by Jah Kindred
The other day I pondered on how sophisticated my friend and I can be when it comes to social issues. I asked myself this because every time American disparity ensues, a glass of wine becomes part of our passionate discussions. This is probably a premeditated decision I make for a few reasons. For one, debating issues while drinking a 40-ounce bottle of ‘Old English’ will not end well, ever. Don’t try this, not even at home. The second reason I purchase wine is, regardless if we both agree or disagree on a topic, white zinfandel always brings us back to the middle, which is the usual spot we tend to meet by the end of the bottle. Prior to my double bag arrival, my car speakers were blasting ‘This is America” by Childish Gambino. I’ve been a fan of his music for years, even after the 87 times I’ve played the song. I can still envision the video of Gambino in a Jim Crow pose aiming a pistol at a black man, killing him. I thought the image was brilliant. My friend thought of it as distasteful. The debate has been established. On to the first glass we go.
Glass No. 1
I’ve mentioned being a fan of Gambino for years. It’s been nothing short of amazing to see how he’s developed as an artist. The problem is when the art you seem to enjoy hurts your friend. To drunkenly paraphrase what’s remembered, “Childish has defamed black women in his stand-ups. Mentioned he loved being called the ‘N’ word by white women. Now all of a sudden, we’re looking for him to be this woke hero, I’m not buying it. I think he’s full of it.”
You would think the conversation would be awkward from here, but that’s what the wine is for. It gives you time to think and show empathy. This statement, in particular, had me embarrassed though. I was the guy who saw Gambino as clever for saying, “Asian girls everywhere, UCLA.” But maybe that’s my problem. Maybe the talents of my favorite artists can sometimes get in the way of highlighting their hurtful deeds.
It’s been more than 20 years and it’s just now seeming like R. Kelly’s ship is about to sink due to his scandals. But that’s the thing, Gambino doesn’t have a scandal. He’s a comedian. And comedians do say outlandish things. And with his first album, the comedian Donald Glover seems to flow out more than the man I’ve seen make “Redbone,” which my friend and I agreed that “Awaken My Love” is a classic. This still creates a problem for us though.
Glass No. 2
“Even if he has changed, his video is still very distasteful. Ultimately, I’m just tired of seeing us black people get killed. And the media purposely does this to desensitize us.”
This drunkenly sophisticated paraphrased statement was really something I’ve struggled with. Only because I traveled back to my 10-year-old self to reach for my reply to my dear friend. In 2003, living in Upper Marlboro, Md. was a transition for me. Growing up in a predominately hispanic and white area in Texas, black empowerment wasn’t the narrative pushed for me.
Perrywood Elementary was good for giving myself and my parents homework by watching documentaries I was too young for, but a presentation was due. And sure enough, I was watching the battered body of Emmett Till pop up on my screen for 90 minutes. I could remember how fearful I was, and I could remember my pops telling me to keep my eyes open to see everything. Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie seemed to know what was happening in the living room. She wanted the media to see what those white men did to her son.
This was the first time, death look real to me. This was the first time I felt like my skin was threatening enough for somebody to want to kill me. I felt that I’ve been desensitized since I’ve seen Emmett Till’s body. The horror stories of civil rights. African American museums containing slave trade devices that crippled our people. I’ve never thought the media had to push anything extra when it seems like I was never meant to look away in the first place by my own people.
Glass No. 3
This is usually where my friend and I meet in the middle. I think the graphic context behind “This Is America” makes it difficult for me to say that I “enjoyed” the video. But I do think it was genius. I think the huge flaw of this is song is the title itself. There’s no single way we can describe how chaotic America can be. My struggle, as a black man, doesn’t equate to the struggle of my friend who is a black woman. Gambino. Myself. My friend. We all see America in similar, yet different ways. One thing that black people have mentioned is how you use your platform. Black celebrities can be held accountable for how they speak for the people. Any whiff of “self-resistance” or “self-hate” can easily ostracize you. Just look at how many Twitter followers Kanye has now.
After a few glasses of thinking, I can’t blame my friend for distrusting or discontinuing a certain artist if it seems that they’re only capitalizing on fame versus using the fame to help empower black people. My childhood vulnerability, for whatever reason, still wants you to see Gambino’s video. Anger can be brewed from the fact that police brutality keeps streaming up our timelines, creating the desensitization. I’m more angered by what people don’t see in the police videos. If my child is beaten and battered to death like Emmett Till, and I have the proof to show, will you accept the grim truth or will there be a social media bot to say he just tripped and fell?
There needs to be more of us meeting in the middle to discuss these issues. I think a few could learn from my friend and me. On how we love each other and at the end, want America to get it together. We both know that a Childish Gambino music video isn’t the answer to America’s problems. But white zinfandel seems to help us both develop and nurture what we both as African Americans know that we need.
