Let me make something extremely clear before we begin this particular discussion. I am a thirty-nine year old Caucasian male who is in no way attempting to be a snowflake, cry baby, or whatever other harsh names certain readers who think differently want to throw at me. Nor do I care if they actually do. This is just my own personal take on the tide of things, and also my own feelings on why I feel this type of change, in regard to entertainment is absolutely a necessity.
I want to first start out by saying that I’ve been a fan of film and television my entire life, and have been in the industry as an entertainer as well as a reporter for almost eight years. My ear always has to be to the ground of the cesspool social media has become, and I witness many different articles when it comes to popular culture, and more importantly, I receive a pure glimpse of the thoughts posted by fans of many genres, as well as geek pipelines.
One of these rants that I’ve heard recently is people’s feelings on Jordan Peele’s dark commentary Get Out being nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a mass amount of praise and excitement, but just like anything else in life, there are individuals that do not have the penchant, and possibly the lack of social education for understanding.
I’ve seen many rants, including the film wasn’t worthy of these honors, Peele only received these nominations because the Academy is trying to stay liberal and “keep a balance,” or that social commentary is not a necessity in a horror or thriller. I will state now that I’m not attempting to make myself better than anyone else, nor am I trying to personally attack anyone. Where this editorial goes will hopefully be a lesson for some, and hopefully it will help give a bit of understanding if there initially was not.
First of all, when it comes to the idea of Get Out not being worthy of these nominations, I could not think of a more false statement. I could go on about the technical mastery that the director utilized, the remarkable performances by the ensemble, and the many nuanced threads of the screenplay itself, but there are some things about this film that are way more important than that. The first thing we should look at is its impact on its audience. Not only is it a triumph at the box office considering its lower budget, but it’s opened a gateway to conversation, while becoming a part of our social and political infrastructure. I’ve seen many people of color using the terminology ‘the sunken place’ when speaking of black people who lean on the side of Trump and his GOP cabinet.
I’ve also seen it used when describing someone who agrees with certain policies against African Americans when it comes to the much needed advancement of black people when it comes economy, policies pertaining to protection from police brutality, and all other aspects of life that every citizen in the world should have a right to. There are classes in prestigious universities being taught using the work of Jordan Peele to describe where exactly other races stand in this terrifying world we live today that’s constantly slipping backward in history in many regards. Get Out has become something much more than a film, it’s a statement, and something that everyone should see, no matter what color you are.
