The Controversial Song This Is America By Donald Glover

Donald Glover, otherwise known as Childish Gambino, is a famous rap artist who wrote the controversial song “This is America”. The song was released on May 6, 2018, and is widely known as a commentary on America’s dark culture. In 2018, there were 340 mass shootings in the United States, yet most were unheard of because of their frequency. With constant news of shootings, it became typical and repetitive. Donald Glover criticizes how ignorant American citizens are about violent situations, and how we use electronics to distract ourselves from crucial issues. Glover stresses that if we ignore these issues, it will be our downfall.

The popular music video with 882 million views, depicts school-aged children dancing around unbothered by violence

In 2018, there was a lot of progress toward stricter gun regulations. Bump stock was officially banned by Donald Trump as a result of the deadliest mass shooting that happened in Las Vegas (Diaz, Andrea, and Christina Maxouris). A bump stock is a device that can be attached to a firearm enabling it to fire bullets more rapidly. After the shooting on February 14, 2018, the campaign March for Our Lives was created and they organized the largest single-day protest against gun violence in U.S history (“Mission & Story.”). Over 1.2 million people joined this campaign. As a result of these protests over half the states passed laws that strengthened gun control measures (Block, Melissa). The year 2018 was a huge success in recognizing gun violence and as a nation fixing the problem we

It can connect society as individuals and influence listeners through lyrics. In “This is America” by Childish Gambino he expresses how gun violence is a very serious problem in our society. By acknowledging this listeners everywhere can be more empowered to change. The Article, “How Does Music Affect Society?”, states music “may aid in the promotion and protection of other human rights. It can help in the healing process, dismantling walls and boundaries, reconciliation, and education. Around the world, music is being used as a vehicle for social change and bringing communities together” (“How Does Music Affect Society?”). This is saying that music can influence social change by using emotion to encourage the reader to reflect on their own life choices. This can connect to “This is America'' because it uses emotion to show how flawed American society is about ignoring gun violence. But when artists resist these social norms and sing about these injustices they have the power to change