Blog 3: The Black Face of the American Dream

In the year of 1619, the largest oppressive legal structure in American History came about, the institution of slavery. Although slavery was abolished in the year of 1865, African Americans are still enslaved by institutional racism. There are systems in place to keep minorities at a disadvantage. This system of oppression is carried by a number of factors such as discriminatory policing practices, biased educational systems, unequal access to healthcare, racially skewed employment opportunities, and prejudiced legal systems that disproportionately target and incarcerate people of color as highlighted by the Canadian journalist and author Desmond Cole in his book ‘The Skin We’re In’ (Cole 8). This system of oppression continues the frustrating living conditions for black people, and continues to make being black in America a constant struggle. Desmond Cole’s memoir “The Skin We’re In” and Jordan Peele’s film “Get Out” provide audiences with a deep understanding of the experiences of Black men within societies that remain influenced by white dominance. This essay aims to explore how both works reflect the influence of racism and the stereotypes and cultural narratives associated with Black masculinity in North America. 

Racism always finds a place in North American society regardless of the era, the people, and events. The testimony of people and the (artistic) representation in Desmond Cole’s book “The Skin We’re In” and Jordan Peele’s movie “Get Out” feature the author and the artist’s perceptions of this problematic issue. What sets “The Skin We’re In” mostly apart from other accounts is the fact that Cole, openly and directly, gives us a rare and uncompromised look at what is the day-to-day reality of the Black Canadian experience through the retelling of various intimate stories with racial profiling. While Peele is a New York-born actor and filmmaker, his film illustrates perfectly how the racism Cole describes in Canada is ignored or dismissed because of the progressive assurances that tackling anti-black prejudice is a top priority. We can draw a parallel with the character Chris’ realization in Get Out that Black workers are trapped in a state of mental servitude. The pointed colorblindness in both Canada and the US, both in institutions and society, shows a deep-seated desire to dominate and control Black bodies through indirect means, represented by brain transplants in Peele’s movie Get Out (Peele, 01:25). This is a chilling metaphor for modern-day slavery The memoir by Cole and the film by Peele are about these two Black individuals and their clashes with white people in society. Cole describes many instances where he has been targeted by the police and is made uncomfortable when the police stop him often and watch him closely, while Chris tries to fit in but is a victim of the white family’s maliciousness. Such stories show how the racism and white supremacy are still the main existing orientations of society.

“The Skin We’re In” by Desmond Cole and Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” through their narratives show how historical contexts of racism recognize how historical injustices still affect the present day. Cole goes into Canada’s colonial past, its discriminatory practices towards Indigenous people and Black immigrants, and reveals that there was a direct connection between them and contemporary issues such as police brutality and systemic biases which is why it diagnosed the cases as evolution, rather than the elimination of these injustices (Cole 7). Likewise, “Get Out” utilizes historical analogies, particularly through the metaphor of “the sunken place,” where Chris is rendered inactive and impaired, which signifies the historical repression of the African American voice in America (Peele). This visualizes how widespread the suppression of the Black man in American history. Cole writes about the pervasive supremacy in all aspects of life, including the institutional: “Institutions in today’s white supremacist settler colonial context always come in peace and goodwill. They always tell us they mean well, and thus they refuse to own their endless violence against Black people” (Cole 9). While both stories weave in historical observations, which emphasize the critical point of confronting and addressing these problems, they challenge and offer better solutions in tackling modern manifestations of racism. As well as showing historical truths, their works challenge the mainstream social fabric of race in North America, they ask us for a deep reflection on this racist legacy and for active participation in dismantling white supremacy. In Cole’s inspiring words, “although Black people deserve far more than survival, survival alone is worth celebrating” (Cole 3). 

