Why the Dancing Makes 'This Is America' So Uncomfortable to Watch
The new music video from Childish Gambino weaponizes the viewer’s instinctive bodily empathy.
“This Is America” isn’t the first time that Donald Glover, as his musical alter ego Childish Gambino, has . But the art form has a conspicuous symbolic significance in the artist’s latest single, which Glover debuted on : The song’s emphasis on dance was apparent in his live performance on the show, , and in the remarkable music video itself, which has more than 36 million views on YouTube as of publication. In the video, a grinning, shirtless Glover dances through a giant warehouse, occasionally accompanied by black school children in uniform, as chaotic scenes of violence unfold behind him—and are
