(Play up to 2 minutes)
The video I have chosen is
by a small Youtuber called Adrian Bliss. He is known for his month-long series,
'Vlogvember' and 'Vlune', during which he, along with his friend Greg, pokes fun
at mainstream Youtubers by pretending to be a Youtuber and highlighting the
floors and issues involved. In 'Vlune', Adrian and Greg embark on a trip to the
United States of America with the aim of reaching Vidcon (a large Youtube event
in Southern California) by the end of the month. In
this video, 'Vlune 5 - MEETING THE PRESIDENT', Adrian and Greg visit Washington
DC and film their experiences and reactions at popular landmarks in the city.
While Adrian's focus up until this point had been to create purposely terrible
content, making fun of the stereotypes of the Youtube community, 'Vlune 5.'
concentrates on the ignorance displayed by some people towards American history
and ideology.
Firstly, Adrian, a British citizen, could travel to and enter the USA. This was most likely done by purchasing an ESTA, which is an advanced security check now required before any international travellers from countries under the Visa Waiver Program (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom) can enter the USA. The advanced security checks have only come into place since the 2007 '9/11 Commission Act', which tightened the whole country's security, hindering the freedom of entry to the USA of tourists.
The fact that Adrian could film and publish a video in a foreign country, indicates there is more leniency in the USA towards the media. Obviously, Adrian is not an official member of the press. But it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had decided to do the same in somewhere like North Korea. However, he later (1 minute 2 seconds) eludes to the hysteria surrounding the filming of children and its immediate association with paedophilia. This suggests there are limitations to what's acceptable to film in the USA, but in a more 'de facto' manner, rather than by law.
33 seconds through the video, Adrian points out the Capitol Building. It is at this point where he rather crudely states that the "blue ones like gays and the red ones like guns". This is in reference to the Democrats and Republicans and their views on two very relevant topics of debate within the USA. The right to bear arms is written in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which stretches back to the 'Founding Fathers' of the USA. This liberty is highly contested and due to the number of shootings within the USA, is unlikely to dissipate. In addition, the topic of the rights of homosexuals to marry, only became 'resolved' in 2015, with the Supreme Court ruling bans on equality unconstitutional. This is a far more recent liberty, with homosexuality being outlawed for much of the 20th Century and only legalised nationwide in 2003.
At 1 minutes 12 seconds through the video, Adrian announces that "we don't have freedom in England, we're not used to it". Although intended as a joke, due to the nature of America and its obsession with being the 'land of the free', this ideology is true for some people. Immigrants who enter the USA (legally or otherwise) are often from countries that don't offer the same liberties and opportunities as the United States, so it is likely that they would be in awe of American society, similarly to the way in which Greg celebrates his 'newfound freedom' in the video.
Later in the video, Adrian films himself at the grave of Abraham Lincoln. This represents the emancipation of the slaves that Lincoln oversaw in 1863. It is at this location where the March on Washington in 1963 took place. It signified 100 years since the abolition of slavery and how African Americans were still be oppressed, despite the amount of time they had been supposedly free. This is still a relevant topic today, as there have been protests this year in America against the treatment of African Americans by the police. There still seems to be a hindrance to their liberty, despite the vast amount of legislation passed and the high number of protests that have occurred.
The final point is displayed 1 minute 40 seconds, where Adrian and Greg go to the White House, because they have been 'invited' by the President. This is a jibe at how Youtubers are often given incredible opportunities that most people would never be able to do. But it also poses the question of democracy and whether the country is truly ruled by the people as a democracy should truly be. Adrian finds himself (unsurprisingly) unable to go and meet the President of the USA. This introduces ideas concerning whether the US government are truly fulfilling the wish of the American people behind those barricaded doors and why there is such a notion of almost nobility among some of the elite within the White House.
Sources:
https://www.esta-registration.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEzDlL1EDZY
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/emancipation-proclamation
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