A Commentary on the American Gothic scene

So it is coming up on two weeks now since we launched the video and it has been viewed,  between facebook and youtube, just under 2000 times.  We have received lots of great feedback from folks and we really appreciate people writing in and leaving comments.  It’s so nice to hear.

There is one thing that we want to address about the scene in the video that is set up like the classic American Gothic portrait.  In this scene we were trying to represent both sides of the current political situation in the USA; I (Zac) am wearing a MAGA (Make America Great Again) hat which would represent someone being a very strong Trump supporter and Rob is wearing a shirt that very obviously reflects the opinion of someone who loathes Trump.  The problem is that most people, on the first viewing, only see the shirt and don’t see the hat, making the scene lopsided.  We want to be clear that this imbalance was not our intention (though upon reflection it does seem to capture the current political landscape in the US) and also to state that our costumes don’t in any way reflect our own personal politics.  They’re just costumes.  

Because Rob came from the US and I came from Spain and we only had a small window of time to shoot the video we really had no chance to review and re-do scenes.  So for the better or for the worse the scenes came out just as they are.  It has been noted by a few that this scene is off balance and the sides aren’t equally represented.  Maybe that is what the woman (apparently the man’s daughter) is thinking in the original American Gothic portrait (?). 

Anyway this scene with the lyrics is an important one because the song is just as pertinent to the USA as to Northern Ireland.

The lyric goes:

“You ignorant American, you see it ain’t that easy, look at your own country with its democrats and republicans.  And I see they have a point!  There is no easy answer.  It’s the misuse of power that’s creating all the fear”.

That last line about the “misuse of power” puts me in mind of something I experienced the other day.  In the news I saw a prominent American politician make a statement that was so dishonest and so full of hypocrisy that it really caused a feeling inside of me of disgust and anger.  But here is the thing;  it’s likely that this politician knows full well that what they are saying is both hypocritical and false, and that it is going to provoke anger.  And what is more, it seems to me,  is that they want this anger.  It serves them.  And then it leapt into my mind the scene from “Return of the Jedi” where the evil emperor is trying to turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side saying:

“You want this! [referring to his lightsaber]. The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it! I am unarmed. Strike me down with it! Give in to your anger. With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant.” 

By taking up real anger and bitterness inside of ourselves for our political opposites is to become one side of the same coin and it’s the devil’s money.  This whole video project was undertaken to make exactly this point.

This generation of Americans are starting to get a taste of what real caustic political division is like.  If we continue in this direction we have only to look at where Northern Ireland went to see what the scenery will be like.  It’s an ever shrinking world where everything has a political significance and violence ensues.  Where suddenly which sport team you support makes a political statement, or what name you give your child.  You won’t be allowed to enjoy certain activities, certain shows, or certain music because it will label you.  Neighbors will fight with each other and report on each other.  Paranoia will creep in.  

Northern Ireland has put a ton of effort into healing the rift that tore apart their society and they have done very well at healing the division - maybe better than anywhere in the world.  And while as Americans we can look to them for an example of how bad things can get, we can also look to them for the best ways to combat against caustic political and cultural division, by finding the things we all love and “gather around” …food, humor, music, art, faith, nature, sports, beauty, etc.  I learned a lot from folks in Northern Ireland about kindness and hospitality and about maintaining a good sense of humor.   The making of this video involved many people of many different backgrounds and perspectives in essence gathering around it and we hope that it will continue on in this way into the future.