Thoughts from the sunken place

The recent release of Jordan Peele’s movie, “Get Out” has sparked a new conversation on race relations in America. The film follows Chris, as he travels to the suburbs with his girlfriend, Rose to meet her parents. Initially, Chris feels the family’s excessive kindness is an attempt to make him feel comfortable due to the fact he is Black and they are White. However, as the movie continues, we learn of the Armitage family’s true intentions. “Get Out” is filled with underlying themes about racism. When the officer asks Chris for his license after Rose hits a deer, Rose intervenes in a manner in which we assume she is defending Chris. Yet we later find out, Rose does not want there to be any connection to her family and Chris, when he would later go missing. This can be compared to many white women only fighting injustice when it is beneficial for them. Once they reach the farm, Rose’s dad reveals he hates deer, and feels they are harmful to the ecosystem. Strong Black men, were called Bucks during reconstruction which are male deer. During a dinner party, Chris notices a familiar face and snaps a picture of him to send to his best friend, Rod. Yet when Chris snaps the picture, Logan goes in to a rage telling Chris to “get out”. James Baldwin once said, “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” Logan’s escape from the sunken place compares to Black america’s consciousness. Often times, being Black in America we repress our true identities and thoughts when confronting microaggressions in our daily lives. The sunken place itself represents this state in which we are unable to react to the various racist ideologies we face day to day. The film also makes innuendos to slavery, showing the bidding on Chris, the guests wanting him simply because of his physical attributes and even when Chris “picked the cotton” out of the chair to plug his ears which was instrumental in his survival. “Get Out” was a great film that highlighted the racism many don’t see as racism. The most triggering part of the movie however was the ending. Once Chris had defeated the Armitage family he saw police lights. Even though he had been the one in danger, he raised his hands because he knew that ultimately it would be him, that was perceived as a threat. Very similarly, Black people have been victimized in every way imaginable in America since we were forced here, yet it is us who are presumed dangerous.