Get Out: A Deconstruction of Hegemony in American Society

Paper by Amelia Morgan.

Many Americans believe that racism is an issue of the past. With the abolition of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and the more recent Black Lives Matter Movement, it is a common misconception that racism has been solved. Despite all of these highly impactful movements, racism is ingrained into society at a fundamental level. Something that has perpetuated institutionalized racism is hegemony. Hegemony is defined in America On Film as “the ongoing struggle to maintain the consent of the people to a system that governs them (and which may or may not oppress them in some ways)” (9). Hegemony is an aspect of institutionalized racism that is often overlooked due to the vague and sometimes undetectable nature of it. For the dominating group, white people, it often goes unsolved due to their inability to fully empathize with the struggles that people of color face in their day to day lives. Hegemony is embedded into America’s culture and institutions, and it needs to be deconstructed. In the 2017 film Get Out, Jordan Peele highlights the sinister impacts of hegemony through the story of a black man named Chris who travels with his white girlfriend, Rose, to meet her family. Throughout the film, Rose’s family, the Armitages’ behavior is often overbearing and bordering on obsessive. Throughout the film, Chris unravels the family’s dark secret– they lure unsuspecting black men to their estate, where they are auctioned off and sold to the highest bidder to be used as vessels for wealthy white people’s minds and souls. The film is a critique of the idea that America is post-racism, and Peele highlights the amount of work that still needs to be done in order to achieve equity for black people. In his 2017 film Get Out, Jordan Peele conveys how hegemony in a supposed post-racism society perpetuates institutionalized racism, as well as the normalized racism that is ingrained into interpersonal interactions between White and Black Americans. Peele conveys this message in The Party scene through purposeful camera-work, costume design, the contrast of light and dark, and dialogue between the bidders and Chris. Peele’s emphasis on hegemony in the film reveals that racism is still heavily prevalent in America, and although some believe racism is an issue that has been tackled, it is still ingrained into our institutions.

While mingling with the older white attendees, Chris is subjected to casual racism, unwarranted physical contact, and curious glances that cause him to feel vulnerable and alienated. He is asked about Tiger Woods, his sex-life, and is grabbed by a woman who wants to feel his bicep. These instances are common occurrences for people of color, and Chris’s discomfort is palpable throughout the scene. The effect of these microaggressions is clear in how Chris’s mood develops as the party progresses. While at the start of the scene he is open-minded and willing to participate, in the end he is deeply uncomfortable and disturbed by the dynamics at play. Costume design in this scene also reveals the dynamics between the guests and Chris. The partygoers present at the Armitage family’s estate are dressed in red and white semi-formal attire, while Chris is dressed casually in a denim button down and black jeans. The cohesive red color scheme among the guests represents the power that they have over Chris, while the casualness of his attire conveys that he is an outsider, not a participant. In his article, “The (Dis)similarities of White Racial Identities: The Conceptual Framework of ‘Hegemonic Whiteness’”, Matthew Hughey analyzes how racial identity for white people in America is a product of “positioning those marked as ‘white’ as essentially different from and superior to those marked as ‘non-white’ (Hughey). Hughey’s claim that the white racial identity is founded on a distinction of superiority has been prevalent throughout America’s history and present reality. White people have exerted power over black people for centuries, and because so much progress has been made, the ways it manifests in society today are less obvious. Many believe that America has defeated racism, when in reality the threats it poses to black people are still present. Although they are less obvious to white people, these institutionalized practices impact black Americans every single day. Whether it is through less socio-economic opportunity, lack of criminal justice, or day to day interpersonal interactions, the struggles black people face are ongoing. These struggles are often underplayed by oppressors because they are heavily ingrained into society, which has led them to become normal and expected. This inherent power that white people hold is revealed in the film through camera angles. The shots in this scene depict the guests in mostly wide shots, while Chris is mostly portrayed through close ups. The use of wide shots to capture the partygoers conveys the elaborate nature of the party, as well as Chris’s isolation among the group. The wide shots give the audience perspective into how many guests there are, and how Chris sticks out among them. The wide shots also portray the amount of power that they exert over Chris. By capturing the large numbers of white people, Peele emphasizes the power that this group holds over him. Chris is mostly captured through close up shots which reveal his vulnerability and unease towards the situation. The camera hones in on Chris’s facial expressions which are often ones of confusion, fear, and discomfort. This allows the audience to further empathize with Chris, and feel the discomfort he is put through.

