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America Side Effects is an allegorical comedy by Trey Knowles that uses sharp, unsettling humor to reveal the costs of America’s entrenched harms. Through vivid, often shocking scenes — from gun violence touching children to citizens trapped by debt and false freedoms — the play shows how liberty can become a license for wrongdoing. Knowles suggests that a nation that refuses to walk away from its evils risks destruction, and he challenges viewers to critically judge both America and their own complicity rather than accept comforting myths about freedom and virtue.
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00:00When you are in love, you act a certain kind of way, depending on what you're in love with.
00:11When you are in love, you act a certain way based on what you are in love with.
00:19With that said, you take a bunch of people who are slaves, who have been oppressed,
00:28and you free them from their oppressor.
00:33And when you free them from their oppressor, some of them are going to be free and some of them are not going to be free
00:39because some of them are still in love with their oppressor, and some of them just want to be free.
00:46They're going to be free.
00:49So history repeats.
00:50Because God let the people out of Egypt, and they enter the wilderness.
01:00God freed them from Pharaoh's hand.
01:03But they in the wilderness built in a golden calf because their mindset, their mindset is still back in Egypt.
01:12So we free these people from the United States of America from their oppressor.
01:20But their mindset is still trying to be millionaires, still talking about the Benjamins,
01:27still trying to make the American dollar.
01:32Their mindset is still there.
01:35So they're not free.
01:41Because they still want to be in a system that's oppressing them.
01:45They in a love with the system.
01:50While other people are free.
01:53And they're like, I'm going to be in love with God.
01:54I ain't going to be in love with the system.
01:58Because God is the creator.
02:01And I have everything that I need.
02:02I have everything that I need.
02:09I got water.
02:12I got food.
02:13I'm covered up.
02:15I got everything that I need.
02:18There's nothing else important than water and food.
02:23And you're covered up.
02:25What else do you need?
02:27You got people that love you.
02:29You're surrounded by people that love you.
02:32You're surrounded by people that you love and loves you.
02:37You don't need nothing else.
02:43And there's some people that have side effects.
02:48Anytime you've been in slavery or your ancestors have been in slavery,
02:52and when you're out of slavery, you're still getting treated,
02:55messed up.
02:57You're still getting treated like you're nothing.
02:59There's side effects to that.
03:01You know, side effects can go from generation to generation to generation to generation.
03:06So those side effects, if you called, if you called a woman out of her name over and over and over,
03:20and you treat that woman mean, or you treat a person mean and keep calling them out of their name,
03:25they start thinking a certain kind of way because you're treating them mean.
03:31There's side effects to that.
03:32That woman's going to have a side effect, or that child's going to have a side effect,
03:36or that man's going to have a side effect,
03:38because somebody's going to have a side effect.
03:40Because somebody's treating them mean.
03:43That person now got low self-esteem.
03:46The person don't know who they are.
03:49You're making it hard and difficult for that person
03:53to live the life that they should live.
03:58There's side effects to that.
03:59Then that person might have a child, and that child might have side effects from the mother or the father.
04:08There's side effects, and you can't forget about the side effects.
04:13You cannot forget about the side effects.
04:21Yeah, it happened a long time ago.
04:24There is side effects, side effects, side effects of what happened.
04:37This is normal, and you get to treat those side effects.
04:43But the side effects, and the mistreatment still is going on today.
04:53And you've got to be honest with yourself.
04:57The system is not right.
05:01Something is not right about the system.
05:03Not only that it's not right about the system.
05:06The system is affecting the whole entire planet.
05:09The system is affecting everybody on the planet.
05:13It's influencing everybody on the planet.
05:20Not only that the United States is putting its own people in debt.
05:26It's putting the whole world in debt.
05:28And then you influence them with the world with things that are not godly.
05:39Now, the United States know better.
05:45Anytime you say that you are a Christian, that means you know better.
05:49Anytime that you say that you are a Christian and don't live by the way of the Lord,
05:56but the fact that you say that you are a Christian means that you know better.
06:05You are without excuse.
06:09Why would you claim something and don't live what you claim?
06:13You see?
06:14So that means you know better.
06:20How can you be a Christian and create weapons of mass destruction,
06:25allow kids to destroy each other with guns?
06:31What type of Christian nation, a Christian person,
06:34will destroy guns completely in their nation?
06:38A Christian nation cares about their citizens,
06:46cares about their people,
06:49and will be honest and be truthful.
06:57A Christian nation doesn't act the way America does.
07:02Jesus would not,
07:04and you should know his disciples,
07:08because they should be walking just like as Jesus did.
07:12Does the United States walk as Jesus did?
07:17Don't be fooled, don't be tricked,
07:19because they're going to say,
07:20well, you know, it's the people that came over here.
07:22The people that came over here.
07:24Well, first of all,
07:27the people that came over here,
07:28you came over here with the killing.
07:32That's not godly.
07:33You came over here with the killing and guns.
07:39That is not godly.
07:41And you're still doing evil.
07:47You're still doing evil.
07:49You won't get rid of guns.
07:52You won't get rid of guns.
07:53In fact, I want you guys to separate yourself.
08:02Separate yourself from the wicked
08:03and judge the wicked.
08:09How would you fix it?
08:11Or can it be fixed?
08:12How would you fix it,
08:16and can you be fixed?
08:16In fact,
08:17the only way you can fix it,
08:19you have to,
08:20everybody has to turn their guns in
08:22and burn them
08:23and melt down their guns.
08:26You have to be,
08:28you have to get rid of guns.
