. they are especially targeted at minorities. this leads me to believe that this isn't due to teens being lazy or complacent, but rather that society teaches them that they have to be because they know that teenagers and young adults would use social media to speak about these issues. social media is used as a distraction.

B. Haynes 1st

5/14/2018 04:15:01 am

I never noticed the cars could be used in that light. I always saw them as symbols for the death of Philando Castile, or even how the issues in America aren’t new, such as police brutality and gun violence.

D.Molo 1st

5/13/2018 11:45:08 pm

The video is stating that "This is America". This is our main event when we see African Americans on Instagram being wrongfully killed but all we do is swipe to see the new move drift. This is our specialty when weapons have a bigger number of rights than the normal American. We are so made up for lost time in popular culture, that we don't even what's extremely going ahead in our own nation. Police ruthlessness, suicide, Dark genocide, mass murder, weapon control, mentorship, and considerably more were apparent in this video to incite an 'enlivening' from America. It is apparent in the craftsman work that the thought process in this bit of work was to bring (awareness) to a nation that is caught off-guard by the new pattern and moves.

T.Tate1st

5/14/2018 12:45:58 am

The video “This is America” , illustrates different issues that are happening in America like gun control, race and the role of social media in the current society.The video is Filled with symbolism and themes including gun violence in America, chaos in the background as in the foreground, which features Gambino dancing, sometimes solo and sometimes with dancers outfitted as students.The video illustrates a lot like how kids pay more attention to their phone and trending dances.Gambino illustrates the church shooting that happened . Riots in the background that is going on today .Gambino motive was to grab everyone attention and bring light to all the issues that are happening In America .

W.Crawford III 1st

5/14/2018 01:18:46 am

I agree with you the author feels that these situations that are happening in America need more attention. Everyone is treating the stuff that is happening like it will blow over in a couple months or so and he is here to let everyone know we need change now

M Williams 7th

5/14/2018 04:49:37 am

I agree the video's purpose was to grab our attention to the danger and violence that is happening in todays world.Also to point out that this is america for a black man.

W.Crawford III 1st

5/14/2018 01:15:45 am

The meaning of the video is America is a big lie. You think it’s the land of the free and home of the brave, but Childish Gambinj shows you this is a misconception people get. He shows this through the gun shot at the beginning and him getting chased at the end. The author wrote this song to bring more awareness to the situations. He believe that the situations are not being taking much serious because of the people it is happening to.

N.brown 1st

5/14/2018 04:01:41 am

I agree we always try to be so Persuasive with everything and never understanding the actual truth behind it

I. Chancellor 1st/5th period

5/14/2018 04:03:22 am

Not only a big lie, but also a miserable place to live, due to the injustices of America. With all honesty, foreigners fall for this ideology, but when they get here, they see its similar to their country, they left. As a matter of fact, the gunshot symbolizes that blacks, are still under post Jim Crow laws, without even noticing it. Plus, the scene of him running shows, that he is trying to get out of America’s cruel ways. Lastly, Childish Gambino tried to inform us of the injustices of America and why we should try to rectify, these issues.

camren harris 8thp

5/14/2018 09:47:40 am

I see your point only half way , this is America and is the home of the free and the brave not the slave or the poor , yes blacks tend to face more police brutality then other races but to say we can't be millionaire , politician , business owners is incorrect we have to swallow some hard truth pills if we didn't allow drug dealers in are community we would have better respect for are police and they for us

R.Young 6th

5/14/2018 02:06:22 am

What this video is basically saying is , that us people are in to nothing but things that are “ trending “ or “ Popular “ things which are Unnecessary things but as you can see in the video @ 2:13 a man is falling to his death yet nobody saw because they’re to distracted by Childish Gambino’s dancing. Not only that but this video shows a lot of imagery , Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism & also the role of social media .

Victoria l 6th

5/14/2018 05:24:29 am

Yes it does indeed I think people don’t care about justice on who shot the person And if they did and that person was either famous they could just get away with no one careing.

D Parker 1st

5/14/2018 02:15:18 am

the video for this is america is about how racism is an everyday occurrence in the life of the black american and points out how people love black culture but don't care about the harm done to black people. this is portrayed through several metaphors such as childish gambino doing several popular dances with the school children and shooting up the choir. aside from racial issues, hot topics such as gun control, media usage and police brutality are touched on. all of the imagery and lyrics used were purposeful and not just there to be "random" or interesting and it really spoke to me.

