Movie Goers Rave For “BlacKkKlansman” and “Sorry to Bother You”

This summer has given moviegoers many blockbuster hits, but arguably the most notable movies this summer have been “Sorry To Bother You” and “BlacKkKlansman.” The two films offer two poignant yet humorous perspectives on important social commentary and the black experience in America. Both films touch on the way marginalized people seek assimilation in an otherwise foreign settings. Additionally, code-switching, which is a termed coined in 1999 to describe alternating between two different languages or styles of speaking, is a prominent tool to adapt and fit into their surroundings.
The film, “Sorry To Bother You” takes place in modern times and follows the story of Cassius Green, as he climbs up the professional ladder of his job. During his journey to the top, Green comes across a new, seemingly magical key to success; code-switching. Once Green utilizes this new tool, affectionately coined his “white voice” he finds that his dreams are within sight. For the sake of success, Green is forced to make decisions that potentially go against his beliefs, identity, and integrity.
In a similar fashion, “BlacKkKlansman” highlights Ron Stallworth’s use of his “white voice” to reach his goals and to prove himself to his superiors. With the help of code-switching, Stallworth attempts to take down a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. It is through this voice that Stallworth gets up close and personal with the klan members and, most importantly, their way of thinking. Stallworth’s use of his “white voice” allows him to pass for a white man, thus gaining the trust of the klan members. It is in this film that the audience learns that, unlike in “Sorry To Bother You,” code-switching is a tool that can be used for good.
The act of code-switching is a common theme within both movies and highlights the way in which marginalized people tend to camouflage themselves to appear more palatable for the majority. Linguistic passing is nothing new, not to film and certainly not to real life. Code-switching isn’t just the funny, sometimes comedic, tactic to fool people the two films seem to represent, but rather a means of life for many people. For those who face dialectical discrimination, as showcased in both films, code-switching is a means of protection and security. For many, code-switching is a way of life one that promises to even the playing field… if only a little.
The films “Sorry To Bother You” and “BlacKkKlansman” offer great examples and insight into what it is like to be a marginalized person, specifically a black person, in America. The films reintroduce the audience to the process that minorities go through in America to properly assimilate in a way that is both humorous as well as poignant and timely. It is the hope that these two films succeed in bringing code-switching back to the forefront of America’s racial discourse as audiences are as it is an integral tool to many minorities and should be addressed when the topic of racial, as well as dialectical discrimination, is brought up.