What the Critics Got Out of 'Get Out': Commentary on Modern Racism and Its Impacts Anonymous 12th Grade

In his 2017 film Get Out, Jordan Peele explores some of the mechanisms of racism that have oppressed people of colour and their impact on modern society to a great extent. He exposes his audience to the concept of white feminism and microaggressions, then demonstrates how people of colour deal with these threats through code switching, and ultimately celebrates black resistance where it has otherwise been demonised by the media and scholars.

One of the concepts of modern racism discussed in Get Out is white feminism. Dr. Heather Montes defines white feminism as a form of feminism that concerns itself primarily with the oppression faced by middle-class white women (Chicago Tribune, 2018) without including the concerns of women of colour. White feminists are often criticised for portraying themselves as supportive of people of colour when it supports their interests, but consistently prioritise the rights and safety of white women over women of colour (Vox, 2017). This is directly contradictory to third wave feminism, which is intended to attend to issues concerning racism and the experience of women of colour (Ortega, 2009). It is theorised that white feminism exists because there are situations where the interests of the...