Ben Phillips

AP English 12

Honaker

5/9/17

Maybe IDK

Although I guess if I didnt know tomorrow,

I guess I wouldnt need faith Jon Bellion (Maybe IDK)

In todays America, uncertainty is everywhere. In America, from the government and

economy, to citizens safety, to even ones own life nothing is certain. This sentiment is shared

by the musical artist Jon Bellion in his song Maybe IDK. In Maybe IDK, Bellion questions

his future and decisions and struggles with understanding his future. Three areas that uncertainty

can be seen in todays America are in the Presidential Election, the ongoing police brutality

situation, and in todays youth generation.

On Tuesday November 8, 2016 Donald Trump was elected president of the United States,

to the surprise and amazement of many United States citizens. Donald Trump was not the

favorite to win the presidency for almost all of the campaign, and was not considered a threat to

the favorite and Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. When Donald Trump was elected, the

United States was thrust into an ocean of uncertainty, with little allowing it to stay afloat. Trump

was not seen as the typical man for the job. The uncertainty that President Trump brought to the

White House was seen immediately, with a harsh drop in stock prices around the globe, on the
night of the election, Dow futures were down 900 points (Mullen & Egan, 2016). Trump has

brought more uncertainty to the American government in recent months through his ties to

Russia and tampering with the 2016 election, his comments about women and Mexico, his

assault on fake news, and many other stories. Jon Bellions Maybe IDK perfectly expresses

many of the uncertain feelings that the American population currently has about the government.

Bellion sings I wonder why I feel hopelessness when I watch the news. This perfectly

exemplifies the publics uncertain feeling towards Donald Trumps presidency. This

hopelessness embodies the uncertainty that todays Americans feel towards Donald Trump and

the current United States government.

Another source of uncertainty in todays America is the ongoing police brutality scandal.

By design, the objective of the police force in the United States is to protect the rights of

individuals and ensure domestic tranquility. This is an incredibly hard task to accomplish, and

recently the job has gotten much harder. On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, unarmed, was shot

by the Ferguson, Missouri police force. This case was different from its predecessors because of

the racial tension that is surrounded with the case. According to accounts of the incident, Brown

was unarmed and had his hands up, but the police officer decided to shoot Brown twelve times

anyway! Members of the Ferguson community could only explain the motives of the police

officer as racial (Shooting of Michael Brown). The killings of black males by police officers

continued, including the shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and others only increased

the fervor around the Black Lives Matter movement (Funk & Susman, 2016). Now that so many

incidents have occurred containing police violence, American citizens are scared and uncertain
about their police force. Many Americans are uncertain if the police will protect them. Over

40% of Black Americans distrust the American criminal justice system (Dennis 2016). These

uncertainties in Black America are portrayed in the repetition of the lyrics maybe I dont

know. The Black Americans hurt and scared by the ongoing police violence simply dont

know.

Lastly, uncertainty in America can be seen in the younger generation. With both of the

factors mentioned above and countless other hindrances, the youth of todays generation have a

rockier road than ever before. According to a Gallup Poll conducted on the fears of Americas

younger generation, 56% of young Americans are afraid of a future terrorist attack, 52% are

afraid of the affordability of healthcare, 48% are afraid of the state of the economy, and countless

others (Lyons 15). From buying a house, to accumulating college debt, to finding a job and

starting a family, many of the decisions that young Americans make are harder today than ever

before. In spite of all of these hardships, Jon Bellion offers advice to the struggling youth of

America in his song lyrics. Bellion sings Although I guess if I knew tomorrow I guess I

wouldnt need faith I guess if I never fell, I wouldnt need grace. Bellion gives the best

advice: the hardships of youth make the reward sweeter.

In conclusion, todays society is more uncertain that ever before. The United States

government has undergone drastic changes, police brutality is instilling fear into the nation, and

the outlook for young people is as difficult as it has ever been. But, when times become tough,

people turn to music as an outlet for their emotions. Jon Bellions Maybe IDK is a perfect
example of this release. The uncertainty of todays society is perfectly described by the phrase,

maybe I dont know.

Works Cited

Dennis, Doug. "40 percent of black Americans distrust the criminal justice system: Why Im one

of them."Vox.com. N.p., 21 Dec. 2016. Web. 12 May 2017.

Funk, Daniel, and Tina Susman. "From Ferguson to Baton Rouge: Deaths of black men and

women at the hands of police ."LATimes.com. N.p., 12 July 2016. Web. 12 May 2017.

Lyons, Linda. "Angst Aplenty: Top Worries of Young Americans."Gallup. N.p., 15 July 15. Web.

12 May 2017.

Mullen, Jethro, and Matt Egan. "Global markets drop as U.S. election results shock investors."

Global markets drop as U.S. election results shock investors. N.p., 9 Nov. 2106. Web. 12

May 2017.

"Shooting of Michael Brown."Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.