Traffic slows and instead of constant speed a rumbling crawl takes over. A break in a mundane fast-paced life for some is a cherished gift. For some of the most depressed it’s a dreaded nuisance. In traffic, your mind can’t be occupied with the present- a stretch of black tarmac and tail pipes smoking their last pack. You are given no choice but to ponder. The emotions we strive to suppress spring into daylight. These are the thoughts we are frightened to own up to- the grim, the cynical, the pessimistic. We disturb ourselves knowing we create them. We are dismayed how they come naturally, almost eloquently- unprovoked. They are not easily smothered and they loiter in your brain, begging to be acted upon.

             At one point in our lives, we’ll all experience feelings on the spectrum of pain, grief or depression. As humans we are susceptible to a misery that, in severe cases, can lead to self-harm and suicide. Understanding how urgent of a problem this is, In 1993 R.E.M. devoted a song to reaching out to the hurt, the morose and depressed. Their purpose was to reassure the troubled, to let them know that they are not alone in the battle against depression.

            Depression isn’t picky when choosing its victims. Depression isn’t selective to age, gender or race. In the music video, every demographic is accounted for- the rich, the poor, the men, the women, the religious, the atheist, the young and the dying. In their downtime, tired internal conflicts are recited in their minds. To portray the face of depression, they created a microcosm of the world to show that everyone is susceptible to feeling down. By exposing this, It comforts the depressed by letting them know they are not alone in the fight.

             What makes Depression such a dangerous illness is that not everyone recognizes it as a serious medical condition, so it often goes untreated. There is a stigma to admitting the severity of pessimistic feelings, which leads to the suppression of emotions and the lack of a supporting community. This problem is addressed in the music video by having no direct verbal communication between people. Subtitles are used throughout the video as a tool for the viewer to see their internal monologue and understand that they are all struggling with a conflict. Without communication, the depressed assume they’re alone in the fight. Even in an entire highway of depressed people, they can’t find solace in the company of others because no one is revealing their troubles. Only when Stipe, the lead singer, reaches out his hand to another is when people start to feel optimistic and supported. The point of this was to encourage the troubled to “take comfort in your friends”.

            R.E.M. uses body language to exhibit the vulnerability and hesitation of the mentally ill reaching out for aid. As Stipe walks into the traffic, his arms are crossed over his chest and his hand protects his neck.  Amy Cuddy, a Ted Talk speaker and expert on body language, explains that these are all instinctive movements that humans do when we feel defenseless- we constrict our bodies so we are less noticed. On the contrary, when we are confident- we expand our bodies. When Stipe extends his hand and expands his body he, and everyone else, gains courage to unite. The tail pipes exhale and what was once a dreaded nuisance is now a place of rebirth and human compassion. The traffic represents how depression can be a dominating obstruction in a life. But, with the support of friends, it becomes clear that happiness is attainable. All you have to do is get out of the car. You have to get out of the car and walk, to achieve the freedom of a clear road, the freedom of a clear life.