Jordan Peele’s movie ‘Get Out’ examines the current American racial divide with symbolism and metaphors that carry the main theme of the film and relate it to the horror of Racism in America as evident in the movie. The main theme the film creates reaches the audience using the metaphor called “Our Sunken Place.” Daniel Kaluuya, who stars as Chris Washington, takes us through this journey through the experience he gets on visiting his white girlfriend Rose’s home. This paper will examine microaggression, cultural appropriation and racism topics that will help us deeply understand the intended lesson Jordan Peele aims to teach (Hughes).
Microaggression
Jordan Peele’s film Get Out, ridicules the familiarity of existing as a black man, woman or child in the current United States of America. He clearly brightens the microaggression and emerging these doubts in a manner that highlights the lasting and degrading effects felt by the black community in America. This is an exciting and interesting theory that comprises possible merits and demerits with reference to the main plot and theme of the story. Get Out’s third act weakens its main message due to its present mistaken tactic that brands everything too factual. The movie was quite disturbing due to its ability to blow up the micro antagonism in a distressingly personal and visual manner.
Chris was our empathy ship, as his agonizing facial expressions and developing oddness and the strange universe surrounding him give us an unlimited scenario of being black in the land of the free. It is difficult to bypass these microaggressions, but even harder to condemn them due to the patronizing and nice nature of the package which houses them. Some examples of racial microaggressions that are evident in the movie include the old white individual who is categorical to bond with Chris. He remarks that he discerns Tiger Woods. Another example is Rose’s younger brother Jeremy. He tells Chris that his genetic makeup and muscular build can enable him to be a good warrior (Goff and Schroeter).
Cultural Appropriation
Thinking about the movie from a rationale perspective help one to realize the most literal symbol of cultural appropriation on display. The antagonist of the film has found a better use for black men and this means that the white people consider the black people as superior. This provides a good opportunity for them to take from the black people what they do not or cannot have. Chris senses that something sinister is happening but maintains his composure and cool until his uncertainties confirm to be true. Rod who is Chris black friend is the only individual who realizes that Rose and her family are up to no good. His slurs that Rose’s family are genetically stealing and engineering black men’s bodies and transforming them into their sex slaves is satirical and funny but does not fall further from the truth. Understanding the films deep-rooted themes and strategies that aim to explain the use of microaggression and cultural appropriation are significant in communicating the main idea behind the movie (Woods).
Racism
Get Out helps the viewers to see and understand racism from a completely different perspective as various actions unfold. Chris and Rose are a biracial couple in this movie. Chris who is a black man is worried about the reactions of Rose’s family when he visits them. This is because Rose has never told them he is black. Rose assures him that is not an issue and his parents are not racists. On arriving at the huge country home mansion, Rose alongside Chris is welcomed. The thing that stands out the most in this scene is how Rose’s parents are too welcoming to Chris. This is uncomfortable to both Chris and the viewer alike. Get Out discovers the more intricate places of racism. The viewers glance at a murkier screen as the film diverts away from the old archetypal and stereotypical clustering of the racial family. His girlfriend’s family does not look down Chris but they definitely treat him as the other. The word racism applies her to show the thought processes where one group of people thinks that they are better than the other is without openly showing them. It also means to treat someone differently due to the color of his or her skin. Race grabs a huge chunk as to what proceeds while Chris is at the house. This type of racism is incomparable to the one exercised in past America. This was violent, discriminative and involved a lot of harassment. Nonetheless, it feeds into the energy that promotes the “othering” of black males by predominantly rich white families.
Conclusion
This film has successfully discussed race and horror in the current American setting. It has shown the audience that racism is still a serious topic of discussion to be addressed by those in an elective position. The movie has effectively communicated and displayed the various themes theme that communicates the struggles and roles that black men take on in the American society. Racism needs an uproot and the main place to do this is to identify the source and relinquish it completely.
Work Cited
Goff, Loretta, and Caroline V Schroeter. Screening Race : Constructions and Reconstructions in Twenty-First Century Media – Editorial. 2016.
Hughes, B. Y. Brooke Dianne-made. Our Sunken Place: “Post-Racial” America in Jordan Peeles. no. June, 2018.
Woods, Tiger. Look Out ! White People ! Is " Get Out " Racist ?
2012.