Throughout the party, Chris is taking photos of his surroundings. His camera acts as a shield or security blanket that he uses to create distance between himself and the guests in order to ease his discomfort. When he spots another black man through his camera lens, he is quick to put down the camera and approach him. This decision conveys the relief felt by Chris when he spots someone that looks like him. He is able to let his guard down and seek solidarity from someone who he assumes has shared experiences. The man he meets, Logan, has a demeanor that reflects the other guests. His attire, manner of speech, and body language are all similar to the white people in attendance. Logan’s character serves as a symbol for the allies that are necessary in order for hegemony to function. By having other black people present at the party, the Armitage family is able to create a false sense of security that lures Chris into feeling at ease. This same tactic is used by oppressors under hegemony, and it is theorized by many scholars that having people of color acting as allies is an integral piece that allows hegemony to operate effectively. In their article, “Rationalising Racial Inequality: Ideology, Hegemony and Post-Racialism Among the Black and South Asian Middle-Classes”, Ali Meghji and Rima Saini define the term “power bloc” as the process in which a racially dominant group exerts continuous power by “recruit[ing] particular racialised minorities as allies” (Meghji, Saini). Through the process of gaining the “consent” of the allies from oppressed groups, the dominant group is able to “mask the association between white-ness, post-racialism and systemic racism” (Meghji, Saini). Although this allyship requires the consent of the oppressed in order to function, the skewed power dynamic at play brings up questions in regards to if the consent can be trusted. Due to pre existing power dynamics, oppressed individuals cannot give full consent to becoming allies to the oppressors because they are vulnerable to coercion, and may feel they have no other choice. This concept is portrayed through Logan’s dynamic with his much older wife Philomena. When Chris meets her, it is that Philomena and Logan’s relationship has an unspoken power dynamic. Philomena is dressed like the other party goers, in red and white, while Logan adorns a tan sport coat and a straw hat with a blue band. Philomena hands Logan a red handkerchief and tells him to “do something” with it, so Logan sticks it in his pocket. This exchange conveys the concealed power that Logan holds. While he is presented as a black man, Logan’s body has been taken over by a white man who purchased him at auction. In turn, Logan’s body is an unwilling participant in hegemony, while his soul is a perpetuator. This dynamic between the body and soul reveals Peele’s message that under hegemony, allies cannot give full consent due to the pre existing power structures that victimize black people. As an “ally” to the Armitage family’s cause, Logan holds power over Chris, which is hidden by the color of his skin.

In societies where hegemony is present, it is a common occurrence that people of color adopt certain traits that are present in the dominant group. In his article, “Permanent American Hegemony: Liberalism, Domination, and the Continuing Crisis of Black Leadership”, Ricky L. Jones highlights that when hegemony is instituted, the ideologies and traits of the oppressor seep into the lives of oppressed groups. He claims that this leads the oppressed group to “base their worth on how well they can mimic the behavior and life circumstances of the society’s dominant group” (Jones). In order to receive fair treatment in society, people of color may feel the need to adopt certain personality traits, speech patterns, clothing, and mannerisms from white people. This can lead to a feeling of disconnection from one’s culture and personal identity, which in turn leads to cultural assimilation. Through this loss of identity, racist institutions are given more power and control over the lives of people of color. Much of this self-preservering behavior is overlooked and unspoken in society due to the inherent nature of it. It is a welcomed occurrence when a person of color adapts their behavior in order to mimic white people, because it makes white people feel more comfortable. This is depicted in the film through Logan’s character, and the ways in which he has assimilated. At the end of his uncomfortable interaction with Logan, Chris reaches out for a fist bump. Rather than reciprocating a very common gesture of goodwill between black men, Logan grabs Chris’s fist and shakes it. Logan’s character traits often associated with white people reveal how oppressed groups often take on characteristics of the dominant group. After the procedure that placed the white man’s brain into Logan’s body, his sole purpose is to act as a vessel for the man who purchased him. Logan’s worth is defined by how he is able to mimic the traits of white people, and blend in in order to accommodate the expectations and comfort of the white community he finds himself immersed in. This extreme case in the film conveys Peele’s overarching message that hegemony leads to cultural dissemination in which marginalized groups are required to mimic behaviors held by their oppressors in order to be treated well in society.

The film Get Out is a critique of the way society overlooks racism and sweeps it under the rug. Many individuals refuse to accept the reality that racism is embedded in society because it makes them feel guilty or ashamed of the role they play in perpetuating it. Jordan Peele challenges this perception of America as post-racism by using the palatable horror format in order to shed light on hegemony and its harmful effects on black people. Although there has been so much work done in order to deconstruct racist institutions, the fight against systemic racism is far from over. Ricky Jones claims that the only solution to fixing a hegemonic society and rehumanizing the oppressed is through a comprehensive “a deconstruction of oppressive institutions” (Jones). Although this is a daunting task, it is entirely necessary in order to reform our society into one that promotes equity and fairness for all.  

Works Cited
Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2021.
Hughey, Matthew W. “The (Dis)Similarities of White Racial Identities: The Conceptual Framework of ‘Hegemonic Whiteness.’” Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 33, no. 8, 2010, pp. 1289–309, https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870903125069.
Jones, Ricky L. “Permanent American Hegemony: Liberalism, Domination, and the Continuing Crisis of Black Leadership.” The Black Scholar, vol. 31, no. 2, 2001, pp. 38–47, https://doi.org/10.1080/00064246.2001.11431143.
Meghji, Ali, and Rima Saini. “Rationalising Racial Inequality: Ideology, Hegemony and Post-Racialism among the Black and South Asian Middle-Classes.” Sociology (Oxford), vol. 52, no. 4, 2018, pp. 671–87, https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038517726645.