N.brown 1st

5/14/2018 03:59:04 am

I agree the violence that we hear about on tv and what we see in life this shows the fight we have to put up with

R. Garcia 1st

5/14/2018 11:58:04 am

I agree. I too think that all the imagery and lyrics were purposeful and the fact that the message of the video wasn't completely explicit but with a bit of analysis made evident enough allows the American viewer to really reflect on their surroundings and on what they've failed to realize.

T Shelton 1st

5/14/2018 02:26:00 am

This video is a " blink and you'll miss it " type while also portraying America . There are certain themes in the video that you catch right away ( gun violence , Jim crow, the trendy dance moves ) but the one thing that stuck out to me is the guy jumping at the 2:17 . There is a guy that jumps from the balcony at 2:17 which represents how suicide is represented in America . There are also kids with surgical masks sitting on the balcony @2:32 just recording. That represents how people just record and don't get involved in things . Another great detail is how the guns are being treated. The guns are treated with care and being handed back gently while the bodies are being dragged or dicarded . At 2:45 in the all the kids run away in horror as if a gun shooting was happening only to be followed by sound at 3:02 . I believe that represents the 17 second of silence for Stoneman Douglas High School . Another thing is the music overall because the beat is so good u ignore what he's saying which happens a lot now a days .

I. Chancellor 1st/5th period

5/14/2018 03:43:33 am

“Everything that glitters, ain't gold”, a quote by Ja’kel Jackson. The meaning of the video is that America is not perfect, and has a lot of issues, that needs to be rectified. Childish Gambino’s motive for the video is to inform, the viewer that, gun violence, violence, and police brutality,are going to cause America, to come to an end, if we do not change this factors. Plus, Childish Gambino wanted to say that, American citizens are distracted from the issues, because of phones, looks, and entertainment. Lastly, a quote by Jodi Picoult, “Things don’t always look as they seem” and this is what Childish Gambino was trying to say about America.

N.Brown1st

5/14/2018 03:57:28 am

This Video shows how we view america. This video shows the things that we see and hear but also shows the things we don’t get to see or hear about . The video represents the black culture how trends influences there decisions of life. Childish Gambino wanted to show us how the world is viewed in his craft . This Video is an inspiration to the younger generation because it shows us what all the fight and anger is about .

I. Chancellor 1st/5th period

5/14/2018 04:23:53 am

In the first place, this video shows we are tired of the injustices of America. Not only the things we see or hear or not, but also we are distracted or focused on the wrong things, that do not matter. With all honesty, this video does represent how, the black culture, makes their decisions of life. Childish Gambino did a great job, putting the world issues in his craft. Lastly, Childish Gambino does a great job, giving knowledge to the younger generations, to not give up the fight, of the older generations.

J Butler 1st

5/14/2018 10:31:49 am

I disagree I don’t believe the light is completely on racism, though it may be a main idea. The videos gives light to gun control, suicide, sickness and more relevant American flaws.

B. Haynes 1st

5/14/2018 04:00:30 am

“This is America” is commentary on multiple issues in America such as gun violence, social media, and police brutality—most of which is focused on black Americans. By contrasting jovial lyrics with more aggressive ones, he is showcasing the brutal reality of America. Childish Gambino uses dancing as a way to show how Americans are so absorbed with trends and fads that we tend to ignore the social injustices that surround us, as depicted by the chaos in the background of the video. Another action that was shown in the video is how valued guns are in America: when Gambino shot the man with the guitar and the church choir, the guns were handled safely, as to say that guns are more valued than the lives of others in America. Gambino wants to make us more aware of what America really is, and that the longer America remains ignorant to its problems, it will eventually become the country’s downfall.

M Williams 7th

5/14/2018 04:43:58 am

The video's purpose to me is that this is america for a black man,Although the world may say we are free, we all know that we are not free.The more power we get the more the white man try's to kill us off and its not like he is even trying because he is ,but the bigger question is when is all going to stop.When is our president actually going to do something ,when is he actually going to change america for the black man.Well I can answer that he is not ,because when the white man can't control us what do he do he kill us. Such as what happen to Martin Luther King and Malcom X What did the white man do they killed them.The motive of the video is when its all said and done ,the white man is chasing the black men meaning the white man is above the black man and we our not free.

J.Carire P-6

5/14/2018 04:59:32 am

I believe that there might be two meanings to this video.People see what they want to see but not what is happening behind what they want to see.The second one is that through all the negative events you just have to be positive.It depends on your viewpoint of things.The message is subtle, not directly shown.

Victoria L 6th

5/14/2018 05:19:56 am

I think this video is telling us that with anything you do people really care about who it was meaning race and type and I think this video had no purpose , it really didn’t show me i felt like it was more like a message to understand .

