An Open Letter To The White Outrage At The Movie “Get Out”: Why You Mad Doe?

Nicole Homer: Let me use that white fake ally jujitsu: #NotAllWhites. Some white people in the movie are racist, but not all whites [I wish I had a gif of my face as I type that] You mad because there’s a movie where white people are portrayed as racist or not recognizing the full humanity of blacks people?!? For real for real? Because ain’t that like all of the history of cinema? Seems like given the history of (mis)representation of black people and other PoCs, the issue isn’t that white people are racist. Because white people was racist in The Help too, right? And that was [insert words to describe white people looking at racism in a removed way that allows them to think if it as a thing their embarrassing relatives did in the 1950s] and therefore got nominated for awards.

Omar Holmon: This outrage is never seen from white folk when they see a Black person or POC cast as the criminal / thug/ stereotype. There’s always silence on that until you see yourself in a light you ain’t comfortable with. Then it’s an agenda being pushed against white people only because the status quo changed and muh fuckas don’t like that.

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Nicole: But because this was written by a Black man… Because this is set in contemporary times… Because the movie points out micro-aggressions that some of these people probably committed in the last week in a way that is so accurate it’s uncomfortable (even for me and I’m on the receiving end)… Hold up a mirror and dudes get shook. It’s all pearl clutches and “but I’m on your side” after that. The irony is exactly what you said if we can be thugs and maids and criminals and addicts for years and that’s not racist, then how exactly does this movie equate to anti-whiteness? You admitting anti-blackness?

Omar: They ain’t trying to answer the real question because that would require holding yourself accountable towards your own interactions or dismissal of marginalized groups of black people. Let’s also keep in mind this is a horror movie for Black people. This was made for Black people. It feels like Jordan Peele going to go the BeyoncĂ© route because this art wasn’t made for all audiences. It was made for a specific group so what we talking here? Folks really upset that art imitating the really real parts of life now? If you that upset about it go watch any other horror movie (or news) where the Black folks die first and the White lead makes it out alive.

Nicole: Cue the problematic Amy Schumer/Goldie Hahn “remake.” And maybe that’s really what it boils down to: something was made that was unapologetically not for their consumption. After lifetimes of privilege (because privilege is like a trust fund you inherit and live off of the interest) the gall, the audacity, the uppityness of us negroes making and enjoying something of our own that is not made from scraps they don’t want [looks back in time at my gramma making chitlins] it just does not compute. It cannot be about black joy; it has to be about anti-whiteness. Because everything has to be about whiteness in a fundamental way. And yes, yes this movie addresses whiteness, yes it addresses racism, yes it addresses micro-aggressions, but for me it wasn’t about those in a way that at all centered whiteness.

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For me what it did was validate what it feels like to be Black in a world that don’t like Black. It’s a horror movie and dealing with overt racist white people is horrible; dealing with benevolent racists is horrible; being touched by people because my body/hair/whatever not “normal” [looks at camera and mouths the word “white”] is horrible. Black joy is not. It’s why I can generally tell you the exact number of black people in any room where we are the minority. It’s why my IG feed is all natural hair and smiling black babies. So if you can’t 1) step aside and say “this wasn’t made for me but I can watch it and maybe learn something” or 2) use it as a tool to interrogate yourself, then of course it’s anti-white because the dictionary you’re reading defines white as (v) to be correct; to win and (n) hero.

Omar: Weeeeeeeelp! Guess there’s nothing left to do now but…

*Sets timer*
*DEEP INHALE*
Jordan Peele made a movie that got that fragility at terror alert orange.
Jordan Peele removing the knife from the back of White America as they turn,
look’em in the eye and tell him “Et tu? [names different black actor mistakenly]”

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White fragility so racist it’s mad at Keegan-Michael Peele.
White fragility so mad it’s gonna write a passive aggressive note
and leave it on the hood of our car… unsigned.
White fragility mad cause they saw themselves as extras in the movie.
White fragility buying up all the Tyler Perry DVDs it can find and mumbling “I’ll always have you.”
White fragility serenading Jordan Peele on some “you better call Keegan” to the tune of Erykah Badu’s Tyrone and deleting all they Key and Peele

Everybody wanna be an ally but don’t nobody wanna admit to being guilty of non-ally shit.
Everybody wanna march but don’t nobody wanna do that work.
Got self-proclaimed White allies looking at the screen like Bernard from WestWorld:

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“Intersectionality? Is that a tribe in the country of Africa?”
“Intersectionality isn’t a coconut oil product?”
“Intersectionality? You all choose such exotic names for your kids.”
“Intersectionality? is that like the mannequin challenge or that juJu on the beat dance?”

White fragility saw Get Out and phoned their Black “friend” (message went straight to voicemail)
White fragility re-reading the title of the movie aghast, “Are they- are they talking to me?”
The construct of whiteness so shook it’s gonna vote for Trump and lie about it in exit polls [looks at camera].

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White tears at home spooning their lacrosse stick.
White guilt out here tallying up Black friends and counting the guy who happens to jog at the same time as them knowing they instinctively pat their wallet as he jogs by.
White allies so outraged, they like,
“Is this about the barbecue? I told you I wouldn’t bring food the next time. I promised!”

Black folk left the theaters after Get Out white water rafting all the white tears.
White outrage channeling their inner Goonies:
“Here [points to everything, everywhere], it’s our time. It’s our time here”

White liberalism so confused because it just started celebrating Kwanza to prove it was down for the culture. Go ahead, ask it about the principles. It wiki-ed them and is more than willing to explain them to a Black Studies scholar.

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*Time*

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