Blog 3: The “Other”

Discussion about race has always been relevant in North America ever since the formation of the United States and Canada. In recent decades we’ve seen many different opinions on the subject. Although it is obvious that a lot has changed regarding how black people are treated in North America compared to how it used to be a hundred years ago, there is still so much that needs to be improved. In Desmond Cole’s memoir titled The Skin We’re In and Jordan Peele’s movie Get Out, the spotlight is put on the experience of Black men in the United States and Canada.

To start off, it’s no secret that history has enforced this way of treating Black people as “other” that has persisted through the years, until now. However, many of us fail to realize how much the effects of the past persist today. Some may argue that this is the case for almost every other race, that everyone’s had a bad past with colonizers and that everyone has experienced negative treatment from them as well. Although that isn’t necessarily false, the fact is that this is much more severe when directed towards Black people. In The Skin We’re In, Cole defines white supremacy as a “system of power that seeks to benefit white people above others.” (Cole 8) Evidence of this is that for centuries, Europeans have gone above and beyond to ensure that they stay at the top with all the power. This has been particularly evident when it comes to Black people. For example, in 1785 Nova Scotia, officials in the town of Shelburne created a bylaw that forbid Black people from “dancing” and “frolicking.” It is explained that this could’ve meant “anything from drinking to gambling to mere socializing.” (Cole 7) So basically, they were painted as criminals and persecuted for simply being and it’s because of countless laws like this one that a kind of fear surrounding Black people was created long ago. For many generations, their mere existence was unjustly seen as a crime so it’s no wonder why there is a divide that persists to this day. Perhaps one of the best evidence of this in our day is the disproportionate use of force by law enforcers against Black people. Cole’s memoir recounts a horrible incident that happened to his friend in on New Year’s of 2017 where his friend got arrested by police officers for no reason and got his art gallery destroyed. It then explains that this is no isolated incident and that there exists a pattern where police are more likely to scrutinize Black people as they did to his friend. Because of this, he states that they are “subject to surveillance and physical searches without a warrant, to target [of their] homes and businesses with multiple police units in response to non-criminal issues; to arrests using overwhelming physical violence, to charge [them] with violence after using violence against [them]; to steal [their] personal property, particularly [their] money, as if [they] have no claim to it.” (Cole 6) Even though many claim that Black people are treated with equality today, it’s clear that if you pay attention, this isn’t the case. And it’s not because they don’t work hard enough to get higher up on the social ladder; these attacks are done without any good reason. Sure, it isn’t “as bad” as it used to be, but the inequality towards them still very much exists and it’s still bad.

Because of this fabricated difference around Black people, they are sometimes seen and treated as inhuman. I think that the movie Get Out demonstrates a few of the many ways this can occur. In certain cases, Black people are subject to fetishization. In the film, the members of the Armitage family are perpetrators of this. For example, during the family dinner Rose’s family, her brother insinuates that Chris has supposed physical advantages because of his race and tells him: “With your frame and your genetic makeup, if you really pushed your body […] you’d be a fucking beast.” (Peele) Similar peculiar statements and actions were made by guests all throughout the day of the party from touching and getting a feel of his body to making comments about how “black is in fashion.” (Peele) They do all of this without second thought or remorse which is indicative of how they don’t see Chris as a person like they are. I’m sure that if he was white like they were, they wouldn’t have made such remarks. Going back to what I said in the first paragraph, white supremacy seeks the benefit of white people above others. (Cole 8) This means that most of the time, white people won’t bother understanding or changing a system that benefits them. A great example of this was made in the scene where Chris is explained when he’s explained what they plan to do with him. He asks the blind man why it is that they choose Black people in particular and he’s met with a chuckle followed by a chilling response: “Who knows?” (Peele) He doesn’t care to find out and know the reason behind the system that benefits him even though it obviously particularly affects and targets Black people, possibly because he doesn’t exactly see them as human or as equals. Through the examples given in Get Out, it’s made clear that there is an issue about how Black people aren’t seen and understood as regular people like it should be.

In conclusion, The Skin We’re In and Get Out give us insight on the realities of Black people in North America. These works help us understand the historical origins of the injustices that they’ve had to live with and the ways that they manifest in today’s society. I think that further understanding and education concerning this issue is imperative for creating real change that’ll ensure the betterment of the lives of Black people.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cole, Desmond. “‘negro frolicks (January).’” The Skin We’re In, Doubleday Canada, 2020, pp. 1–17
Peele, Jordan, et al. Get Out. Universal Pictures, 2017.