Cole’s “The Skin We’re In” and Peele’s “Get Out” are the works that deal with the stereotypes against Black men and try to build a more comprehensive concept of Black masculinity against stereotypes held by society. Take for instance, Cole had portrayed a situation where the media and public opinion was quick to brand black activists as troublemakers or criminals, specifically during the protests against systemic oppression. Not only it sticks to public misconceptions but also it reduces just prosecution of racial equality (Cole 2020). On the other hand, in Jordan Peele movie, “Get Out” warps stereotypes through the main character Chris, who in place of the usual physical revenge when threatened, outsmarts his opponent with his quick thinking. In an important scene towards the end of the film, Chris confronts his girlfriend Rose after discovering her progressive liberal white family’s sinister cult plan to take over his body. As Chris holds Rose to the ground choking her, Rose smiles, reflecting her dehumanizing belief that black males are savage, violent, and animalistic, confirming her family’s racist ideology. Eventually, Chris escapes without confirming that bias, a symbolic victory (Peele 01:38). Through these lived examples from Cole and Peele’s fantastical narrative, a different vision of black men is constructed: competent and versatile individuals capable of intellectual depth that clashes with many stereotypes commonly used as black men.

In “The Skin We’re In” by Desmond Cole as well as Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” the concept of masculinity is displayed differently than it was in the 1999 film “Fight Club”. While in the latter it was typified by physical aggression and emotional detachment as ultimate expression of masculinity, Cole’s memoir and Peele’s film show something entirely different. To exemplify this, in “The Skin We’re In,” he talked about how Black men have to lean on intellectual and community strength to overcome systemic racism, which may involve organizing community forums and advocacy programs. Cole writes: “I started to understand my personal struggle with anti-Black racism as more of a family and collective experience” (Cole 15). It is this resilience and the sense of community that works with the old form of masculinity, based on physical superiority. Analogously, in the movie “Get Out,” the hero Chris represents a particular type of masculinity. This protagonist will be reasoning and brainy, not just muscular. For example, Chris shows up the hypnosis efforts with cotton he wears which shows how talented and bright he is. In contrast to the characters in “Fight Club” who look for validation through assault and physical violence, Chris embodies the qualities of resiliency and emotional depth presenting a different view on film about heroism in general. These pieces give people an opportunity to watch men stand with each other and prioritize mental toughness and solidarity over brute force.

Finally, Cole’s book “The Skin We’re In” and Peele’s movie “Get Out” enforce powerful lessons about the continuous struggles of black men in the world, the one that is often ruled by the white. From historical reflections on slavery to modern examples of racism, these books help to reveal the systemic oppression that African Americans endure in North America. These two films demonstrate the issues of racial profiling, historical background, and the effect that stereotypes have on views of Black masculinity. Through their narratives, they manifest the flourishing and critical thinking of Black men which substitutes dominant stereotypes focused on physical actions and aggressive natures. “The Skin We’re In” and “Get Out” do more than make the audience confront racism. They also ask audiences to envision a future where we, as human beings, achieve equity, solidarity, and understanding.

Works Cited: 

Peele, Jordan. Get Out. Universal Pictures, 2017.

Cole, Desmond. The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power. Doubleday Canada, 2020.

Blog 3: Black and White

Racism is something that many of us had the unfortunate luck of experiencing. Some ways to denounce racism came in the form of movies and books. Film director Jordan Peele and writer Desmond Cole demonstrated racism through their art, Peele with his movie Get Out and Cole with his book The Skin We’re in. They share with the world what it is to be a Black man living in society, particularly in Canada and the US. No matter how liberal people claim themselves to be, they still end up being racist, whether it is intentional or not because we live in a society that has been founded on racism. This is seen through the denial people have of racism, and white supremacy, the history of racism in society, and the stereotypes created on Black men.

