Get Out (2017): Race, “Wokeness,” and the Sunken Place

We will be meeting at Southeast Regional Library in Room C

Join us for a discussion into race, “wokeness,” and the horror of being objectified as we discuss Get Out (2017), following Chris on a weekend trip to his white girlfriend’s family estate where polite smiles and microaggressions mask something far more sinister beneath the surface.​

Please note: We will not be watching the movie during the event, nor is viewing it beforehand required.

Brief Summary
Get Out (2017) follows Chris, a young Black photographer, as he visits the wealthy suburban home of his white girlfriend’s parents, where their overly enthusiastic embrace of Black culture and constant reassurances that they “would have voted for Obama a third time” gradually give way to a terrifying plot involving hypnosis, bodily control, and the auctioning of Black bodies for white desires. The film blends dark humor and horror to explore themes of liberal racism, fetishization, and the fear of losing one’s autonomy and identity in spaces that insist they are welcoming.

## Theme 1: “Friendly” Racism and Polite Violence

1. When does curiosity about someone’s background cross the line into treating them as a specimen rather than a person?
2. How can compliments about a group (“You’re so athletic,” “Your people are so talented”) still feel dehumanizing or threatening?
3. Is it more unsettling to face open hostility or to face harm from people who insist they are your allies and admirers? Why?
4. How do jokes, microaggressions, and “small” comments accumulate over time to shape someone’s sense of safety in a space?
5. What responsibilities do bystanders have when they witness subtle prejudice that can always be explained away as a misunderstanding?

## Theme 2: Body, Autonomy, and Ownership

1. In what ways do societies treat certain bodies as resources to be used—whether for labor, beauty, talent, or status?
2. How can the fear of losing control over one’s own body mirror deeper fears about losing voice, identity, or agency?
3. Is there a moral difference between admiring aspects of another culture or body and wanting to possess or “wear” them?
4. How do medical or technological promises of enhancement complicate questions of consent, especially when power is unequal?
5. When people feel their bodies are constantly watched, judged, or touched without full consent, how might that change how they move through the world?

## Theme 3: Trust, Gaslighting, and Psychological Control

1. What does it do to a person’s mind when their instincts about danger are repeatedly dismissed as “overreacting” or “being too sensitive”?
2. How can love, hospitality, or “just wanting what’s best for you” become tools of control rather than genuine care?
3. At what point does staying in an uncomfortable environment become an act of self-betrayal rather than patience or politeness?
4. How do people decide when to trust their gut feelings over the reassurances of everyone around them?
5. What are some strategies people use—consciously or not—to keep others quiet, compliant, or doubtful of their own perceptions?

## Theme 4: Belonging, Safety, and Escape

1. What makes a space feel truly safe and welcoming, beyond the words people use to describe it that way?
2. How can the desire to “fit in” with a group cause someone to overlook warning signs about how that group operates?
3. When is leaving a harmful environment an act of courage, and when might it feel like abandoning important relationships or opportunities?
4. How do people balance the need for connection with the need to protect themselves from spaces that only accept them on certain terms?
5. What might it mean, in different parts of life, to finally “get out”—and what inner resources does that escape usually require?