Summary
Through out the video, Childish Gambino sings with African American kids dancing joyfully while African Americans get attacked or brutally murdered in the back ground. Childish Gambino himself shoots the same race of is own suddenly and starts with the word "This is America".
Symbols
Man with a paper bag on his head: Native Americans who are defenseless / not identified as individuals but as "Black".
Gun: Brutal, death
Kids dancing: Generation of hope but blind to see the reality around them / Purity
White horse: Caucasians who can't see the truth behind facts.
Church chorus: Faith
Irony
When childish Gambino shoots African Americans suddenly when its a happy scene.
Evaluation
When we hear America, we think of a free country. We focus on Childish Gambino and the kids dancing around him throughout the video, but do not take close attention to the background where black people are getting attacked. I think the first scene when the guy wearing a paper bag gets shot stands for black people getting attacked not identified as individuals but just being black. The scene moves and Childish Gambino sings as he moves forwards and the guy who was shot is being dragged away out of the area. It may stand for black peoples lives not getting honored and are considered "disposable". In the lyrics he says "Guns in my area, I got the strap. I gotta carry 'em.". It is a fact that black people do the most crime in America, but he wanted to tell that it is necessary to have a gun to defend their selfs.
In the middle of the song when a chorus sings happily Gambino shoots them in a flash. Even people with faith and purity are being shot just for being black. The kids around him continue dancing happily throughout the hole video without seeing what is around them. They are school kids with hope for the future but are unable to see the brutal world around them, one seeing the world through social media. I think that's why they are dancing moves from viral dance moves known to be "Black dances"
The song stopes and Gambino starts smoking what appears to be Marijuana with a sad and tired face. He is representing the loop of America. He sees the world around him for his race and is tired of his life, looking for comfort and running to drugs. Once again, African Americans do a lot of crime statistically, but this may come from the loop America has created. They chose a white horse to chase black people because horses have zero site behind them, white people who can only look at facts faced infant of them but can not see the truth behind it.
The lyrics are easy, repeated many times but gives the watchers a strong impact. We only see things that are focused, we don't know the real world because we are blinded by happiness and entertainment. Many people go to America to live their free life and to be themselves considered America is a free country. In reality black people are shot for no reason, defenseless, if you have strong faith. Black people are identified not as individuals but a s"Black people". This is America.