Now that it is the 21^st century, people have begun to promote open-mindedness to everything and every one, however, despite the inclusivity, people are still closed-minded to others, even when they think they are not. Canada is known to be a multicultural country that accepts anyone from anywhere in the world and its people pride themselves on being equally accepting. However, this is not truly the case. In Cole’s book, he documented the Black Lives Matter Toronto’s Tent City Demonstration, where people were protesting public injustices against black people (Cole 2). He met Michelle Erin Hopkins who says that people refuse to accept the fact that Canada has a race problem like the US (Cole 3). People can’t accept the fact that Canada is indeed like the US because, to the general population, everything bad happens in the US. Even though Canada is a very open country, people, mostly white, are truly not as inclusive as they pretend to be. Black people do experience racism in Canada and others like to pretend that they don’t because they wouldn’t be able to handle the responsibility of their actions. As Hopkins said, black people are everywhere, even if you don’t want them there (Cole 3), racism is not exclusive to only the US. In the movie Get Out, we are introduced to a character called Jim Hudson, a blind white man, who viewers think might be a good person, however they soon learn that he’s just as bad as the rest of the people in the party, perhaps even worse. In one scene where Chris Washington is in the basement usually experiencing hypnosis to make him pliant, doesn’t get hypnosis but is instead met with Jim Hudson, who had purchased him (Peele 1:22:18). When Washington asks Hudson why they go for black people, Hudson replies “Who knows? People want change. Some want to be stronger, faster, cooler. But don’t… Please don’t lump me in with that. You know, I could give a shit what-what colour you are. No. What I want is deeper. I want your eye, man. I want those things you see through.” (Peele 1:24:42-1:25:22) Hudson acknowledges the fact of the racism in their cult when he asks not to be lumped in with the rest of the members of the Order of the Coagula because he truly believes that he is not like them. However, despite claiming not to be like them, he is doing exactly what they were doing. He participated in the bidding for Washington, he is putting part of himself in Chris because he has something he doesn’t, just like the other members of the Order. He views Washington as less than human, his only value is his eyes and refers to them as things as if they’re not part of Chris himself. Hudson doesn’t acknowledge Chris’ talent for art and truly thinks that if he gets to see through Chris’ eyes, he will have the same perspective as Chris even though Chris is capturing his experience through his lenses, something that Hudson will never experience. Just like Roman Armitage, the founder of the Order, who lost against Jesse Owens, who now runs in the body of a black man (Peele 1:35:14), Hudson, whose art didn’t get accepted, hopes to capitalize on the success Washington has. Despite people’s belief that they live in a society that does not participate in racism, people are still more likely to be racist, as it is ingrained in our world.

Today, white supremacy is seen as a good thing, white people revamped its definition to a more positive connotation. People say that they act to help, not to destroy, even if that’s what they end up doing anyway. Cole says that “whiteness pretends to forget its name when called and refuses to acknowledge its desire for dominance” (Cole 9) and “today’s white supremacist settler colonial context always comes in peace and goodwill. They always tell us they mean well, and thus they refuse to own their endless violence against Black people.” (Cole 9) White people may claim to mean well, but their insensitivity and lack of understanding towards marginalized groups end up making their actions destructive. When they commit unforgivable acts, they hide behind the belief that what they are doing is for the good of all people even when it’s not, they refuse to acknowledge their fault in something because they were raised to believe that what they are doing is right and live in a society that caters towards white people. When they get called out for their actions, they are quick to claim that it was an accident, that they didn’t mean it, ignoring the consequences of their actions. Throughout the whole movie, all the white people, particularly the Armitage family act as though they are doing a good thing when they kidnap Black people and turn them into almost mindless beings, devoid of any control, all for the benefit of white people. They refuse to acknowledge that what they are doing is wrong, even until the very end of the movie with Rose Armitage, who tries to kill Chris. (Peele 1:35:10) When Washington is locked up in the basement, he sees a video from Roman where he explains the great things they could do together and be perfect and then explains the Coagula procedure. (Peele 1:13:32-1:15:01) Roman truly believes that what he is doing is for the good of people, especially for the members of his Order, when it is not. He wants dominance over people with abilities he does not possess himself, making them his just like he did with the black man who could run fast. He says that Washington has been chosen because of the physical advantage he has and that with his gift and Roman’s determination they could be part of something greater, something perfect (Peele 1:14:00-1:14:20). This belief goes hand in hand with how white supremacist see themselves in the world, how they dominate over people who are different from them, how they believe that what they are doing is for the greater good even though they are resorting to violence. With the Armitage, they perform surgeries to give Black people’s bodies to white people, who lack certain abilities. Even if white people believe that they do actions for the good people, they often have the opposite effect, leading to unnecessary cruelty towards Black people.

While countries like Canada and the US like to claim that they are inclusive and free of discrimination, their foundation has always involved racism. Desmond talks about the history of racism in America, where he says that after the American Revolution, Black people were promised freedom for their contribution but instead of gaining their freedom, they became slaves to white masters (Cole 7). Not only that, but he also mentions a bylaw that essentially banned Black people from doing anything of their own free will such as socializing and drinking (Cole 7). Canada also participated in racism with their century-long genocide against indigenous people, effectively stealing their land (Cole 8). While most people acknowledge the fact that the countries they currently live in have practised some sort of racism, there will always be people, mostly white, who will defend the racist foundations of countries like the US. While Canada may not have inherently been racist to Black people, they still practised racism that resulted in the deaths of many Indigenous people, simply because they were on territory that had been claimed by colonizers. While slavery may not be legal and present in current societies, we still see racism in other instances with people like John, who was simply hosting events to have fun, who had faced the same fear as did the Black people when the bylaw that banned Black people from enjoying themselves (Cole 7). In the movie, there was a certain scene where Chris was being auctioned off to one of the many white people that were present at the party (Peele 00:59:25-1:00:12). Not only that but the black people in the movie were also being held against their will by white people such as the Armitage with their black caretakers (Peele 1:34:25) and Logan King with Andrey Hayworth (Peele 1:04:05). As liberal as the white people presented themselves to be, they showed a lot of racism towards black people. They participated in an auction that quite literally was selling a real person, a parallel to slave auctions during the period of American slavery, which emphasizes the current practices of racism in modern society. The other three black people Chris encounters during his stay in the Armitage house could be seen as slaves. While they may not be during hard and exhaustive labour, they do not have any free will. They are controlled by their white owners who took over their bodies for their benefit, which sounds a lot like slavery. They cannot refuse any commands and if they go against orders, they are hypnotized once again to turn back to normal, or in a state where they hold no consciousness (Peele 00:55:53-00:56:41). While current society is more progressive than in the past, there are still subtle or even obvious practices of racism that are still happening. It is impossible to escape from a past that has been deeply rooted in racism.

Black people have always been stereotyped in one way or another. Most stereotypes are rather harmful which leads to certain prejudice against people. While in other cases some stereotypes may be done with good intentions, they ultimately still harm the people that are subjected to these stereotypes. In the story about John that Cole mentions, the person who gets harassed and arrested is a Black man (Cole 4). Cole himself says that has been stopped by cops multiple times because he is a Black man (Cole 16). The criminalization of Black men has been a serious issue for many years and still has not been close to being solved. It creates a certain perception of black masculinity as people associate violence with a quality of Black men. Not only that, but the multiple arrests that Black men face affect their own identity and often emasculate them. They fear that their actions will be villainized for no other reason than their being black so they often refrain from showing any type of emotion that could lead to them getting hurt. In the movie, Chris is faced with many seemingly harmless questions and remarks that are very stereotypical. Jeremy Armitage makes many comments on Chris’s physique, commenting on how big and strong his body is and even compares him to a beast (Peele 00:24:27-00:24:50), a stereotype often linked to black men. At a certain point, one of the guests asks a rather uncomfortable question about Chris’s sexual prowess (Peele 00:43:20-00:43:38). These comments that the white people make about Chris may be based on what they consider less harmful stereotypes of Black men, but at the end of the day they are still bad. Jeremy essentially dehumanizes Chris, comparing him to a beast, a mindless creature that functions on pure instinct, and sees him for his physical abilities and not as a person. The questions the lady makes further the dehumanization of Chris, asking about him as if he’s an object and not a person. These remarks usually create harmful characteristics for black masculinity, as Black men are expected to be strong, big, and violent. Stereotypes created by white people lead to negative characteristics being associated with Black men, which often villainizes them.

By creating stereotypes and denying the existence of racism in a society that has been promoting racism and white supremacy, liberal people end up being racist because we live in a society that has been founded on racism. This was shown through the works of Desmond Cole’s book and Jordan Peele’s movie. Despite there still being a lot of racism today, will society ever be able to reach a point where racism ceases to exist?

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.