DAY ABOVE GROUND - AMERICAN DREAM

What this video is

Released in August 2013 as a direct, same-day response to the viral controversy surrounding Day Above Ground's 'Asian Girlz' video, 'American Dream' represents an early and vivid case study in social-media-era crisis management via music video. The band — a Los Angeles-based alternative rock act — faced widespread condemnation, venue cancellations, and activist pressure after 'Asian Girlz' was flagged as racist and…

Why it matters

Represents the intersection of post-grunge/nu-metal aesthetics with early social media crisis communication. The video is a document of how bands navigated viral controversy in the pre-Instagram, early-Twitter era, using the music video format as a real-time editorial platform. Sonically and…