You Know 'This Is America' When Nicole Arbour Somehow Makes A Black Experience About Herself | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

You Know 'This Is America' When Nicole Arbour Somehow Makes A Black Experience About Herself

Your piggybacking on Gambino's success did not come as a surprise to many.

156
You Know 'This Is America' When Nicole Arbour Somehow Makes A Black Experience About Herself
Nicole Arbour

Dear Nicole Arbour,

I'd like to start off with: Why?

I recently saw Childish Gambino's "This is America" music video, which tackled many issues within the nation in addition to how America views black culture. In my opinion, the video is a masterpiece. The imagery and dancing presented in the music video are meant to distract us from what is actually going on. The video parallels America in several ways: Jim Crow imagery that depicts African Americans stereotypes,America valuing black culture more than black lives, and social media crazes that distract us from what is actually going on with our society, and most shockingly gun violence and how society treats victims.

Then I saw your video. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

Don't get me wrong, I understand what you were trying to do with your video. I got the underlying message of feminism, but how you went about it was very distasteful.

I think the worst part about this is that there's a lot of subtlety and symbolism to dissect in "This is America," and you, Nicole Arbour, you threw all that out the window and tried to invalidate the feelings of Black Americans through this parody.

It wasn't appropriate for you to piggyback on the success of Childish Gambino's "This is America," recreating a well-put video explaining the black experience in America to talk about white women in your version.

Your piggybacking on Gambino's success did not come as a surprise to many. You do have a history of being a problematic, fat shaming and racist individual. Stealing a black man’s music video and calling it a "woman's take" — seriously? Nicole, you do not speak for me or countless other women.

I don't think you meant the video in a malicious way, but I do think you should have known better, especially in this political climate. I also think you should have been creative in your own way instead of a way that minimizes the importance of "This is America."

I understand that you might have been trying to create dialogue and you did, it just wasn’t the right kind or what you were expecting

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Disney magic for New Year!

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

4440
Disney magic kingdom castle on new years
StableDiffusion

Disney movies are well known and very popular in today's world. Although many people appreciate the plot and the storyline, not many people appreciate the wisdom these characters possess. Every Disney movie has unique advice that can be applied to everyday life. Here are 11 Disney quotes to help start your New Year off right:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

40 Gift Ideas for the Indecisive

It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. But also a time of stressing over the perfect gift.

118853
Christmas gifts around a tree
StableDiffusion

It's officially December. There is less than a month of 2024, and I still feel like yesterday was summer. Now comes the merriest time of the year, the Christmas season.

Everyone has been waiting for this time of year since mid-October (which is way too early, in my opinion) or before. It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. A lot of times when I ask friends and family what they want, I get a lot of "I don't know" or "I don't care."

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Bucket List To Live In The Now

Find excitement in your life and start exploring wherever you are right here, right now.

908
mu bucket list

I was sitting at my cubicle, now that I am an adult, looking at the rain pouring down on the windowsill, bumming on life, wishing for the rain to just stop for a full day.

There are moments where we count down the hours until work is over and how many more days till the weekend, and this many weeks until something exciting. Or something like that? Well, I was bumming because my next day off from work is not until Memorial Day weekend, which is not until the end of May. And since this is my first year out of college being a “real person,” I am totally missing the winter, spring and summer breaks. I am sure all of us have felt this way even if just for a hot minute…

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Ways To Survive Finals As Told By Leslie Knope

Because you know you're going to be stressed out, and Leslie knows exactly how to survive.

669
Everything hurts and I'm dying

So finals are on their way. That's right everybody, finals are about to start.

But hey, don't panic. Start getting your affairs in order and prepare for a week of hell. Here's a few things Leslie Knope wants you to do to make your finals week just a little bit less stressful:

Keep Reading...Show less
Kent State University
Great Value Colleges

If you go to or went to Kent State, then more than likely you have done or will do some of these things.

1. You’ve slipped and fallen on the ice at least once.

The winters at Kent are brutal, and while the heated sidewalks and some great snow boots are always a help, there’s no chance you won’t bust it on the ice at least once in your four plus years at school.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments