Racism and slavery are both forms of discrimination that black people faced since human history. They have been ongoing issues for many centuries now and the brutality is still superior in modern society. People of colour were the victims because the whites wanted to control them and believed they were more worthy than the blacks. This essay will cover these impacts on individuals through Jordan Peele’s award-winning film Get Out and Desmond Cole’s book “The Skin We’re In”.
Today, Canada is a free country, and they are accepting many immigrants and welcoming many citizens by giving them better opportunities. However, police brutality and racism are still issues this country is facing, but society seems to not be aware of them because the country is free. The United States of America is a country that faces many racial problems, beginning with slavery amongst minority groups such as Native and African Americans and Latinos. These issues also stem from the inequalities of money and schooling. When Donald Trump was the president of the states, he wanted to build a wall to forbid Mexicans from coming in as he did not want immigrants. In the US, these issues are well known, and Americans seem to believe that Canadians do not face these issues. Chris Washington faces racial discrimination in the movie “Get Out”. He is a man of colour and because of his skin, he is hypnotized by his girlfriend’s family. The opening scene of the movie shows a black man being kidnapped, which foreshadows the ending of the movie. Chris left with his girlfriend Rose for a weekend getaway with her family. The man started to notice odd behaviour at the beginning when he encountered the housekeeper who was a black woman. Afterwards, the family had a garden party, and Chris was the only black individual. Chris’s skin colour symbolizes the conviction he faces. Rose’s family kidnaps black men and hypnotizes them by removing parts of their brains and replacing them with the minds of white people. We see the control and the power that the white people want to have on the black people. In the book “The Skin We’re In”, Desmond Cole explains police brutality and racial discrimination growing up in Toronto. His friend John was faced with criminal charges such as a liquor violation and assault and he was mistreated for crimes he did not commit, (Desmond, C.10). They are treated differently because of their skin colour.
One of the many reasons black people face racism is because of the stereotypes that society portrays these individuals as. Throughout history, slavery and discrimination have started these social opinions. The police portray them to be dangerous, aggressive and the cause of crimes and they arrest these innocent individuals. Racist individuals portray them to be unworthy, irresponsible, and unintelligent. In the movie “Get Out”, Chris challenges these stereotypes. In the end, Chris discovers that his girlfriend’s family wants to hold him captive and control him, by removing his brain and killing him. He refused to let his fear take over and decided to fight for his life. He was determined to escape and unravel the family’s secret. Desmond Cole expresses in his novel “The Skin We’re In”, that black people are not surprised by police discrimination because they are used to them, (Desmond, C.11). It is a deep clarification that these events are frequent. Police discriminate against them by always blaming these innocent people for no reason because they are stereotyped to be scary and a violent threat to society.
The US has a negative history of racism as they have dealt with many protests and conflicts regarding black labour. Black labour was exploited, and black people faced labour with hard working conditions where they were slaves for the white people. They had no rights in the workforce. In “Get Out”, the idea that the family members exploit the brains of individuals and replace the black brains with white brains shows the power white people want to have on black people. They are using their bodies and taking over who they are. They want to have control of black people and want to kill their bodies. Canada faced slavery over the years and Desmond expresses certain issues he faced. He stated that black people were not wanted in society, (Desmond, C. 3). The white supremacists dominated the black culture having the belief that whites are superior, (Desmond. C, 9). They promote discrimination and want domination and priority and they do not have empathy for the blacks. They celebrate inequality.
The movie “Fight Club” is a very violent movie with a twist to its ending. The movie is about violence between other men who are not content with their lifestyle. In conclusion, both works as well as the movie “Fight Club”, all highlight the trace of racism in history and the way this has developed into modern society. These issues are still occurring today and have not yet reached equality among individuals. They highlight the dangers and the consequences of traditionalism by challenging prejudice.
Bibliography:
Get out. Jordan Peele, Blumhouse Productions, 2017.
Cole, Desmond. The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power. Doubleday Canada, 2020.
Fight Clubs/Night Clubs 