Wisdom Sapari 1st

5/14/2018 05:28:08 am

I agree with this 100% & I LOVE YOU MS D ❤️

Ty Smith 6th

5/14/2018 05:21:44 am

The meaning of this video is that he distracts us from what's happening around us with his dances. For example, when they recored the kids at the top with there phones he was basically saying that the cops shoot blacks mistaking their cellphones for guns.

Wisdom Sapari 1st

5/14/2018 05:26:23 am

Kaleb washington 6th

5/14/2018 05:32:34 am

Jatario Grant

5/14/2018 05:53:57 am

I agree with what you are saying because like the video shows it shows him violence and this is the world we are supposed to live in .Each and everyone killing each other there won’t be no world

Jatario grant

5/14/2018 05:52:31 am

The purpose of the video is how the world is view with gun violence and how humans are treated in this world. He expresses himself by let everyone know that life isn’t peaches and cream . The world has changed and everyone is killing each other but that’s America as everyone say . It happens to often

Sieng F.

5/14/2018 07:01:53 am

What I learned from this video was that music and dancing has blinded society of the harsh reality of the world we live in. Gambino's main act was him and others dancing while crime was being portrayed in the background. Most people may not have picked up on that the first time viewing but thats how it is in real life. A lot of people have even stopped watching the news because they believe it is too depressing. Even though the news is depressing and sad we should still keep ourselves notified of what goes on around us.

F. Aleman 1st

5/14/2018 07:29:43 am

The meaning behind the video is about guns and violence in America. However, the motives of the video was to show how there's no escape. We have to deal with the violence that we have created and continue to sustain. For instance, Gambino and a group of students were dancing while chaos was happening in the background. This indicates how people get distracted by “popular trends” instead of the actual problem.

S.moncivais 4th

5/14/2018 11:16:09 am

I have to agree with you in what is the meaning of the video. But I have to disagree with the fact that you said that we have no escape and "we have to deal with the violence that we have created and continue to sustained" why deal with it instead of looking for a way to change it. We should never be satisfied with the things that are happening around us, we should always find a way to change the violence and all the other things that are happening in our would and inside our own community.

Jonathan Chicas

5/14/2018 07:52:50 am

The meaning of this video is gambios main actws him and others dancing while crime is happening in the backround. most peoplemay have not picked upon that first time viewing buts thats how it is real life .

J.Bonilla - 4th

5/14/2018 11:54:20 am

Yes, people try to feed on unimportant topics to distract themselves from the real issue, which is gun violence and racism. Him dancing, is a distraction to the background, just like in the real world.

camren harris 8thp

5/14/2018 09:39:49 am

I must amit I had no idea what this video meant , my aunty had too break it down for me I like , most of my friends was caught up in the lyrics and moves , I mean what does the stuff happening right now have to do with me , my aunt explained that the Bible says theres no new thing under the sun , in the video this is America we see the trueness of America , gun and quick beats , the guns are use to kill and the quick beats are use to keep us distracted

J Butler 1st

5/14/2018 10:28:10 am

The meaning of the video is to explain the consequences of “Freedom” in America. The video “This is America” highlights the gun control and racism that goes on in the country. From the man being held at gunpoint to the black people being ran down by officials, he show that this is America and with the freedom comes responsibility. But without responsibility there will be consequences. The tone could allude to a great and beautiful country but the lyrics and video show the true meaning.

S.Moncivais 4th

5/14/2018 10:52:18 am

The meaning behind the video "This is America" by childish Gambino is the representation of what is going on now day in our country America. The way police brutality, and shooting are present in our present, not only where we least expect things to happen. There is a part in the video where the shooting happened inside a church and people of the choir got killed. The way police see a person of color and just because they have a badge they are able to use it whenever they feel like it. The shootings that have been happening inside school where children should be able to feel protected, the thought of being afraid of being in a place where you suppose to get your education and being safe is not the same anymore. The motive of this videok what to show people how all the things are happening but we as society prefer to ignore it and focus on other irrelevant things, such as dance moves that become a trend in the commuunity. In the video behind all the moves the Gambino was doing there were many different thingthings that happened but we as an audience we focus in the main thing and not what happens behind.

J.Bonilla - 4th

5/14/2018 11:37:24 am

This is America is a music video that portrays the problems and chaos going on in America right now. Many of these include gun violence and racism. This music video shows a gun twice, after it is used, the gun is put away carefully while the bodies are dragged away. This shows how America cares more about their guns, and not their own people. During the music video, Childish Gambino stops during minute 2:44, and resumes singing after minute 3:01, this is 17 seconds, for those who died due to guns. Him dancing was also symbolic to portray how we were focused on him dancing, and not paying close attention to what was going on in the background. This shows how America feeds information to distract the people what the real issues are.

