Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love

[LoathedVermin72]

“Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang” is still amazing BTW, how dare you compare!!!!!

[LoathedVermin72]

Also can we take a second to acknowledge how godawful the name “Childish Gambino” is

[tragabigzanda]

[E.H. Ruddock]

I just like how he dances in the video

[LoathedVermin72]

I just like how he dances in the video

Yeah he’s got some moves for sure

[BurtReynolds]

Also can we take a second to acknowledge how godawful the name “Childish Gambino” is

Yeah, there's no arguing this.

Agreed

[evenslow]

Also can we take a second to acknowledge how godawful the name “Childish Gambino” is

Yeah, there's no arguing this.

Agreed

do u whites not know where that comes from.

[tragabigzanda]

[BurtReynolds]

This better be good, even.

[Dev]

The song is just like the video - lots of gimmicky flash with no real meat. It sells the illusion of meaning without actually saying anything.

word

[epilogue]

It just seems like a lot of really basic juxtapositions and evocations that are not new or insightful at all. “Impressionistic” is a convenient way of saying “incoherent.” He just runs through the greatest hits of American black imagery in a way that is totally safe and comforting, trying to look superficially confrontational while ultimately pandering to easy liberal ideology. It’s meaningless. It’s tired. It accomplishes nothing except attracting attention from easily impressed liberals who lavish this kind of eye-rollingly overblown praise on some variation of this same thing seemingly every few months. We get a new “genius,” everyone looks woke, nothing moves, repeat.

Totally fair, all true. But just because it'd old hat to us doesn't mean it's not a gateway to someone else. Nuthin' But a G Thang blew my mind when I was 13, you know?

Also, why does this have to change anything? Why can't art just be about expression? Your issue, LV, seems like it's far more able public reaction than the work itself.

[verb_to_trust]

It's true that people who listen to Childish Gambino could fit right in at a Father John Misty show.

[run2death]

Are we gonna have this "blacks don't actually listen to this rap artist" discussion again?

[VinylGuy]

It just seems like a lot of really basic juxtapositions and evocations that are not new or insightful at all. “Impressionistic” is a convenient way of saying “incoherent.” He just runs through the greatest hits of American black imagery in a way that is totally safe and comforting, trying to look superficially confrontational while ultimately pandering to easy liberal ideology. It’s meaningless. It’s tired. It accomplishes nothing except attracting attention from easily impressed liberals who lavish this kind of eye-rollingly overblown praise on some variation of this same thing seemingly every few months. We get a new “genius,” everyone looks woke, nothing moves, repeat.

Totally fair, all true. But just because it'd old hat to us doesn't mean it's not a gateway to someone else. Nuthin' But a G Thang blew my mind when I was 13, you know?

Also, why does this have to change anything? Why can't art just be about expression? Your issue, LV, seems like it's far more able public reaction than the work itself.

I agree with LV in terms of how formulaic this is nowadays.

[LoathedVermin72]

It just seems like a lot of really basic juxtapositions and evocations that are not new or insightful at all. “Impressionistic” is a convenient way of saying “incoherent.” He just runs through the greatest hits of American black imagery in a way that is totally safe and comforting, trying to look superficially confrontational while ultimately pandering to easy liberal ideology. It’s meaningless. It’s tired. It accomplishes nothing except attracting attention from easily impressed liberals who lavish this kind of eye-rollingly overblown praise on some variation of this same thing seemingly every few months. We get a new “genius,” everyone looks woke, nothing moves, repeat.

Totally fair, all true. But just because it'd old hat to us doesn't mean it's not a gateway to someone else. Nuthin' But a G Thang blew my mind when I was 13, you know?

Also, why does this have to change anything? Why can't art just be about expression? Your issue, LV, seems like it's far more able public reaction than the work itself.

Because the song and video are deliberately positioning themselves as a flashy sociopolitical statement. It’s not just artistic expression; Glover knows what he’s doing. He called it “This is America” FFS

[epilogue]

Sure. But why are sociopolitical statements and artistic expression mutually exclusive? He's reacting to and commenting on a climate, a moment in time. It doesn't have to go beyond that.

But art doesn't change anything, anyway. Only, maybe, on an individual level. If this changes or affects individuals, whether or not that leads to larger change or action, why is that a bad thing?

[LoathedVermin72]

Maybe I’m not speaking clearly, but that’s not what I’m saying. I’m not saying anything has to “change.” I’m not saying artistic expression and sociopolitical commentary are mutually exclusive. I’m saying this art isn’t accomplishing much - artisitically or politically - but it’s easy to laud it as significant because it looks like it is and flatters sensibilities that makes a lot of people feel good and impressed and progressive. It’s liberal comfort food.

[epilogue]

And you think Donald set out to make liberal comfort food?

[LoathedVermin72]

I don’t think that matters.

[epilogue]

I would agree. You just seemed aggressive about that earlier and I'm trying to understand, that's all.

You're embroiled in a war with the Great Liberal Machine right now. I wonder if this had dropped at a different time if you'd feel less strongly about it. Maybe not.

Either way, I don't see how anything you've argued lessens the statement or the reactions to it.