08:31You have to get rid of everything that is wicked.
08:34If you're not willing to do that,
08:37then the country needs to be destroyed.
08:38The country needs to be destroyed.
08:47And you guys know better.
08:49You got a church on every corner.
08:53Because you have a church on every corner,
08:54that means you know better.
08:56And because you know better,
08:58that means it needs to be destroyed.
09:01Because you have no one in your Congress,
09:04no one in your Congress,
09:06that says,
09:06you know what?
09:07Enough is enough.
09:08We got to get rid of these guns.
09:17We have to be a humble nation.
09:23We have to be a humble nation.
09:30We have to be a people who loves one another.
09:33You got a president who hang around
09:38with Ku Klux Klan.
09:43You have a president that surrounds himself
09:45with the Klan members.
09:47You have a president that surrounds himself
09:50with skinheads.
09:52You have a president that surrounds himself
09:55with white supremacy.
09:58And don't say,
09:59you know what?
10:01This is not right.
10:02That's not right.
10:02You don't do that.
10:04You don't have a president that say,
10:05don't stand up and say,
10:06you know what?
10:07Don't do that.
10:10That is not,
10:12those acts are not from God.
10:14Those acts are not from God
10:18and that is not godly.
10:20You don't have a president that say that.
10:24And you support your president.
10:26You support wickedness.
10:29You don't stand against wickedness.
10:39So separate yourself.
10:42Separate yourself from the United States.
10:44Separate yourself from the world.
10:47The United States is the world.
10:51Because everybody wants to be like United States.
10:55Everybody wants to come to United States.
10:59United States gives everybody weapons
11:02to kill each other.
11:05United States influence everybody.
11:08United States is the one that follows the devil.
11:11They're not following with Jesus.
11:14If they're following with Jesus,
11:15you would know United States by her ways.
11:19Her ways.
11:22And black people.
11:26You give a black person
11:27$20,000, $50,000.
11:31They do whatever evil.
11:33Whatever evil.
11:37It's like you glorify money.
11:40Black people can't glorify money.
11:44I'm a poor man.
11:46And I love being poor.
11:48But I am rich in love.
11:50I am rich in love.
11:56The devil got you.
11:58The devil got you when he knows that he can just pay you money
12:01and you're going to do some evil for him.
12:05When you're willing to kill somebody for money.
12:07When you're willing to
12:08influence your own people
12:11for money.
12:16Influence your own people with wickedness.
12:18You're doing cigarette commercials.
12:20You're doing alcohol commercials.
12:23You're putting yourself on television.
12:28You're making yourself be weak
12:30wearing a dress on television.
12:33Just for the money.
12:35You don't care what children you are influencing.
12:37You're just influencing your own people with bad stuff.
12:39And they know they got you.
12:42So they can just offer you some money.
12:45And a black man just taking it.
12:47Because all he cares about is money.
12:49He worship money.
12:51Money is his God.
12:57Who are you going to be in love with?
12:58Are you in love with God or are you in love with money?
13:00Are you in love with God or are you in love with the system?
13:02If you love with the system
13:06that means you have not
13:08you have not advanced.
13:12You have not advanced.
13:14Because if they free you from your oppressor
13:16you're going right back to your oppressor.
13:19You're building a golden calf
13:20and you're going right back to your oppressor.
13:22So
13:29separate yourself
13:32from the United States.
13:35Mentally
13:36take your heart away from the United States.
13:44Separate yourself from the wicked.
13:46Judge the wicked.
13:49Is it fair?
13:50Is the United States getting better?
13:53Is the people in the United States getting better?
13:56Or does it need to be destroyed?
14:00Does it need to be destroyed?
14:02When I mean destroyed
14:03I mean destroyed.
14:05Can't live in it.
14:06You can't live in it anymore.
14:11The nation is full of
14:13destruction.
14:14Weapons
14:15of destruction.
14:17They just kill one another.
14:20People
14:23setting churches on fire.
14:26The children
14:27is corrupted.
14:30They're killing each other.
14:32Television is corrupted.
14:34Everything is just corrupted
14:35in America.
14:39Keep it real.
14:40Be honest with yourself.
14:42Is it fair?
14:43Is it fair
14:46to say that
14:46the United States
14:48is just corrupted?
14:50And it needs to be destroyed.
14:57But if you save them
14:58from your oppressor
14:59some of them
15:00are going to be free.
15:01Some of them
15:02are not going to be free.
15:02They're still chasing
15:03that money.
15:04They're still chasing
15:05that
15:06that
15:06that
15:07the gold
15:08and all the things
15:09of the world.
15:11They're still
15:12building that golden calf.
15:14they're still out
15:16in the wilderness
15:17going right back
15:20to Pharaoh
15:21missing the things
15:22of Pharaoh.
15:23So that's what happens
15:24if you free them
15:25from their oppressor.
15:25They're still
15:26in slavery.
15:27Maybe
15:35I don't know if I'm wrong.
15:40I don't know if I'm wrong.
15:40I hope there's hope.
15:43I hope there's hope.
15:46I hope there's hope.
15:47There is hope.
15:52There's hope in Jesus
15:54and what we do
15:55is separate ourselves
15:56from the world.
15:57Separate yourself
15:58from the United States
15:59and judge
16:02the wicked.
16:05When I say judge the wicked
16:06I'm not saying
16:06based on your own accord
16:07based on the word of God.
16:11Thanks for the word of God.
16:12Based on the word of God.
16:42.
17:06.
17:07.
17:08.
17:09.
17:11.
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