Courtney M 7th

5/15/2018 10:36:56 pm

I Believe That The Meaning Behind This Video Is to Show How We Are Being Brainwashed. Also about The Chaos In America Right Now. He’s Showing How people Are easily distracted.The Truth is that America Has Gun Violence And Police Brutality. This Video shows how America Feeds Information To People And Nobody Haves A Clue.

victor ajuobi 4th period

5/16/2018 08:15:16 pm

I like your statement about being brainwashed as I also believe that the video shows how america is trying to make it seem that all African Americans do if play the victim, when in reality there just trying to fight against injustice.

Jahmi Andrews 6th

5/16/2018 01:01:52 am

I think the overall statement of this video is ironic because music videos are a form of entertainment but instead of bringing enjoyment to the public it makes them face the harsh realities of modern America.It is now up to the people of America to help themselves because we can't receive help if we don't want to be helped first. We see the damage being done,but the same reoccurring problems continue to happen.We have to wake up and see that this is one of the issues in our community.

Maira Servin Olvera 6th

5/16/2018 04:50:40 am

In my opinion this video is showing how everyone in this world is getting brainwashed by the way they see things. Also how much brutality there's in this world and the thing is how African Americans are not having the same rights as white people. Furthermore, it's not right how he killed innocent people in the video just because he thought they were doing something wrong.

victor ajuobi 4th period

5/16/2018 08:13:42 pm

I agree with the video being about brutality against African american people as the video shows black people being shot by mass shooters and being shot in the head unarmed.

C.jackson 6th

5/16/2018 09:33:27 am

We as people should try to focus on fixing these problems in America, also when he killed the choir I remembered a man shot up a church

victor ajuobi 4th peridod

5/16/2018 08:12:22 pm

The motive of this video was to show how america's violence over the past years has been increasing and how we as Americans are blind as to what is going on in america. It i also talking about how the African american race is being killed through gun violence and drugs. Childish Gambino decides to make the video doing weird dances to represent Jim crow. JIm crow symbolized how African Americans were portrays as less than human an didn't deserve equal rights. By having the screen move around while the dancers around childish Gambino move around it is showing all the violent acts that happened to people like the gun shooting at the black church by a white boy and the killing of unarmed black men. The ending symbolizes how African Americans are being drug down by the majority and how their lives are being taken from them by gun violence and unfair unjust killings. He made the video to be very symbolic but also leaves it open to interpret in you own way.

Juan Ocampo 6th period

5/17/2018 11:08:10 pm

We people should try to stop all of these Police brutality, suicide, mass murder, gun control, and much more were evident in this video to provoke an 'awakening' from America

adrian geter

5/18/2018 06:19:41 am

i agree people should take a stand against violence and police brutality

Adrian Geter 7th pd

5/18/2018 06:15:18 am

the video is about how America is blind and forgets fast about mass murders and gun violence in the world

Joseph Amos 7th period

5/19/2018 02:11:12 am

I think that the video is powerful for the african American environment. Its very hard to get for some but also has a very powerful message. He was very creative about the video. He used some of todays theme to show that its distracting us from the bad things thats happening around us. The environment in the background was a bad environment full of violence and killing

Tyson Thornton 7th

5/22/2018 08:05:03 am

I agree and uses various background details such as a man close on the White Horse and the cop cars the fire in chaos in the background

Tyson thornton 7th

5/22/2018 08:03:29 am

Can the song the real images comes from all the background details it's trying to show that we're over here dancing and messing around and shooting each other and getting fights but you really don't see all the violence and all the hatred against us so while we're busy over here worried about oh smoking weed and everything and gang violence we should really worried about the bigger picture being more worried about being united then being a part

Arial hodge period6

5/31/2018 11:24:48 am

These actions suggest that in today's society, people focus vehemently on black culture and entertainment, but pay little attention to the violent acts towards its people. A scene in the music video also alludes to the Charleston church shooting- Gambino plays the part of a white supremacist who shot and killed 9 members of a black church.

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Mixed Ink

Mixed Ink is our class blog, the window into our souls. It was designed to improve students' writing, critical thinking and communication skills by giving them a platform to provide meaningful content based on their interpretation of what they see.

Although the students receive a grade based on a rubric for completing this assignment, they are not graded on complexity of thought. This is a place where students of all levels can freely, confidently and creatively express themselves and their opinions in a nonjudgmental platform. They are required to respond to and critique each other, but degradation, slander, lewdness, etc., will not be tolerated.

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Communicate effectively
Be aware of current events
Write concisely
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Have a voice about what goes on in the world around you