THIS IS AMERICA: FOUND IN TRANSLATION

Seeking and Finding Truth in Translation

Too often the opportunity to learn is lost in our knee-jerk-assumptions where we form an opinion before we have an understanding. Subconsciously we defend our initial interpretation of content before giving ourselves a chance to read between the lines to find truth. -Allié M.

Up for a challenge today? Let’s conduct a personal experiment.

On page 36 of 'The America Edition' (link to the page and publication at the bottom), you will find TWO videos. The FIRST (on the top) is the official video of Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’. The SECOND (on the bottom) is a ‘translation’ provided by Dr. Lori Brooks.

Here is the experiment...

Watch the top one (the song) and gather your thoughts. Then watch the bottom one (the translation). Compare your notes with those of Dr. Brooks. What did you catch? What did you miss? What did you assume? What did you learn?

Childish Gambino’s provocative video for ‘This Is America’ took the Internet by storm, and had 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.

Dropping amid ongoing political and cultural tumult and turmoil, Childish Gambino’s “This is America” appears to be a commentary on black life in America and American culture as a whole. It contrasts popular culture’s perception of black experience and its often brutal reality by juxtaposing happy, carefree choruses and dark, aggressive verses.

This contrast may also allude to the cyclical shifts in mood whenever there is a shooting in America. One second, the entire nation is in an uproar, the next, they are happy and unconcerned, placated by pop culture trends.

In the music video, directed by frequent Gambino collaborator Hiro Murai, Gambino portrays this comparison by dancing around gleefully with school-aged children, seemingly unbothered by the chaotic scenes of violence in the background. However, in the short film’s final scene, Gambino is seen running frantically through a darkened warehouse trying to escape the mob that now chases him; a reminder that if America chooses to remain willfully ignorant to its problems, they will inevitably be the country’s downfall.

To continue reading about the genius behind these lyrics, visit genius.com for the rest of the story behind the lyrics: www.genius.com/Childish-gambino-this-is-america-lyrics